Recently stamped concrete has become more and more popular. This material is used to cover beaches, swimming pools, sidewalks, garage complexes, bridges and other areas.
Description of printed concrete
This material is also known as press concrete. It acts as a material for facing horizontal and vertical surfaces, which allows you to create an imitation of natural stone at low cost. Stamped concrete has excellent performance, produced by imprinting a matrix on the surface.
Material specifications
Such concrete can be used in a wide range of temperatures - from -50 to +50 degrees. The surface does not slip and does not lose color, and is also resistant to sunlight. Among other things, this material perfectly resists the effects of abrasion forces. Consumers mention that in terms of strength and durability, such concrete surpasses conventional road tile and asph alt pavements. Decorative material of this type usually undergoes temperature effects and numerousfreeze and thaw cycles that can be as many as three hundred. Using stamped concrete, home craftsmen are able to complete the job in much less impressive time, which is very popular with consumers. Among other things, this material saves money. It steadfastly emphasizes the effects of chemicals, which allows it to be used in indoor conditions for the appropriate purpose. These can be, for example, car workshops.
Features of use
Stamped concrete is used today in many areas. If we are talking about vertical surfaces, then the layer can vary from 0.5 to 3 centimeters. It can be interior walls, columns, arches, fireplaces, slopes, doorways and much more. Horizontal surfaces may have a layer whose thickness is 1-1.5 cm. In this case, we are talking about balconies, flights of stairs, paths, sidewalks, terraces, etc. The stamped concrete technology may involve the use of a base for finishing in the form of a brick, concrete, building blocks, chipboard, drywall, stone slabs, tiles, etc. The main requirement for the base is its immobility and integrity.
Consumer Reviews
Stamped concrete has positive and negative characteristics. Among the first, consumers especially highlight the absence of the need to prepare the base by the type of grout, plaster or putty. Errors, roughness, as well as chips can be left on the surface, eliminate them beforeusing stamped material is not required, which saves time and money.
The described material is universal, it can be used both indoors and outdoors. In the latter case, the material copes well with temperature effects, which indicates frost resistance. In addition to heat resistance, the material does not burn, which allows it to be used when finishing furnace equipment. Stamped concrete has the qualities of hydrophobicity, which indicates water and dirt repellency. At the same time, the material retains the ability to breathe and pass steam, which is very much appreciated by consumers when finishing facades.
However, buyers especially emphasize the high strength characteristics of this concrete. The described material has a low weight, which allows it to be used for vertical coatings. So, the weight of one square meter on a vertical base, the thickness of which is 1 cm, is about 12 kg. This parameter can be compared with clinker tiles. That is why consumers use this material to cover facades that were previously insulated with stone wool or polystyrene. At the same time, home craftsmen note that they observe a strong fastening of the finish, which cannot peel off and fall. Due to its low weight, decorative stamped concrete does not significantly affect the walls and foundation of the building.
Concrete in the form of imitation of other materials
Described decorativethe coating can be made in the form of an imitation of various natural textures such as wood, natural stone, boards, sandstone, slate, etc. This allows the use of inexpensive material that quite naturally conveys the structures of other natural textures. Consumers note that finishing arches, columns, slopes and other complex surfaces using this material is the easiest in comparison with natural counterparts, because there is no need to adjust the material to size. Among other things, this saves money.
Variations of decorative solutions
If you decide to use stamped concrete, the shape of this material can be completely different. This also applies to shades, which are on sale in a great variety. You can choose from 20 options, one of which will certainly suit the exterior or interior solution. In the process of work, you can combine different textures and colors. This allows you to recreate unique patterns on the surface, which can consist of imitation stone and boards. It is quite easy to take care of the finished coating, which is noted by those consumers who use the printed material for a long time. The surface can be washed with soapy water, cold or warm water. To do this, use brushes that have a soft bristle, as well as soft rags. If any inaccuracies in the form of dents and chips appear on the coating, then the material can be replaced in separate areas, which will allowreturn the cover to its original form.
Stamped Concrete Technology
The technology involves at the first stage the removal of the upper fertile soil layer, after which the surface must be well compacted, and then backfilled with a layer of crushed stone, the thickness of which should be equal to 15 cm. The preparation must be compacted by laying polyethylene on its surface, providing an overlap 10 cm. Next, formwork is installed and reinforcement is laid. Do not work when the temperature is below -5 degrees. The brand of concrete used must be at least M300, while portland cement grade M 400 or 500 should be used. The mixture must contain a plasticizing additive. Concrete, the price of which will be less if self-made, must contain a reinforcing polypropylene fiber. This will prevent the formation of cracks. The finished mixture must be placed in the formwork, distributing it and ramming it with a deep vibrator. Next, you should start applying the color fixative.
Features of the work
The surface is smoothed with an aluminum trowel. At the next stage, the pattern is printed, where texture matrices should be used. This must be done without delay, while the concrete lends itself to light pressure with your fingers. It is necessary to lay texture matrices, moving along the entire length along the formwork.
If you decide to purchase concrete, the price of this material should interest you. In the warehouse it can be purchased for 2000 rubles per 1 squaremeter. It is worth noting that if you plan to cover a small area with this finish, then it will be much more profitable to purchase ready-made material. After all, additional materials and tools, most likely, cannot be found in the arsenal of the master. Once you know the recipe for stamped concrete, you can start making it. If you set up production, then it will even be possible to earn money on this.
