How granite slabs are made. Now you will be presented with the technology of manufacturing artificial stone using the example of a table. Reverse Spray Method

Liquid stone is used in modern construction. In terms of its characteristics, it is not inferior to natural stone, and in some parameters of properties it even surpasses it.

An unusual material, distinguished by its practicality and beauty, has won the trust of consumers, since with its help it is possible to effectively decorate buildings, structures and their facades, providing them with surface protection and giving them a modern, respectable appearance. It is also used for interior decoration, to create durable furniture coverings, as well as for countertops and sinks. Since the material is popular and in demand, having organized a business for its production, the project manager will not be left without clients.

Appearance of liquid stone

What is liquid stone

Liquid stone is a building mixture of a special composition that, when combined with water, hardens and forms a surface that looks like real stone.

The difference can be felt when holding the material in your hands as it is warmer and smoother. After the product has completely hardened, it must be sanded to achieve a glossy, matte or mirror finish. The composite material has a dense, non-porous structure, which makes it resistant to dirt absorption and external factors such as temperature changes, high humidity and ultraviolet rays.

Specifications

Nuances of technology

Artificial stone is a hardened and processed composite liquid mass of unsaturated polyester resins with a specific filler. It hardens after adding an accelerator and hardener to the prepared base solution. The liquid mixture is a semi-finished product for any products that are manufactured by spraying or casting.

Features of the material, advantages and disadvantages

All items made from composite material are durable and strong. They are valued for their spectacular appearance and rich decorative possibilities, since they are made in a varied palette and texture. The uniqueness of the material lies in the ability to create monolithic surfaces without seams or joints. The surface of the treated product is shock-resistant, moisture-resistant and hygienic. Caring for it is simple and involves cleaning with soapy water. Cracks and unevenness of the material that have arisen during the operation of the product can be easily eliminated, and the repair site will not be visible.

However, along with many advantages, liquid stone also has disadvantages that may cause a person to refuse to purchase a product made from it. The high cost forces middle-income consumers to pay attention to products made from more affordable materials, such as ceramic tiles, laminated chipboard, MDF, porcelain stoneware, stainless steel or even solid wood. Only granite, marble or natural quartz can cost more.

Another disadvantage of the composite material is the small thickness of the coating, which usually does not exceed four millimeters. Low parameters of moisture resistance and adhesion increase the likelihood of liquid stone peeling off from the base on which it was applied. However, manufacturers provide a guarantee for their products, which is valid provided that the operating requirements are met. If a business entity, in the process of fulfilling an order, complies with the norms and requirements for the technological process, then the result of its work will delight the customer for a long time with its spectacular and respectable appearance.

Sample of a liquid stone product

It is worth considering that artificial composite material is more durable than natural one. Its radioactivity parameter is normal, whereas for many natural materials, such as granite, for example, it is significantly exceeded.

Where used, products

Do-it-yourself products made from liquid stone are used in the construction industry in situations where processing of external and internal surfaces is necessary.

The use of the material is relevant for finishing floors, window sills, countertops, bar counters, swimming pools, stairs and sinks. It is an excellent alternative to traditional tiles and is used for decorative and protective purposes on building facades, as well as in kitchens and bathrooms.

Production technology

The technology for manufacturing liquid stone is not characterized by complex operations. All the necessary elements are introduced into the dry construction mixture to ensure the specific qualities of the finished product. After adding water to the container, ensure thorough mixing of the composition until a uniform plastic consistency is formed. The resulting mixture is applied to the surface of the product or poured into molds. Drying is carried out under natural conditions.

To increase production volumes when there is insufficient area for work, forced drying is possible using equipment that provides a hot air flow. To give a respectable appearance and adjust the texture, the hardened material must be sanded or polished.

Work location

Mixing the solution

Work can be carried out at our own production site or at the client’s site. When adding field services to the price list, you should consider the need to purchase or rent a cargo vehicle to deliver the raw materials of the product, as well as some elements of the finished product.

On your own premises you can manufacture products that can be easily transported to the customer: countertops, sinks, sinks and decorative elements. On-site services are provided to clients when ordering finishing of floors, facades or buildings.

Equipment

The technology for producing liquid stone requires the presence of specific equipment in the form of containers and molds for the material. For grinding, grinding machines are used to process the finished product. A set of equipment for opening a production line will cost an entrepreneur no more than 200,000 rubles. It includes:

containers of various shapes and sizes;
grinding machines;
drill-mixers with attachments for quickly carrying out the mixing procedure;
screwdriver;
spray;
electric jigsaws;
Circular Saw;
small construction tools;
sandpaper;
grinding wheels of different hardness.

To reduce the cost of delivering products to customers, it is recommended to take care of purchasing vehicles with the appropriate carrying capacity and dimensions. As an alternative, it is possible to sign a vehicle rental agreement.

Room

To organize a business for the production of liquid stone, large production areas and a powerful electrical line are not required.

To start production, a room of 30 m2, equipped with standard 220V electrical wiring, is sufficient. Access to cold water and sewerage is required. From a fire safety point of view, there are no special requirements for the production line.

Grinding

The specifics of production necessitate dividing the room into two compartments. In one of them the process of producing the solution and applying it to the product will be implemented, and the other compartment is necessary for grinding. To prevent dust generated during the processing of the product from getting into the solution and onto the products during the drying process, both rooms must be isolated from each other.

A standard laminated countertop 38 mm thick and 3 meters long today costs 4,500 rubles. Its area (3*0.6) = 1.8 m2.

Let's add the cost of a granite sink (6,500 rubles) and the cost of a baseboard (500 rubles). TOTAL cost of a countertop made of laminated chipboard in the “economy” version will be approximately 11,500 rubles.

An artificial stone countertop of the same size, made using the technology we offer, together with a built-in sink and baseboard costs only 6,000 rubles! The cost per square meter of countertop is 3,300 rubles, the sink is included in the price of the area.

It turns out that artificial stone costs almost 2 times less! Is this even possible? - you ask.

Yes, IT'S POSSIBLE! If the basis is Russian-made materials.

Hello, dear visitor!

My name is Maxim Popov. I am familiar to many as the author of the MinPlastan technology for manufacturing artificial stone products. And today I am again ready to tell and teach you what I have been successfully doing for the last 8 years.

On this site you will not find unnecessary water and psychological kicks urging you to buy something from us. I will be extremely brief in my commercial proposal, which can become the basis of your new successful business.

If you have your own head on your shoulders, then you should understand without further explanation that the price of 3,000 rubles per m 2 of artificial stone countertops is in itself a unique offer.

How much you can earn on such a product - decide for yourself. All are located in different regions and have different opportunities for selling these products.

6 years have passed since the presentation of the training course on MinPlastan technology. The technology has proven itself only on the good side.

But one significant drawback was the small number of colors and the difficulty of mastering the technology itself. Dyeing and storing a large number of flowers required a lot of effort and investment in maintaining a warehouse program; the number of flowers is still limited.

The problem with development was mainly that the MinPlastan technology began to be dealt with by many people who were unprepared, had never worked with their hands and had limited means. Therefore, some people, having received the first negative result, ended up at the experimentation stage.

Meanwhile, my own production was developing, gradually acquiring more and more new customer companies, and went from the “garage” level to a solid factory one.

And then it was necessary to quickly solve two problems: increasing the range of colors and the possibility of “seamlessly” connecting two parts of the tabletop. And I solved both of these problems without going beyond the cost of 4,000 rubles per m 2 of the finished product, taking into account the salary of the master worker.

We have opened a table for receiving orders, which is enough to load production in 2 shifts. The number of clients already allowed me to “dig into” them, so I gradually began to make products for the more expensive segment of the market, using polymer fillers. And now I make almost all products that are used indoors using GraniStone technology.

But I still make those products that will be used outdoors using MinPlastan technology.

Examples of our work:

About technology

GraniStone technology will allow you to create beautiful countertops, sinks, window sills, bathtubs, bar counters of any size and shape.

Products made using GraniStone liquid granite have an unusually attractive appearance with a rich, rich palette of colors. In addition, the surface of artificial stone products is even, smooth, pleasant and warm to the touch.

GraniStone polymer granules consist of 70% natural marble particles and are created using modern technology, using imported, proven materials, and are the perfect filler for the manufacture of beautiful products of any decor - from classic colors to colors with a mother-of-pearl effect, sparkles and even a glow effect In the dark.

In addition, the technology allows you to place any high-quality vector image, for example, a logo or drawing, on the surface of the tabletop.

Advantages of GraniStone technology:

ease of mastering the technology;

more than 400 colors are always in stock;

the ability to produce products of any size and shape;

the ability to inlay several colors into the product;

possibility of producing translucent products;

100% moisture resistance and resistance to temperature changes;

maintainability for any degree of damage;

resistance to household dyes;

no toxicity;

possibility of seamless docking;

discounts on filler up to 35%;

valid certificates of conformity;

the ability to purchase materials without opening an individual entrepreneur or LLC;

there are standard contracts, acceptance certificates;

ready-made answer for store sellers;

the opportunity to obtain a personal GraniStone certificate is free.

We invite you to consider the capabilities of GraniStone in more detail.

Ease of mastering the technology.

Many people associate working with sheet artificial stone with cutting and gluing appliqués.

The technology for producing GraniStone products can be associated with the art of painting, and it is very simple. You simply mix ready-made GraniStone compositions with a transparent gelcoat according to the formula, thereby obtaining a liquid stone that can be applied to any prepared surface, sand it and get a finished, beautiful product.

Always in stock.

GraniStone is a Russian product. All colors are in stock and in required quantities. When ordering large quantities, the products will be produced as quickly as possible within the agreed time frame. Delivery of products is carried out by any methods agreed with you - pickup, through a delivery service, through transport companies.

Low cost.

Today, the price level among manufacturers of artificial sheet stone is so high that the cost of the finished product is astronomically high, and few consumers can order what they want.

GraniStone is a truly affordable material. Today the cost of 1 sq. m of stone surface made of GraniStone (without a base of chipboard or MDF) is no more than 3,000 rubles. For comparison, the cost of 1 sq. m of artificial stone from other manufacturers ranges on average from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles.

Environmentally friendly products.

Environmentally friendly, non-toxic components: natural marble, color pigments, hardeners and other components, as well as modern production technology create 100% high-quality polymer filler, which has high physical and chemical characteristics that meet modern requirements for artificial granite.

The products have all the necessary certificates of conformity.

Waste-free production.

What’s great about GraniStone is its almost complete absence of waste. You prepare the required amount of mixture in liquid form for work, having previously very accurately calculated the amount of materials in a special calculator, and use it without any residue.

It is worth mentioning in connection with the fact that the embed can be assembled from parts, and the substrate on which the product is molded can be used as an embed for the next product.

Easy to deliver and store.

Transportation and storage is one of the factors that manufacturers ignore or put off to the last place. Sheet artificial stone requires careful transportation and horizontal storage over a large area.

GraniStone artificial stone is transported and stored in the form of dry granules, packaged in containers of various sizes. This allows you to reduce warehouse space and reduce transportation costs.

Profitable business.

This business is good because it is aimed at people with above-average income, the real middle class who buy apartments and cars. These people are ready to fork out 40-50 thousand rubles for a tabletop.

Well, in order for you to start and run your business as efficiently as possible, there are all the necessary conditions, namely:

the opportunity to buy filler with a discount of up to 35%;
the ability to pay for materials without opening a current account and registering an individual entrepreneur;
availability of valid certificates of conformity, standard contracts, acceptance certificates;
a well-developed illustrated answer for a store seller;
the opportunity to obtain a personalized certificate for the use of GraniStone technology - free of charge;
the possibility of using only domestic polyester materials that are not subject to sharp fluctuations in exchange rates;
the opportunity to undergo training at an existing production facility from the author of the video course;
the opportunity to purchase from the author of the video course matrices of various shapes for the manufacture of “moulded-in” sinks.

What is needed to organize a business?

1. Premises.

Production premises (total area approximately 30-50 m2) with a good ventilation system, good lighting and three-phase voltage. The temperature inside the room should not be lower than 18ºС.

2. Staff.

The optimal number of employees to start with is 2 people.

3. Equipment.

The required equipment set includes:

1. Compressor with a capacity of 300 liters per minute
2. Moisture-oil separating filters
3. Oxygen hoses 10 meters long – 3 pcs.
4. Connection clamps or quick connectors
5. Air gun for blowing
6. GraniStone spray gun
7. Plastic clean buckets (with lids) with a volume of 1, 5, 10, 20 l - 5 pcs. each type
8. Jigsaw
9. Screwdriver
10. Reinforced drill, with gearbox
11. Whisk for mixing GraniStone compositions – 2 pcs.
12. Syringes (5-10 ml) – 10 pcs.
13. Rubber gloves – 2 pairs
14. Polishing machine, pneumatic or electric, orbital eccentric, diameter 150 mm – 1 pc.
15. Set of grinding wheels for a polishing machine, grit P40, P80, P150, P240, P320, P400. To polish countertops, you also need sanding wheels with grits P600, P1000, P1500, P2000, a felt polishing wheel, a natural sheepskin polishing wheel and polishing pastes.
16. Scotch Brite (soft sandpaper) – 1 set
17. Manual electric milling machine “Makita” small – 1 pc.
18. Belt sander “Makita” (for a belt width of 75 mm) – 1 pc.
19. Hot-melt gun with hot-melt adhesive kit – 2 pcs.
20. Clamps 100-150 mm – 5 pcs.
21. Paint brushes 5 cm in width – 5 pcs.
22. Pneumogrinder with a flat petal wheel, wheel grit P40 – 1 pc.
23. Level 2 m – 1 pc.
24. Small circular saw – 1 pc.
25. Curly cutters – 5 pcs. (optional)
26. Hand auxiliary tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)
27. Retractable stationery knife – 1 pc.
28. Electronic scales, with a weighing accuracy of 1 g (ideally 25-30 kg) – 1 pc.
29. MDF 16 mm, laminated on one side – 3 sheets (for making a production table)
30. Furniture chipboard – 5 sheets (for making a production table)
31. Fibreboard – 1 sheet
32. Acetone - 30 kg
33. Garden pitch – 1 kg
34. Self-tapping screws L50 (for wood) – 1000 pcs.
35. Self-tapping screws L25 (for wood) – 1000 pcs.
36. Drill kit from 2 to 10 mm

4. Basic materials for the production of products.

For detailed information about materials with prices, see the price list.

To begin with, you can purchase different quantities of materials at your discretion. The manufacturer also offers two optimal options for the initial purchase of materials.

Experimental batch:

1. 5 kg of any GraniStone filler. 329 color solutions, divided into 16 collections according to style and technical characteristics.
2. 1 bucket of gelcoat (25 kg). Gelcoat is necessary to mix with filler to create liquid GraniStone granite. When making your first product, you will probably not use up all 25 kg of gelcoat; you will have it for the production of your next product.
3. 1 bucket of resin (18 kg). The resin is used to prime the base of the future product. When making your first product, you will probably not use up all 25 kg of resin; you will have it left over for the production of the next product.
4. 1 kg of hardener.
5. Pigment paste.

Batch to start production:

1. Decorative filler GraniStone – 20 kg. You can choose any item from any collection - one color or different colors. Packaging 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 20 kg.
2. 1 bucket of gelcoat (25 kg). On average, one bucket of gelcoat is enough to produce 10-15 square meters. m of finished products.
3. 1 bucket of resin (18 kg). Resin is a structural material and is necessary for three elements of the technology - the primer, the adhesive layer and the potting mixture for the back side of the product.
4. 1 kg of hardener. Necessary for hardening soil and liquid granite.
5. Pigment paste. Necessary for coloring resin in the basic tone of liquid granite when making primer. Quantity, color and cost depend on the selected GraniStone article, as it is selected specifically for it.
6. GraniStone spray gun. Required for spraying GraniStone liquid granite.
7. Glass mat – 5 kg. Necessary for reinforcing liquid granite, as well as for the production of sinks and matrices.
8. Separating wax – 1 can. Used to separate products from the matrix.
9. Calcite – 25 kg. Used to saturate the resin to minimize shrinkage.
10. Collection of samples – COMPLETE (consists of 16 collections of different styles, a total of 329 color options). Samples are vital for demonstrating to customers and accepting orders.

How to organize an order table for your products with minimal investment?

In my city of Chelyabinsk, I did it very simply - I agreed on mutually beneficial terms with the owners of several kitchen salons and placed my countertop samples with them.

For example, I made a countertop for an exhibition kitchen at my own expense. This is my investment in the salon. The owner of the salon was offered a favorable price for the products and a percentage of the attracted third-party orders.

This way I don't have to spend money on my order table, I don't pay rent, I don't have staff, and I still get orders. This benefits everyone. You can do the same by organizing your own production.

About the video course

“There is a glorious city in Russia, Chelyabinsk, and in this glorious city there is a legendary GraniStone client - Maxim Popov. Why legendary? Everything is very simple! This man manages his affairs in such a way that they become legends! He knows a lot, can do a lot and, what is especially valuable, generously shares his knowledge and skills with others. In addition, Maxim communicates very, very much - both with us and with his clients and partners. For which a special human THANK YOU!!! And a BIG THANK YOU for your craftsmanship, constant creativity and beautiful products made from GraniStone liquid granite!”

Development department of Granit LLC.

The video course consists of 7 video lessons on all stages of production. Duration: 120 minutes. Also included in the course are a program for calculating materials, a response form for a seller in a store, standard contracts and acceptance certificates, certificates of conformity and an electronic catalog of products.

You can work with the video course on any computer running Windows OS (it won’t work on other operating systems even with virtualization).

Video course order form

The DVD and download versions are the same, the only difference is the delivery method. If you order the download version, you save time and 200 rubles on disc delivery. Course volume: 1.1 GB.

Select a version and click ORDER:

Delivery of the download version.

Quick download from Yandex.Disk or our server. The volume of the course is about 1.1 GB.

Delivery of DVD version.

Residents of Russia can place an order with payment upon receipt by mail (cash on delivery) or by courier. The disc with the video course will be sent to you within 48 hours from the moment you place your order.

When paying cash on delivery, Russian Post charges a commission of about 8%. On average, delivery by mail takes 2-3 weeks. You will see the cost and delivery time by courier later when placing your order.

Delivery within the central region of the Russian Federation takes about 7-10 days. To the Far East approximately 15-20 days. Ukraine, Belarus - 7-10 days. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan - 10-14 days. To foreign countries - 30-40 days.

Payment.

If you do not want to pay a commission to the mail, you can prepay the video course using many payment methods - Visa and MasterCard cards, QIWI wallet, bank and money transfers, payment terminals, ATMs, Internet banking, Webmoney, Yandex.Money and many other electronic methods payment. Payment is made through the ROBOKASSA and RBKMoney service.

You can also pay directly to a Sberbank card, through a QIWI wallet, Yandex.Money or PayPal.

For legal entities it is possible to pay by non-cash method.

Instead of an afterword.

Any of you, of course, will ask the question, why am I so kind, putting my knowledge into everyone’s hands? Am I afraid that I will have competitors?

I'll tell you honestly and frankly. Today we offer something like a franchise. The more of my students appear in the regions, the more my company will earn from this. In addition to training workshops held on the basis of our production, we sell molds for sinks, as well as the materials themselves for making countertops.

Therefore, if all furniture makers in Rus' start making countertops using our technology, then I will be happy!

So, today I invite you to familiarize yourself with our new technology. To begin with, I suggest purchasing a video course prepared in our production. From it you will learn all the steps for producing artificial stone products using GraniStone technology.

You don't want to purchase a course and want to see everything with your own eyes?

There is also such an opportunity - I will be glad to see you. The cost of training at my workplace is 60,000 rubles. Duration: 3 days.

Place of study: Russia. Chelyabinsk.

Accommodation and meals: at your own expense.

The cost of training includes 6 matrices for cast-in sinks.

For questions about training, write to [email protected]- let's agree.

But still, I think that everyone interested in GraniStone technology needs to carefully weigh everything and calculate their financial capabilities.

At the same time, a paid course eliminates all the “onlookers” who regret 50 bucks per course. I value my time and don’t want to waste time on “onlookers” with their trivial questions, which then disappear forever, taking away my time.

Therefore, consider that your conditional pass to the “Club of Manufacturers of Artificial Stone Countertops” is to study a video course that will answer most of the questions that you may have.

Thank you for your attention and I will be glad if you and I together soon start making good money.

Sincerely,
Popov Maxim.

P.S. If you have any doubts about the strength of countertops made of artificial stone, watch the video. I apologize for the video quality and language. We didn't plan to post it.

Quality assurance

If you order the version on disk, then approximately you will be able to receive the disk at your post office in 10-20 days (the parcel with the disk is sent from Bryansk, Russia). We ship the disc within 48 hours of your order on business days.

this link.

Residents of Russia can order the disc by cash on delivery, with payment upon receipt at the post office. Select the version on disk, fill in your full name and delivery address, and we will send video courses to the specified address within 48 hours on business days. This is the easiest way, but at the post office you will have to pay a commission of about 8% of the course cost.

Residents of Russia can also order a course with courier delivery directly to their door. The cost and delivery time by courier can be found at this link.

If you do not want to pay a commission at the post office, or download a video course from the Internet, then you can prepay your order in many ways through the ROBOKASSA and RBKMoney service:

Bank cards Visa, MasterCard;
- QIWI;
- electronic money Webmoney, Yandex.Money, RBKMoney, Z-Payment and others;
- in terminals and communication shops of Svyaznoy and Euroset;
- via Internet banking;
- money transfers Contact, Migom, Western Union, Kalibri;
- payment directly to a Sberbank card;
- and others.

To pay or receive payment details, select version B and click the order button. Next, follow the instructions to select a payment method.

From March 1, 2017, it became possible to view this course online on the website www.sdelai.ru from any device. If you need this opportunity, write to the support service after paying for the course and we will give you free access to online viewing of this course.

You will now be presented artificial stone manufacturing technology using the example of a table.

Table size 1100 mm x 630 mm. First of all, two types of materials are used - 16 mm chipboard and 12 mm plywood. The blanks are cut 1 cm smaller, i.e. 1090 mm x 620 mm. This is explained by the fact that during the process of filling the edges of the workpiece R.S. we will increase it to the required size (the thickness of the artificial stone around the perimeter is 0.5 cm). When making countertops and window sills we use only chipboard. Plywood is used to prevent the legs from becoming loose during use of the table.
First stage: gluing the workpiece. Now the gluing is happening. Both materials can be glued with different types of adhesives. In our case, we use PVA. After the glue is applied, we glue the two sheets together. If the plywood has a bend, then we use self-tapping screws that act as a load (tie). There is no need to press the table hard. In order for the table top (hereinafter referred to as the workpiece) to be smooth, everything depends on the surface of the work table. The surface of the work table must be perfectly flat, otherwise during the process of pressure the table top (workpiece) may take on the unevenness of the work table. The load should be approximately 20 kg. per 1 sq. m., no more.
Next stage: chipboard milling. After the gluing process, the edge of the workpiece will be milled. In our case, we use a manual milling machine with a cutter with a radius of 25 mm. (or other cutter at the client's request).
Next stage: sheet production(sheet plastic). Wax mastic is applied to a soft cloth and rubbed over the surface of the glass in a thin layer, after 15 minutes it is reapplied and polished. The quality of your sheet depends on the quality of the applied wax coating. If dust or other solid inclusions get on the sheet, it is advisable to remove them. If you do not do this, then pits will be visible on the front surface of the sheet.
On the glass, as you can see, there is adhesive tape pasted on the back side, which shows the boundaries of our sheet. During production, you can use a template, as in this case, that is, lay down the template and glue the side according to the template. We use textolite strips and masking tape. The thickness of the ebonite strip is 4-6 mm. or you can use glass strips, etc. Next, the dimensions of our edge are checked. The surface is ready. The frame is made 1 cm larger than the dimensions of our table, because during the polymerization process linear shrinkage occurs up to 1%. ROYAL STONE stone is poured into a separate bucket, after mixing well, at the rate of 3-2.7 kg per 1 sq.m. In our case, the table area is 0.710 sq.m. multiply 3 kg. and we get 2.1 kg. R.S. In R.S. 1-1.5 percent of catalyst per 1 kg is added, you can also add cobalt if the room temperature is not very high (less than 20 degrees C). Measure with a syringe and pour into a separate mug. Separately, pour in the cobalt (at the rate of 0.2-1 cube per 1 kg. R.S.) and mix with a hand drill with an attachment, and then the catalyst. The mixing process takes on average 1-3 minutes.

The mixing proceeds in this order: 1. Add hardener to the resin and mix for 5 seconds. 2. Pour the stone (crumbs) into the resin and mix. As soon as we see a homogeneous mass in the bucket, we immediately proceed to forming a sheet. 3. To avoid the formation of air bubbles in the stone, do not mix for a long time and do not lift the mixer from the liquid.

DO NOT MIX COBALT AND CATALYST TOGETHER TO AVOID AN EXPLOSION!!!

Film 1. Wax - a separating layer for polymer granite.

The mixture is poured onto prepared glass, lubricated with paraffin, and leveled with a spatula or other flat material. The thickness of the material applied to the glass is visually measured. You can use a vibrator, but after the sheet has been formed. The vibrator should operate for no more than two minutes.
It is advisable to prime our chipboard + plywood blank with a cheap primer polyester resin based on 200-300 gr. per sq.m. (0.5-1% cobalt and 1-2% resin weight plus 20% talc). The surface is primed. We give it the opportunity to saturate the wood and polymerize, but not completely until it becomes tack-free.
After our sheet has begun to polymerize, and this is checked using the tack test method, when a finger leaves a fingerprint on it, but does not stick. Next, we disassemble the mold, and while the sheet has not yet completely polymerized, we undermine it. This must be done very carefully, because... the sheet is thin. If you apply very little release paste, the sheet may stick to the glass and tear. Pay attention to this!
When the sheet is completely torn off, we cover it with glass so that the polymerization process is completely completed and the sheet does not warp. One slightly larger sheet of glass is enough. If you have any doubts, you can put additional weight on top and as a result the sheet will turn out even. Leave the sheet for a day.
Next step: gluing the sheet. Prepare 650 gr. cheap polyester resin with 20% talc (with cobalt and a catalyst), which was used for gluing and priming, and the amount of resin poured onto the sheet should be 3 times more than on the workpiece. The resin can be tinted with pigment pastes to match the tone of the R.S. stone. Color: preferably to a light R.S. finish. choose light colors and vice versa. Resin consumption for gluing sheet R.S. with workpiece – 1-0.9 kg. per sq. m. When gluing a sheet, be sure to visually check the correctness of the sticker, so that there is an equal weight on each side, so that our sheet extends beyond the dimensions of the table by approximately 0.5 cm.
Next operation: closing the back side of the workpiece. On the back side of the plywood, cheap resin with a dye in the color R.S. is applied at the rate of 1.4 kg of resin. In this case, it is advisable to use a light green color.

Filling the back side occurs in several stages: - pasting the edge with masking tape - filling the back side. - Sprinkle R.S. granules on top of the resin.

This operation can be combined with gluing the sheet onto the workpiece
Next operation: filling the edge. Painting tape is applied to the plywood side. The free edge of the tape should extend 1 cm. A tape with a width of 25 mm is used. Pay special attention to the corners. The corners should be well sealed to prevent leakage of tar and stone. It is advisable for our table to be horizontal. This is checked using a level. 280 g per side. R.S. per 1.1 linear meter of workpiece. Cobalt accelerates the polymerization process. It is not recommended to add a lot of cobalt so that the air can escape on its own. The resulting mixture slowly spreads over the entire surface. When the first batch of R.S. poured over the end of the workpiece, then manually shape the edge. Once the gelation is complete, we move on to the next side and so on in a circle. We give it a day for polymerization.
Next stage: milling. Since all sides of the table are poured, we need to make the end of the table even, so we again use a hand router with a finger router. We adjust the cutter so that approximately 1 mm is removed. Also, milling the edge of the workpiece allows the stone to be revealed. If there are any irregularities left somewhere, then we move it another 0.5 mm and go through it again with a milling machine. All four sides are milled. Next point. We use a manual milling machine to make a 25 mm oval. along the perimeter. You can use cutters with different semicircles. It all depends on the wishes of the customer.
Next stage: grinding and polishing. For this process, skins are used, ranging from large sizes to zero. It is advisable to start at 120 and work your way down. The latest sandpaper is 320. The product is matte. If the customer wants the product to have a shiny surface, then we use polishing. Periodically, dust should be removed from the table surface with a dry cloth. The grinding process takes on average 1 sq.m. at one o'clock.

Technical data: 1. R.S. resins - 50-60% ( gelcoat transparent under brush 50% +50% general purpose resin). 2. Crumbs R.S. 40-50%, depending on the faction. 3. Catalyst 1-2% by weight of resin.

Now you can make artificial granite with your own hands.

Calculation of materials for the manufacture of countertops “SNOWFALL” from artificial stone 2.31 m by 0.6 m with a thickness of 40 mm. large granule.

Type of work	RS resin, kg	Granule RS, kg	Cheap resin, kg	Talc, kg	Hardener, cm.	Total, kg
Sheet production	3.56	3.50			71.0	7.060
Primer of the workpiece (chipboard)			0.330	0.083	6.6	0.413
Gluing the sheet			1.386	0.416	27.0	1.800
Filling the reverse side			2.770	0.550	55.0	3.320
Filling the visible edge – 2.31 m	0.37	0.37			7.50	0.740
Filling the visible edge – 2x0.6 m	0.19	0.19			4.0	0.380
TOTAL	4.12	4.06	4.486	1.049	171.0
Consumption 1 sq.m.	2.97	2.93	3.237	0.760	123.0

Calculation formulas.

1. SHEET MANUFACTURE, mixture calculation – V. V = (length + 1% X width + 1%) X for the desired thickness (in our case 5 mm) V = (2.31 + 0.02 X 0.6 + 0.006) X 5 mm = 7.06 kg Here 1% is the shrinkage of the polyester resin during the polymerization process. 2. PRIMER OF THE WORKPIECE, calculation of the mixture – V. V= (S workpiece X 0.24 kg) +25% (talc) or 100% omicarb V=(2.31 X 0.6 X 0.24 kg) +25% or 100% omicarb V=0.33 kg +0.0825 kg (talc) = 0.413 kg 3. Gluing the sheet, calculation of the mixture –V. V = S of the workpiece +30% (talc) or 100% omicarb V = 1.138 kg (resin) + 0.416 kg (talc) = 1.8 kg 4. FILLING THE REVERSE SIDE, mixture calculation –V. V = 2 S blanks + 20% (talc) or 100% omicarb V = 2 X 1.386 + 20% V = 2.77 + 0.55 = 3.32 kg 5. FILLING THE VISIBLE EDGE, mixture calculation –V. LONG SIDE (2.31 m) V = 2.31 m X 0.04 m (workpiece thickness) X 8 V = 0.0924 X 8 = 0.74 kg SHORT SIDE (0.6 m) V = 0.6 m X 0.04 X 8 (edge thickness) V=0.024 X 8 = 0.19 kg. But we have two short sides. Therefore, 2 X 0.19 = 0.38 kg.

When making artificial granite, first make and write down the calculation of the material consumption for your product. This will help you avoid mistakes.

Natural stone is an expensive pleasure, especially if you want to make a countertop or shower tray out of it, and therefore DIY artificial marble seems to be a more profitable option. Moreover, there are quite a lot of ways to obtain a reliable imitation, using a variety of, sometimes quite unexpected, components and technologies.

How to make artificial marble with your own hands

What is the stone we are interested in? It has a heterogeneous color, most often with veins penetrating the entire thickness, and a granular-crystalline structure. The color can be snow-white, pink, blue, black or gray. Less common colors: red, purple, green, yellow. The easiest way to create the illusion of marble is with gypsum, which produces a dense, non-porous mass. However, this option is not acceptable if you need a countertop or cladding in a room with high humidity levels. Therefore, we will consider alternative methods that allow you to make artificial marble with your own hands.

The simplest technology is casting in molds from a cement-sand mixture. Cast marble is durable, waterproof and, most importantly, looks very similar to the real thing. However, it should be taken into account that thin tiles will be quite fragile, and thick ones will be heavy. As a result, it is possible to make a countertop from such an imitation, but the body of the furniture must be very massive in order to withstand the weight of the stone slab. A thinner version can be made using the wooden plane of the table itself as a basis. Next we will look at both options.

Almost real artificial marble: manufacturing technology

What do we need to end up with a slab of cast stone that is almost indistinguishable from natural stone? First of all, a polyurethane mold, sand and cement in a ratio of 2:1, respectively, water (a fifth of one share of cement) and pebbles as a filler. You will also need a dye (1% of the cement share) and a plasticizer in the same amount. In order for the technical process to be successful, we stock up on plastic film, a construction mixer, a mixer or a special attachment for a drill, as well as a spatula and a short rule.

Manufacturing technology of real artificial marble - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: Preparation

We thoroughly wash and dry the mold, which can be of any size, for example, just for the working surface of the kitchen wall. We prepare the solution by combining cement, sand and pebbles in a dry state, thoroughly mixing the components. Pour in 80% of the stored water, as well as the plasticizing composition, and continue kneading, achieving the highest possible homogeneity of the mass. We add the remaining water and, in unequal portions to different sectors of the container, the dye in order to achieve the least possible uniformity of subsequent mixing of the color with the solution.

Step 2: Filling out the form

As soon as the dye has dispersed through the cement mass in thin veins, the composition is ready, and you can begin the most important phase of the technical process. We take the mold, place it on a completely flat surface to prevent bending of the bottom or walls, and pour the solution into it. Using a spatula, we clean the edges of the mold from any excess that could affect the smoothness of the slab, then smooth the surface of the mass using a rule and cover it with polyethylene.

The larger the artificial stone slab, the higher the likelihood of it breaking due to internal voids. Therefore, if possible, you should use a vibrating table, and if this is not available, when mixing, try not to lift the mixer from the mass so that air bubbles do not form.

Step 3: Getting the finished artificial stone

After approximately 10 days, the hardening of the mass poured into the mold will end, and there is no need to interfere with the process, as other works with cement require. For example, regular moistening of the surface is not required due to the fact that the solution is covered with polyethylene, which prevents rapid evaporation of the liquid. When the slab has completely hardened, carefully lift it, turn it over and, like a cover, remove the mold from the finished tabletop.

To obtain artificial marble, the manufacturing technology does not have to be complicated; everything can be done in an apartment. The output is a product with low porosity, high resistance to a humid environment and various household chemicals. If necessary, polish the slab using transparent polish and alcohol, alternating between surface treatments. In this case, you should first treat it with alcohol, then, after drying, with polish, and, without waiting for it to dry, we again take up the swab moistened with alcohol.

How to make an illusion faux marble

If you want imitation stone to cover an elegant coffee table, you will have to abandon the previously described technology, since it is unlikely that thin wooden legs will withstand the load of a multi-kilogram slab. Instead, the easiest way is to use paints to partially turn the table itself into marble by painting the appropriate stains on it. To do this, you will need a jar of paint for the background, for example, white or green, as well as a small container of color for the pattern. It would be more correct to draw black or gray stripes on a white background, and white stripes on a green or black background.

Before making artificial marble, all cracks and chips on the surface, if any, are filled with a special water-based wood filler. Next, we moisten the tabletop with a spray bottle so that the swollen fibers reveal all the roughness, and, after the 30 minutes required for drying, we sand it as best as possible to a smooth state. Then, having cleaned the surface, we proceed to painting and apply two background layers with the interval necessary for the first of them to dry. To avoid streaks, it is better to use a brush or foam pad. After two hours, you can begin applying the texture pattern.

The pattern of marble is familiar to many; sometimes it resembles zigzags of lightning on a surface speckled with many grains, and sometimes it looks like randomly intersecting cracks. All this is not difficult to depict with a pen brush, with which you can change the thickness of the line. After waiting 5 minutes, mix a small amount of white paint with a transparent polyacrylic coating. Having dipped a wet sponge into the mixture (be sure to remove excess mixture from it), we follow the drawing without pressing hard and thus shade the lines, making them more blurry. After another 5 minutes of drying, wipe the surface with a clean cloth, mixing the colors with light touches. Another 30 minutes of drying and we take up the feather brush again, emphasizing the previously applied and already modified pattern.

After two hours, when the surface has already dried well, we take a thoroughly mixed polyacrylic coating and cover our “marble” with a thin transparent layer. It is advisable to leave the tabletop for a long time after this to allow the film to harden thoroughly. Next, you need to polish the surface with the finest sandpaper, clean it with a damp sponge or cloth and, after letting it dry, treat it again with polyacrylic. Again, we leave the almost formed imitation stone to dry for 2-3 hours, then polish and wipe again. We apply the last layer of transparent coating, wait for it to harden (2-3 hours), and finally polish it, after which we forget about our piece of furniture for about a week.

Artificial stone is a material known since time immemorial. In fact, it is both brick and even hardened lime mortar. However, today, when they say “decorative stone,” they mean a very specific material - artificial frozen forms that have excellent aesthetic and performance qualities and are suitable for interior and exterior decoration, as well as landscape design. You can even make such a stone (at least some types) with your own hands - it will turn out cheap and beautiful.

Why do you need artificial decorative stone?

Stone finishing is always visually attractive and has excellent technical characteristics. It is strong, durable, resistant to any aggressive influence. Natural stone, as a building and finishing material, has only one, but very significant, disadvantage - its high price. Even sawn and chopped it costs serious money. And its professional installation is also expensive. But for an amateur it will be very difficult to match pebbles to pebbles so that it turns out truly beautiful and stylish. In addition, natural stone is heavy and overloads the surface being finished, often requiring additional reinforcement.

An artificial stone is a completely different matter. In terms of its aesthetic and performance qualities (beauty, durability, strength, etc.) it even surpasses its natural counterpart. In addition, it is lightweight and easy to install, and the surface finished with it is suitable for partial repair.

Additional advantages of artificial stone include:

the ability to produce thin tiles without loss of strength;
having a wide palette of colors and textures;
the possibility of manufacturing at the site of application, which means eliminating transport costs in principle;
elimination of costs for sawing, grinding, polishing;
the ability to produce tiles of a predetermined size, taking into account the characteristics of the surface to be finished.

Important: Stone imitation technology using polymer binders allows you to create a thermoplastic material that can be bent, molded, and joined without seams.

Types of artificial stone

Today there are countless types of artificial stone. Such material may be intended for:

interior decoration;
external finishing;
interior and furniture decor;
creation and finishing of kitchen sinks, window sills, countertops.

Modern technologies make it possible to obtain an artificial stone that imitates even semi-precious minerals - tiger eye, moonstone, snake and cat stones, labradorite, serpentinite, pink eagle, etc. It turns out very beautiful. And most importantly, all this can be done with your own hands.

According to the source materials and methods of creation, artificial stone can be divided into:

Acrylic stone

The main advantages of acrylic stone are resistance to chemical attack and the absence of pores, which during operation guarantees complete hygiene and compliance with sanitation rules. It turns out that such a stone can be washed/cleaned as much as you like and using any household chemicals.

The high decorative qualities of acrylic stone are ensured by the optimal combination of its viscosity and strength. For use directly on site, acrylic stone can be made in sheets 3-4 mm thick at least to the full height of the wall, and for transportation - in slabs (6, 9 and 12 mm thick).

In addition, created on an acrylic binder, decorative artificial stone has an optimal ratio of thermal conductivity (low) and heat capacity (quite high). It is this feature that gives a feeling of “living” warmth when in contact with the material, which is especially valuable in interior decoration.

Quartz artificial stone

Among hot-cured liquid artificial stone, quartz stone stands out. It is created from ground vein quartz as a filler and a polyester resin binder. In terms of durability and mechanical characteristics, this material is superior to the best stones of natural origin.

Equipment and materials

To make cast artificial stone at home, you will need quite specific materials, tools and equipment:

vibration table (primarily);
ready-made molds for casting or models for their manufacture;
a release agent that is used to coat molds before casting stone and models before making molds so that nothing sticks to anything;
compounds or foundry mixtures;
pigments;
heat gun for welding and molding elements made of acrylic stone.

You may also need a sand tray for homemade silicone molds.

Vibration stand

A vibration stand is a design that ensures the hardening of artificial stone with proper homogeneity of the mixture for its production. You can even make such a stand yourself.

Any low-power electric motors are used as vibrators (the total should be approximately 30-50 W per sq. m). There should be at least 2 of these motors at the corners of the platform, and ideally - 4. If you have to use only one motor, it is better to place it in the center of the installation platform, and then the trays with forms should be installed at the edges.

To regulate the strength of vibration, the motors are powered through a rheostat or thyristor regulator.

Eccentrics are mounted on the motor shafts - you can use point eccentrics, or you can use U-shaped pieces of rod or strips tightened with screws. The rotation speed of the motors should be 600-3000 rpm. If it is less, the mixture will separate, and if it is more, the required vibration force will not be obtained.

The platform is made of dense but layered material (thickness 8-20 mm). Plywood, getinaks or fiberglass are suitable. Layering is the most important factor when choosing, since mechanical vibrations along the platform should propagate quite freely along the platform horizontally and quickly attenuate vertically.

Pallets with the working composition are secured to the platform using self-tapping screws.

As for the springs on which the platform vibrates, they must be equally rigid. Loaded, under the weight of the platform, such springs should compress no more than a fifth of their length. They must be linear (cylindrical, made of wire of uniform cross-section) and wide. The installation step is 300-600 mm both along the length of the platform and its width. That is, there should be 9 such springs on each square meter of the platform. In the platform and base of the stand, special holes or annular grooves are made under the ends of the springs so that the platform does not slip during operation.

It is better to make the base of the stand wooden - it will also dampen the overtones, while the metal base will also begin to ring them.

The vibration stand is mounted on a rigid support with adjusting screws, which allow the platform to be leveled strictly horizontally.

Stand adjustment

To adjust the vibration stand, you must:

load it completely (place a pallet with filled forms and secure it);
for weight, also put models in the molds;
Use a bubble level to level the horizontal position of the base and the platform on it;
set the adjusting screws to this very horizontal position;
place a saucer with a ball from a bearing (diameter 5-6 mm) directly on the molds;
turn down the vibrator regulator;
turn on vibrators;
smoothly add power, making the ball bounce on the saucer;
then gradually reduce the power so that the ball rolls on the saucer again, ringing.

After the above manipulations, the vibration stand can be considered adjusted.

Models

For home production of artificial stone, if there are no ready-made forms, you will definitely need models to create them - these can be either ready-made factory-produced artificial stones, or natural stones, suitable in size and texture.

Anyone can independently make a unique model of stone to implement an original interior design solution. And the most ordinary gully clay will help to create it.

To make a sample stone (model) from clay, you do not need to obtain any permits, do analyzes or conduct research. All you need to do is collect clay, mold the desired “stone” and dry it. To prevent the model from cracking during the drying process, the sample should be sculpted on a blank made of wood waste or foam plastic. You can also use pieces of plastic bottles coated with plasticine. In general, it is necessary to provide a “layout for creating a layout” in such a way that the layer of clay itself is no thicker than 6-12 mm.

You can also make a model for making artificial stone facing tiles. To do this, you will first need to “construct” a lattice from plasticine strips:

6-12 mm for concrete and gypsum stone;
from 3 mm for acrylic stone;
20-40 mm for thick clay with stucco;
and absolutely no modeling under liquid clay.

For any of the above cases, a flat working surface (shield) is covered with polyethylene film, a plasticine grid is laid and its cells are filled with clay. For drying, the products are sent on the same board to a place protected from direct sunlight (so that the finished product does not crack). The best option is under a canopy, in the shade, in a light draft. To control the drying process, place a small lump of clay next to the grates - as soon as it stops crumpling under your fingers, drying is complete.

The drying process can be accelerated if you hang an infrared lamp of 100-200 W above the models (but not lower than 2 m from the products) or turn on an electric fireplace in the room (only convection, not oil) at half its operating power.

If the grate is low, clay is placed/poured into it to the top and left to dry “as is”. Then the finished tile acquires a unique relief. And if the lattice is high, the clay is laid in a layer under the final material, and the required relief is molded by hand.

Forms

The following types of forms are used to produce artificial stone:

Disposable clay ones, which are smelted on a wax model and used for artistic casting and sculpting.
Polyurethane reusable industrial production.
Homemade silicone ones for home creativity and piece production, withstanding up to several dozen castings.

You can also make silicone molds for making artificial stone yourself. To do this, you will need a model or a model set (the same one made of clay), which will need to be laid out on a working board covered with plastic film. Next, the display is surrounded by a side (wooden or plastic), which is 10-20 cm higher than the model tops. Everything, including the sides and the models themselves, will need to be pre-lubricated with grease (solidol, shachtol or cyatim). Then the shield is set strictly horizontally in level so that the upper silicone surface also turns out to be perfectly horizontal - after all, it will become the bottom of the future form.

The next step is pouring acidic silicone (the cheapest, which smells strongly of vinegar). The substance on the model is squeezed out of the tube - in a spiral, from the center to the edges. Until the display is completely filled, up to the sides. And to prevent bubbles from forming inside, the silicone should be dispersed into shape with a flute brush dipped in a foaming solution of any dishwashing detergent.

Important: You cannot use ordinary soap solution for overclocking, as it gives an alkaline reaction that can ruin the silicone.

Forms filled in according to all the rules are sent for drying under the same conditions as clay models. Only in this case there is no need to use infrared illumination - the shape will turn out with bubbles. Only ventilation can speed up drying. But the classic drying time for silicone is 2 mm per day, and it is better not to speed it up. A silicone ring filled in at the same time and sent for drying along with the molds will help control the process.

Foundry mixtures

Gypsum stone

To create gypsum stone, the mixture is prepared in small portions, since its “vitality” does not exceed 10 minutes. Therefore, the composition is poured into the mold 3-4 minutes after kneading. The final material includes:

gypsum;
citric acid, which slows down hardening (0.3% by weight of gypsum);
water (for the starting layer - 0.8-0.9 of the gypsum volume, for the main mass - 0.6);
pigment selected on experimental samples (depending on color, 2-6% of the weight of gypsum).

concrete stone

This material is based on a cement-sand mortar, in which the ratio of components is the opposite of the mortar, that is, for one part of sand there are 3 parts of cement. In this case, the pigment is taken in proportions as for gypsum. The use of polymer additives is allowed.

Cast acrylic stone

Acrylic stone is made on the basis of acrylic resin using special hardeners. The permissible share of filler (already with pigment) is 3 to 1 based on the finished material.

The principle is as follows: The calculation of the compound is carried out from the binder, that is, from the resin with a hardener. If the proportion of filler decreases, the thermoplasticity of the finished product improves, but its mechanical strength decreases.

The filler used is:

stone chips;
gravel;
or dropout.

The selected filler is washed using any detergent, then calcined and washed again, but with clean running water.

The composition is mixed as follows:

First, the resin is combined with a hardener.
Then a filler with pigment is introduced.
And then everything is mixed well.

The finished mixture remains viable for 15-20 minutes. And its setting time is 30-40 minutes. Readiness to use the frozen material is a day.

Liquid stone

It should be noted right away that ready-made materials for making liquid stone are quite expensive. Therefore, most often only 2 compositions are used, which are more or less affordable:

facial;
and primer.

They differ in content: in particular, they have different proportions of filler.

The primer mixture includes:

gelcoat, 20%;
microcalcite, 73%;
accelerator, 6%;
and hardener, 1%.

As for the face composition, 40% of the gelcoat is used to create it, and the same amount of hardener with accelerator as for primer. And accordingly, everything else is microcalcite.

The viability of the composition, its setting and readiness are the same as for acrylic stone.

Pigments

One of the advantages of artificial stone is the variety of not only its textures, but also its shades. To create various colors during the production process of the material, the following mineral and synthetic pigments are used:

powder, which are injected directly into dry fillers or into plaster;
liquid, already poured into the batch;
paste-like, introduced into the batch just before the end using a syringe.

Separators

For different types of artificial stone, different release agents are used. For example:

a solution of wax in turpentine (1:7) is ideal for creating gypsum stone;
greases are used for concrete stone;
a solution of stearin in styrene (1: 10) is used for acrylic and liquid stones.

sand cushion

A “sand cushion” is a tray with clean, dry sand (filled halfway or 3/4 full), into which a three-dimensional silicone mold is deepened before casting. This is done so that during vibration on the stand the hardening acrylic or gypsum compound does not expand the mold.

Thermal gun

This is a device that resembles a miniature hair dryer. The heat gun produces a thin but strong stream of hot air, with the help of which finished parts made of acrylic stone are welded, and plastic frames are also assembled during the production of silicone molds.

Casting

Liquid stone casting technology involves two stages of processing:

starting;
and basic.

If we are talking about filling small flat forms without relief, facial mixtures are used immediately.

“Starting mixture” is a liquid composition with filler and pigment that adheres well to the surface of the working form. It is applied with a brush. For a gypsum start, gypsum is diluted with sand and cement. And for an acrylic mixture, the proportion of filler with pigment decreases and the amount of resin with hardener increases.

As for the base composition, they are added to the molds after the starting mixture has hardened. For acrylic, microcalcite is used as a filler (and without pigment), which in itself provides an excellent background for the manifestation of the decorative qualities of the facial filler. And the base gypsum is simply mixed with water until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream.

When concrete is poured, the basic pouring is carried out in 2 approaches:

first, the mold is filled halfway and a reinforcing mesh is laid out over the layer;
then the base is added to the edges of the mold and leveled with a wet spatula - clean, grease-free, made of polished metal.

As soon as the setting process has begun, grooves are drawn along the surface of the casting (also known as the underside of the product in the future) so that the finished artificial stone will better adhere to the surface to be finished when facing.

Molding of liquid stone

Artificial liquid stone is formed by direct or reverse spraying (enveloping). In the direct process, first the base made of fiberboard, chipboard or MDF is covered with primer (a layer of 3-4 mm), then the decorative layer itself is applied. The resulting surface of the product is textured and rough due to protruding filler granules. Subsequently, this circumstance requires painstaking additional processing of the material - sanding and polishing.

The reverse method of creating liquid stone is more technologically advanced. With its help, if you have ready-made matrices at home, you can even organize mass production. This method involves covering the matrix opposite the finished product with a separator, then applying a compound, and then applying a leveling wooden board and pressing it evenly with weights.

Monumental molding

Artificial boulders, blocks or flagstones are created on a blank covered with reinforcing mesh from a concrete mixture. First of all, using a minimal amount of water, prepare a “dry” solution without the participation of pigment. Then this composition is applied to the model in the manner of appliqué. The result is a base, which, after setting, is covered with the main working composition (already of normal consistency and with pigment) and stretched to the desired shape. Products should dry in the fresh air, protected from rain. And at least 40 days.