Many owners of private suburban real estate have a fireplace in the house. This element of luxury, which embodies comfort, inevitably becomes the epicenter of attention of any room where it is located. In most cases, it is arranged in the living room, and therefore its appearance should be sympathetic. And among all the available materials, facing fireplaces with natural stone looks more impressive and bewitching.
Features of choice
Although the finish is not affected by sudden temperature changes, it is still inside the living space. Therefore, it is important to ensure complete safety in using the fireplace - its materials should not emit harmful substances. This means that the use of shale, granite or sandstone is highly undesirable.
This is due to the fact that the listed stones are capable of emitting gases that adversely affect he althperson. In addition, they stand out even with a slight heating. Therefore, to finish the fireplace with natural stone, you should opt for a noble rock of volcanic origin. For a budget project, pebbles or large pebbles are suitable. In addition, embossed concrete products will also come in handy.
For beauty
But a more attractive design of the fireplace can be created by using bas alt, diabase, jadeite, which are usually used to build sauna stoves. Even if they are very hot, there is no harmful discharge from them, which means that their use is completely safe. Marble, shell rock, limestone, sandstone are also very popular.
It is better to choose stones for lining your fireplace yourself and it is better to pay attention to flat pancakes of various sizes. But equilateral pebbles of the same thickness will also fit - they can fill empty spaces during laying. Also, when finishing a fireplace with natural stone, you should purchase raw material or with an average degree of polishing. In this case, you can create a more natural look that will be closest to nature.
Advantages of natural material
More and more people are turning to natural stone for their fireplaces. This is due to quite understandable reasons:
- Any other material, especially all varieties of artificial origin, will not be able to compare with natural stone in terms of aesthetics.
- When natural material is heated, the air is not polluted by smoke or hazardoussubstances.
- Natural stones are able to withstand heavy physical exertion, including impacts.
- The stone is able to withstand high temperatures.
- In addition, the natural material can be processed, thanks to which you can turn your fantasies into reality. At the same time, the natural color will be in harmony with any environment.
Another advantage of natural stone in fireplaces is that its use allows you, almost literally, to plunge into the Middle Ages.
Finishing with natural stone
Fireplace lining is a responsible and difficult process, despite the apparent ease. In many ways, everything depends not only on the physical properties of the material used, the technology of its production also plays an equally important role.
Therefore, such work requires certain skills, abilities, as well as a serious preparatory stage. If, nevertheless, the stones were acquired in different sizes and shapes, then they should first be adjusted to each other in size. It is also desirable to select the necessary shade so that the color scheme successfully harmonizes with the living room decor. And for this you can not do without the help of a stone-cutting machine or a grinder with the appropriate discs.
Surface preparation
The recipe for creating home luxury is simple - a fireplace, natural stone (photo below as evidence), a portion of desire and room for creativity. And forTo obtain such a result, the surface should be carefully prepared before laying the cladding. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the primer - without this mandatory stage, nothing will work. And the better the composition, the better. For example, the primer "Knauf Tiefengrund" (Knauf Tiefengrund) has these necessary qualities. But you can also choose products based on acrylic - Dufa Putzgrund, Marshall Export Base, but only those that are designed for indoor use.
In addition, a reinforcing mesh with 50x50 mm cells should be fixed on the brickwork. At the same time, the use of fasteners with plastic plugs is strongly discouraged. Instead, metal anchor wedges (6 mm in diameter) must be used, and the attachment points themselves must be positioned in increments of 250 to 300 mm.
Moreover, the fastening should not be in the seam, but directly in the body of the brick. You can avoid cracking the masonry by lowering the speed of the puncher. As you can see, the photo of finishing the fireplace with a stone (and not artificial, but a material of natural origin) is simply mesmerizing. To create such a masterpiece can only be hard work, doing everything with taste.
Additional measure
As an additional cladding measure, several notches (the more the better) can be made on the surface of the bricks using a hammer and chisel. This will also significantly increase the adhesive properties of the surface of the fireplace walls. Only this procedure should be carried out before coating with a primer.
At the end, the surface must be clean, dust-free if necessary. For reliability, you can apply another layer of primer with a hand sprayer.
Finishing schemes
The entire surface of the family hearth can be divided into separate flat sections, which will greatly simplify the execution of the fireplace lining made of natural stone. As a rule, these are the front and side walls. It is also possible to expand the lower part to allow the formation of a plinth. As for the fireplace shelf, it is not subject to stone finishing in order to keep its surface functional.
All flat areas of the fireplace should be depicted on an A4 sheet with all key dimensions indicated. According to the "pattern" obtained, lay out the facing stones on the floor, and as closely as possible, collecting them into a kind of "mosaic". This makes it much easier to match all the elements and, if necessary, file them for a perfect fit.
It is important to take into account not only the size of each decor element, but also its shape, so that the overall picture is harmonious. And the alignment on the floor will allow you to achieve this in the best way - by applying stones to each other, you can visually assess their ratio.
Do not forget about the seams between the elements of the "mosaic", which should be from 20 to 25 mm. But facing fireplaces with natural stone looks better when their size is no more than 5-6 mm.
Material fit
Even if these are irregularly shaped stones, fitting them closely together is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. But to keep the original appearanceedges are already problematic. This can be corrected, as many stones are easy to process.
Facets can be given the desired shape by cutting off the excess with a disc on concrete to an angle grinder. If it is necessary to create chips and breaks, they can be made with a pickaxe. A sanding pad may also be useful.
To avoid confusion, each stone should be numbered. In addition, it does not hurt to somehow mark the joints of the parts from the wrong side. Alternatively, just draw an arrow that will indicate the direction of laying.
Before the process of cutting or grinding, it is imperative to moisten the stones with water. This will avoid dusting the workplace, as well as look at the result without distortion due to uneven refraction.
Glue selection
For fireplace cladding, stone is as important as adhesive. When using hard rocks without defects, the life of the cladding will largely depend on the reliability and quality of the adhesive, as well as its setting with the brick surface. Cement mortar in such a temperature regime is simply not able to work for a long time. In this regard, the choice is reduced to two options:
- Purchasing a pre-made speci alty mix.
- Self-preparation of adhesive composition using refractory clay based on fireclay powder.
The purchase of ready-made glue does not turn into certain difficulties, as a rule, it is enough to purchase Ceresit CT-17 or Knauf"Marble". You can also pay attention to highly specialized compounds like Scanmix Fire. However, there is one limitation, which is the maximum thickness of the seam.
With regard to natural stones for the fireplace, their peculiarity is that before laying irregularly shaped “mosaic” elements, they should be carefully adjusted to each other. When using artificial stones, there is no such problem, but at the same time, the appearance is not so attractive.
Cooking by ourselves
Do-it-yourself mortar simplifies things a bit. With its help, stones can be laid without the need for grinding, which will give more aesthetics. The ratio of dry ingredients is as follows - 3 parts of fireclay clay, 1 part of river or mountain sand, 1 part of cement (grade 300, not lower).
Clay must first be passed through a sieve, which will get rid of debris and other inclusions. Then pour water and leave aside for 40-50 hours. Now it is already possible to mix the remaining components - sand (its presence will avoid cracking when the mortar begins to set) and cement (due to it, adhesion increases and the setting process itself is noticeably accelerated). Moreover, the last ingredient should be added before the masonry itself. That's all - the glue for lining fireplaces and stoves with natural stone is ready.
The use of various heat-resistant plasticizers will also be justified. Mixing all this is easier with a mixer or armed with a drill with the appropriate nozzle.
Liner technology
Firework always starts from the bottom of the front side. Laying the initial row horizontally, you should move further up. In this case, the largest and thickest elements are stacked first. And only after that you can proceed to filling the remaining space with small pebbles. You can adjust their position by increasing the amount of glue. Smaller gaps can be removed at the very end of the work with small pieces.
It is necessary to lay stones on a continuous layer of mortar so that there are no voids. To achieve this, you will have to tear off each element more than once, then put it back in its place. This will make sure that all cavities are filled with glue. Only this approach will give a natural stone stove or fireplace a more attractive and natural look.
Having finished with the front of the fireplace, you should move on to its side surfaces. At the same time, there may be protruding elements along the edges of the front part, as well as in the mouth of the firebox. They will be removed after the adhesive solution has completely dried, and the easiest way to do this is by grinding with a disc disc. In the meantime, you need to do the rest of the planes.
Finishing
While the composition is not dry, it is worth expanding the seams, for which it is enough just to walk with your finger, forming a semicircular hollow. You can also go the other way - wait until everything is dry, and then cut and sand the protruding parts of the stones.
At the final stage, the resulting gaps between the stonesshould be filled with a tinted glue mixture, which is convenient to do with a pastry syringe or some kind of bag with a cut corner (soft milk packaging). The result is a seam with fancy sagging. Some stones can be varnished, which will give a special shine, and at the same time extend the life of the fireplace lining with natural stone.
Shaping an arch
Some connoisseurs give originality, and the more it is, the more attractive the fireplace looks. As an option - the creation of an arch at the stage of facing. However, it should be borne in mind that this is the most difficult, but at the same time quite doable work. Therefore, it is worth weighing everything in advance, and only then make a decision. Yes, it's beautiful, but you have to work hard for the desired effect.
It is necessary to implement such an idea at the initial stage of work, when the front is being finished. To begin with, on both sides of the opening, lay out two columns of stones. At the same time, they should protrude above the common front surface by an amount equal to the ledge of the arched vault.
Now the difficulties begin: you need to choose the right stones. At the same time, one should not forget about the highlight of any arched opening - the cornerstone of a trapezoidal shape and large size. It is installed strictly in the center. And since this is the most noticeable element of the entire “mosaic”, it is advisable to choose the most beautiful copy, which will allow it to be favorably distinguished against the background of all fireplace cladding with natural stone.
If all the elements were carefully fitted, more than once and dry, then the archwill hold, even if the dried adhesive cracks. It is the central stone that will not allow the entire structure to collapse.
As a conclusion
The presence in the house of a fireplace with an open fire in itself creates a favorable comfortable and cozy atmosphere. Such an environment is best suited for a friendly conversation against the backdrop of a tea ceremony. In addition, you can simply watch how the flame, as if alive, absorbs its "meal" and listen to the crackling of logs. No wonder the proverb says: you can endlessly look at three things, and fire is just on this list.
And if the fireplace also has a nice-looking design, then it simply has no price! Of course, there can be much more options for finishing this interior decor. It is worth giving free rein to your imagination, and the result may even exceed all expectations!
