Creating artificial rocks that look a lot like natural ones is a fun process. It has been used by owners of private territories and summer residents for many years. To form a realistic landscape with stone boulders, you should use the methods of building rocks from available materials.
Design and preparation
Before you create a landscape design of the site with your own hands, you need to determine the scale of the territory. Massive rocks are hardly suitable for a small area. It is also important to plan where you will make the stones. It may take several days for concrete to harden, only after that it is recommended to start placing products where necessary.
During operation, the outside air temperature must not fall below 16 °C. If you do not have the practice of performing such work, you should start by making a small stone. Such structures usually do not have a bottom, but a basemade from lumber. For the artificial rock, you will need to lay out a base of planks to form the shape. A small depression is dug in the ground, where the construction grid is located. The frame is placed in it and fixed in shape.
Preparation of tools and materials
If you decide to build an artificial rock, then first you need to take care of the availability of some materials and tools, among them should be highlighted:
- cement;
- building grid;
- sand;
- wide tape;
- protective gloves;
- cutters;
- metal trowel;
- capacity;
- paint;
- pigment dye.
As for sand, you can use any of its types, for example, quarry or river. When buying a building mesh, you should choose a material with cells from 50 x 50 to 60 x 60 mm. Adhesive tape can be replaced with adhesive tape. A container will be needed to prepare the solution.
Before installing artificial rocks, you should consider whether they will match the exterior. Taking into account this factor, a pigment dye is selected. It must be designed for concrete, which means it will have the property of resistance to negative factors such as ultraviolet radiation. This is the only way to avoid the rapid burnout of an artificial rock. When purchasing paint, you should prefer the polymer variety.
Need to use framework
Creating the shape of a stone makes it possible to lighten the weight of the future product. For a dummy, mounting foam is usually used, which is laid on the frame. The latter in shape and volume will correspond to the future design. This part will form the core. It is covered with a layer of concrete up to 8 cm thick. If necessary, you can move such a rock during operation from place to place.
Before you start applying the mortar to the shape of the stone, you must stretch the wire mesh over the surface and fix it with zip ties. This will ensure reliable adhesion of the mortar to the material on vertical bases.
Sequence of work
The basis for the rock can be improvised materials that should be prepared in advance. Even construction debris, natural stone and tin cans will do. You can stock up on wooden blocks, pipes and asph alt battles. Then you can get to work. To begin with, the master will have to form a base from the material, the size and shape of which will correspond to the parameters of the rock. For adhesion of materials, wrap the frame with construction mesh and fix everything.
The base for a large stone can be made from mounting foam, which is laid out in layers. Next, you should start mixing the solution. To do this, prepare 3 parts of sand and part of cement by adding natural fillers in the form of stone chips, broken glass, fiberglass, broken bricks, quartz sand, ash and wood glue. The mixture is diluted with water untilget a composition whose consistency resembles a thick dough.
The frame is fixed with concrete mortar. To do this, using a spatula, concrete is applied to the surface. In the process of this, you have to work hard, giving the product the plasticity of lines, characteristic of natural rocks. For greater realism, you should first consider how natural stones look like. While the mortar has not hardened, you will need to give it a texture that resembles a rock. Leaves, sand and fine slag can be applied to the surface.
To obtain the effect of a porous structure, use a sponge that is pressed against wet concrete. Greater artistry can be given to an artificial rock if scratches, grooves, erosion and abrasions are applied to the surface.
Rock finish
The resulting design must be placed in a shaded, well-ventilated place. The surface is periodically wetted with water from a spray bottle, this will avoid cracking and drying out. You will also need to do some final finishing. To do this, after 3 days, with the help of a fine-grained grinding stone, it is necessary to rub out excessive irregularities. The base is fanned with a paint brush to remove dust.
Then the stone is washed and dried. The artificial rocks are yet to be painted. Small cracks on the surface are well filled. To do this, it is convenient to use a sponge that is dipped in the composition. This technique will allow you to achieve the effect of inclusions. For the same purpose, a hard roller is used. ForComplete curing and shrinkage of concrete will take some time. This stage takes about a month. After giving the product its final look, you can move it to a permanent place.
What to consider when staining
In order to make artificial stone in landscape design more realistic, spray paint should be used. Suitable for water-based formulations. To form a deep texture, several layers of pigment should be applied. First you need to study what shades are present in natural rocks. This will allow you to understand that among the primary colors:
- green;
- blue;
- orange;
- red;
- brown;
- yellow.
On the surface, as a result, transitions and spots between colors should not be visible.
Protection from external factors
Artificial rocks made of concrete require protection from moisture. In this case, a sealing method is usually used. This will extend the life of the stone. To do this, use a water-based sealant, which is laid on the surface in 3 layers. After applying each, you should wait for it to dry. Each year, the sealant layer is renewed to maintain the protective properties.
In conclusion
When designing the landscape design of the site with your own hands, you can supplement it with artificial rocks. They look very realistic and also go well with artificial ponds. You can complement such compositions with figuresanimals. If desired, stones can even be made to order.
