Flooring, which is increasingly gaining popularity among the population - a stone floor. Even in ancient times, stone was used for interior decoration, and in our time this tradition is returning. True, contemporaries prefer to use stone more often as a floor covering, and not for wall cladding, since it is there that it is more appropriate to use it. There are several varieties of such floors - let's take a closer look at them.
Dignity
The first thing I would like to start with is to identify all the advantages and disadvantages of such floors. Let's start with the positives.
- Stone is an environmentally friendly and safe material.
- A stone floor instantly makes a dwelling more solid, it shows the well-being of its owner.
- Such floors are very durable, they are not afraid of hard brushes, abrasive cleaners or alkali. They are almost impossible to scratch or break.
- Stone floors are very beautiful. If you connect fantasy,then you can create entire mosaic paintings from natural or artificial materials.
Flaws
Just like absolutely any thing, stone floors have their drawbacks:
- Objects dropped on such floors break very quickly. Also, the stone floor is not safe for small children.
- If you drop something on such a floor, the sound will be very loud.
- Natural stone is quite cold, so walking on it barefoot can be uncomfortable. Such a disadvantage is quite easily eliminated by installing the "warm floor" system.
- Stone is a rather massive material, so in small rooms it will visually hide the area.
- These floors are more expensive than the flooring we are used to.
There are several ways to install flooring such as stone flooring.
Views
- The coating is made from a mixture of quartz sand and stone chips using epoxy and polyurethane resins.
- The floor is made of randomly piled stones and pebbles of the middle fraction.
- Laying stone tile flooring.
- Mirror stone floor.
In addition, it should be said that such floors differ in the material of manufacture. They can be made of both natural stone - a more expensive option, and artificial stones - a cheap stone floor.
Howprepare the floor for stone carpet?
The first thing to do before work is to perfectly level the floor. It should not have any cracks or differences in height. The old flooring should also be removed, leaving only the concrete.
If your floor is uneven, then first you need to fill it with a self-leveling mixture and wait for a month until it dries completely. If for some reason it is not possible to purchase such a mixture, you can use an ordinary cement screed, but it also needs to be kept for about a month.
How to check the quality of the prepared floor?
- By level, identify all differences in height and irregularities, as well as determine the level of the future floor.
- Swiping your palm across the floor, inspect your hand, and if there is sand on it, then carry out additional work to strengthen the floor.
- Try to make a small incision with a sharp object and check that the surface does not delaminate or crumble.
- Tap the prepared floor with a hammer, hitting it with a sharp end with medium force. No cracks, dents or chips should remain.
- Check the floor for residual moisture. This can be done as follows: put a small piece of plastic film (about half a meter in size) on the floor, glue all the edges with masking tape, and press down on top with something heavy, for example, a sandbag. Check the floor in a day - the surface under the film should be perfectly dry.
After you made sure that the floorideally prepared for flooring, it is necessary to remove all debris and dust from it, dry it well and cover it with a special primer. If a particular area requires minor leveling, you can do this with a special putty.
Styling features
Stone floors are used in absolutely any room - from bathrooms to terraces and balconies. It can be found both in residential areas and in large institutions.
When using stone chips, you will get a completely anti-slip coating, which is even more convenient in pools, bathrooms or baths and saunas. In addition, stone floors are not afraid of moisture, which also speaks in their favor.
The installation process is simple, even a beginner can handle it. Ready-made mixes of various colors are available for sale. It is only necessary to mix all the components with a construction mixer, apply with a spatula to the floor, pressing lightly, then go over the finished surface with a special fixing varnish and leave to dry for a day.
Features of laying stone slabs
The way a stone slab floor is created is practically the same as that of a ceramic floor. The stone is laid on an adhesive base applied in a thin or medium thickness layer. Glue can be applied not only to the base, but also to the back of the tile to achieve the maximum adhesion effect. It is especially good to apply this method in rooms with high humidity, as well as for kitchens.
The process of laying the stone flooris as follows:
- Apply the prepared adhesive solution to a small area of the floor with a spatula.
- Push the stone tile into the adhesive and hold for a few seconds.
- Start work from the middle of the room, diverging to the corners. You can pre-make the markup in full size. Cut tiles should run along the walls.
- After laying, polish the tiles with finely dispersed sifted sand and cement (mixture in proportions of 30/70).
- After completion of work, clean off all dirt from the tile and leave until the glue dries completely.
Features of laying a mirror floor
The original technology is no different from laying a stone slab floor. Upon completion of work on it, it is necessary to go through it several times with a grinding and polishing machine to smooth out all the bumps and seams. After such processing, the surface begins to resemble a mirror.
It should be said that it is undesirable for beginners to take on such work, since such installation of artificial stone on the floor requires skills in working with stone. In addition, the maintenance of such a coating is also quite complicated, requiring constant polishing and special chemicals.
Stone floor DIY
When installing, they use both large flat quartzites and small pebbles - it all depends on your ideas and creativity. Large quartz is laid out immediately directly on the solution, and pebbles can first be glued to the grid, and then laid ongender.
Naturally, the time spent working with small river pebbles is much higher, but this floor looks much more interesting.
Please note that if you decide to create a stone floor from small river pebbles, you will need to lay them one by one, carefully washing and sorting by size. Carefully weigh your strength before starting such work.
After the entire floor is laid out, it is necessary to wipe all the seams.
Large quartz slabs are laid on a cement mortar diluted approximately 1/1 (it should be quite thick), and pebbles can be laid both on the mortar and on ready-made mixtures of epoxy and polyurethane resins.
Feedback and questions
And what do those who have already made such floors say? Almost everyone notes their convenience and durability. Unfortunately, in Russia, the stone floor is more suitable for the southern regions, as it is quite cold.
Also often there are questions about the fact that caring for him is quite difficult. Aside from the mirrored floors mentioned above, a regular stone floor doesn't require much maintenance - a damp mop and a vacuum cleaner are all you need.
Questions about the high price are also quite reasonable, but keep in mind that such a floor is made for many years. At the same time, he practically will not lose his appearance, will not be scratched and will not peel off. If you want to reduce the cost of work, then you can not use natural stone - there are a lot of types of artificial stones on sale thatpractically indistinguishable from natural ones. Well, a homemade floor will generally cost you only the cost of cement.
