The entrance platform, staircase, base and window sill are lined with one material – sandstone tiles
Natural stone is one of the most spectacular finishing materials used in the external cladding of the house. Despite the fairly high cost, it – due to its durability – does not lose popularity. Sellers of building materials offer a stone not only from local deposits, but also brought from Italy, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, India, the Middle East and even from China. The area in which it is mined has an influence primarily on colorism, size and shape of minerals, as well as their spatial placement in the breed. The physical and chemical properties of building stone determine the spheres of its application. Granites, sandstones and some varieties of limestone are suitable for facing the facades of the building. Depending on the expected effect, the front surface of the stone is treated in various ways. A stone -processing enterprise can offer material: with a stab texture, des, with grooves of various depths -in this case the stone looks natural; • with sandblasting, that is, an aligned but rough surface obtained thanks to the stream of sand stream under pressure; • with sawn texture: smooth, but with visible parallel scratches up to 3 mm deep, appearing during cutting of stone blocks without additional processing. But most often you can find a polished stone, polished with a mirror shine, thanks to which the texture of the material, color and vein is as much as possible. Less commonly, the heat -processed stone is used – undergoing temperature treatment, causing its fragmentation and expressive roughness, which is why it is ideal for the manufacture of steps of external stairs.
“Cheat” on the stone
Granite is a strong rock with a granular structure, therefore facades, floors, stairs or window sills made from it are durable. Despite firmness, this material is easy to process. Granite can have different colors: from a variety of shades of gray, yellow, green to brown and red. He does not absorb moisture and frost -resistant. Sandstone is a less durable breed that is not amenable to polishing, so it remains matte. Most often, this stone has a light cream, light gray, yellow, red or brown tint. Some sandstones, given their high indicators of water absorption and washing, can only be used for vertical cladding. Solid and dense rocks are also used to cover the floor and stairs outside the house. Limestone – light and dense material. He can have different shades of white and gray. Srusty to atmospheric influences. Most often, light limestones are offered in the form of facing tiles and profiles. Dense rocks have the best technical characteristics, and for external work they are used in the form of unlawed tiles and chopped elements. Travertin is a very porous stone of beige, coffee with milk and brown shades. Due to the high degree of survivability, it is suitable only for vertical cladding (while it is spit on a cement mortar or mastic to the tone of the stone). Marble, converted from solid limestone or dolomite under the influence of high temperature and pressure, is a stone that can be processed and polished. For external cladding with low operational load, only marble with a small indicator of water absorption can be used. The surface of this material after some time may fade, and the color can lose its intensity. How to glue
Per solution. This method is used for laying stone slabs on not too smooth bases in places where a layer of more than two centimeters is needed to perform the corresponding slope. Most often, a cement mortar is used for this purpose with a ratio of cement to sand 1: 3. The mixture is moistened with water so that it is not wet, but when compressed in the palm of your hand, it does not break up. If the tile is already lying in its place, it is carefully lifted by one edge and a pre -prepared water with dissolved cement is poured between it and the solution. Then the tiles are lowered and carefully beaten with a rubber hammer, controlling its position by level. Hardened, the solution connects a stone with the base. On glue. It is used for laying stone tiles in places where the irregularity of the base does not exceed 1-2 cm. With the help of adhesives available on the market, you can firmly and quickly connect the elements of stone. The assortment presents cement glue solutions that are mixed with water, with plasticizing agent, one- and two-component adhesives, including polyurethane and epoxy. It is best to use elastic species or those to which you can add a plasticizing agent so that, with such a thin layer, they can withstand stresses caused by compression and stretching of both the base and tiles. If you need to quickly perform the work on laying tiles, it is better to choose fast-haired-sliced glue. For tiles of marble and other light stones, it is necessary to choose adhesives with the content of white cement.
When choosing a tile to cover the floor, stairs or terraces, pay attention to the quality of processing of the material carried out by the supplier or stone -processing enterprise. The discrepancy in the size of the tiles within one or two millimeters seems a trifle, but the multiple repetition of this error on the entire surface of the floor can lead to changes in the architectural or constructive concept. Check also: • Are the same diagonals – in this case you can be sure that the tile is really square or rectangular; • Are there any zazubin and chips on the edges of the tiles. Remember also that you always need to buy 10% more tiles than it follows from the size of the surface on which it will be laid out. Excess material is useful in case of breakdowns associated with its trim.
When lining the stairs with a stone, it should be remembered that the overlay should be 2-3 cm in front of the approach, so that the seam will be protected at the place of their adjoining.
And large stone slabs laid out with a narrow homogeneous surface look like a homogeneous surface
How to perform seams
The seams between the tiles affect the overall appearance of the cladding, and also perform the technical function. It is especially important to make them qualitatively on the outside of the building, for example, on an open terrace, where the coating heats up from the sun. The darker the color of the tile, the greater the ability of the seams to expand under the influence of temperature. It is the seam made of elastic material that allows the tile to be held on the basis. It should be at least 3 mm. If the surface on which the tile is placed is large, then every 3-4 meters you need to leave temperature seams. They are filled with an aluminum profile, an insert of artificial material or an elastic label. The seams begin to fill after setting the solution. The traditional method – filling the seams with a cement solution with sand in a ratio of 1: 3 (in volume). But now the finished solutions for fugging of stone cladding are more often used. Cement solutions are suitable for external work. To give frost and water resistance, such mixtures are modified with special additives. They allow the solution to quickly grasp and be less sensitive to the effect of the temperature difference. The seams in the coverage of the floor of limestone, marble and other bright stones are wiped with a solution with a white cement or lime. Acrylic solutions are used to perform seams at the corners and in the places of adjustment of the tiles to other materials.
Stone for terraces and entrance platforms
The lining of the floor made of natural stone can be made of tiles and plates of the correct shape (square or rectangular) or from pieces of stone slabs of arbitrary shape. The most popular are tiles size 30 x 30 x 2 cm, 30 x 60 x 2 cm and 60 x 60 x 2 cm. It is not difficult to lay them, but this work requires diligence and compliance with certain rules. Before gluing the tile, it is necessary to measure the length and width of the surface, as well as check if the base with a slope is made in order not to delay water. If not, then you need to make a slope of an adhesive or cement mortar, depending on what the thickness of the layer will be. As a rule, the size of the surface does not correspond to the frequency of the tile. Therefore, you should outline the axis from which you need to start laying the tiles so that the best effect is obtained in the most prominent place.
1. Tiles on the terrace and entrance platform should be laid with a slope. Its value depends on the method of processing the surface of the material. If it is polished, just perform a slope of 2%. If corrugated or heat -treated, then it should be large – from 3 to 5%.
2. The large surface every 3-4 m must be divided by temperature seams.
3. The adjoining of the floor cladding to the wall is closed with a baseboard.
Stone on the stairs
Monolithic stone structures are very expensive, so the stone is used much more often as a concrete or reinforced concrete staircase as a cladding.
1. The thickness of the stone from stone should not be less than 3 m on the steps and 2-3 cm – on the risers.
2. The steps of the outer stairs should be performed with a slope of 1-2%in order to ensure water drainage.
3. The tile on the step is best put in such a way that it appears in front of the riser: thanks to this, the compounds of the lining and the riser will not be visible. But the ledge before the riser should not exceed 2, 5-SSM: climbing the stairs, you can stumble, clinging to the tile of the toe boot.
4. On the wall, to which the staircase adjoins, it is also necessary to arrange a tile cladding – this will prevent the wall pollution.
5. The steps should not be slippery, so it is necessary that their surface is treated with a grinding or sandblasting apparatus. Another possible solution is to stick at a distance of 2-3 cm from the edge of the stage of a metal strip with milling grooves.
6. The protruding part of the step should not be thinner than 3 cm, since it can break off, especially if it is inserted into a metal profile, and also from the point of view of aesthetics – a thicker plate of the step lining looks more beautiful and more solid.
Stone for the basement
Sandsurists or limestones are most often used in these places, although there are basins from granite or marble. Tiles can have different sizes: from small elements resembling brick, up to large plates, the length of which is equal to the height of the basement.
1. Tiles for the basement can be put on glue. If it is large, for example, 60 x 90 x 3 cm, and this material is planned to renew the wall to a significant height, then it is fixed using anchors. Air gap remains between the cladding and the wall, which allows the tile to move freely under the influence of atmospheric changes in temperature. 2. Between small tiles, 5-6-millimeter seams are left, and between the large-3 mm, if it is necessary to obtain the effect of a homogeneous surface, or 10-20-mm-if the separation should be noticeable. The seams are filled with an elastic and frost -resistant grout solution. 3. If the base appears in relation to the surface of the wall, it must be protected from above with a cornice (from stone or roofing steel, perfectly selected to the color of the base), according to which water will drain from the facade.
Stone on the windowsill
To perform external window sills, it is best to choose sandstones, granites and sienites with a thickness of 30 mm. Visible surfaces should have a grinded texture, and the back of the saw. Prior to the start of installation, you should form a slope of the window sill from a cement mortar.
1. The connection of the windowsill of the window sill with the window and slopes is compacted with silicone for stone. 2. The windowsill should protrude 3-7 cm above the surface of the wall. 3. A dropper or a tear – a groove milled in the lower part of the window sill over the entire length to a depth of 1 cm from the edge of the window sill. It protects the facade from rainwater. Drops of draining water are collected on the edge of the dropper and break down, falling at a safe distance from the outer wall. 4. The windowsill should be longer than the width of the window in the light of the slopes, and go into the wall by 2, 5-3 cm, so deepening is knocked out in it for installation.
How to avoid damage
Stone surfaces should be covered with a protective tool immediately after laying. The Impregnant closes the pores in stone, which protects the tile from absorption of water, colored and fat substances, but at the same time leaves the possibility of a water couple to go out. High -quality drugs give the hardness of the surface of the stone, increasing its resistance to scratches, which is especially important on the stairs or entrance platform. Processing must be repeated once every few years.
Most often, the cleanliness of floor tiles is maintained by washing water. But it’s better to clean the cleaning with a slightly damp cloth. Six months after laying, the coating of stone can be washed using chips of laundry soap or chemical cleaners. Their effect consists in the chemical reaction of the used drug with pollution on the surface and in the thickness of the stone. Attention! It is impossible to use products that include citric acid and other acids, as well as designed window glasses, since they may contain ammonia, which causes a fragility of the surface of the stone.