Floors made of natural stone

With all the diversity of modern building materials and decorative stone is in the range of their special place. First, of course, thanks to the unique beauty created by nature itself. No coincidence that many artificial surfaces mimic the stone figure. Each piece of stone, each lined with natural stone surface that is always unique. Secondly, it is natural stone can truly be called a truly durable, despite having the most stable polymers. After all, even aging, collapsing under the weight of centuries, the stone acquires a special charm of antiquity, while still beautiful. In the cladding - external and internal use: granite, gabbro, diorite, labradorite, syenite, marble and travertine, limestone, sandstone, tuff. But the most widely used as a decorative facing rocks found marble and granite. Today, foreign technologies involve the use of thinner than it was taken from us, stone slabs in the lining. The most commonly used thick marble slabs for interior is 10 mm for granite - 15 mm. While laying on special adhesives anhydrous compositions in the interior of this thickness is quite sufficient. This dramatically simplifies the installation process and ease of building structures. Marble - from the Greek. marmaros (shining stone), sedimentary rock, formed by recrystallization and metamorphism of limestone and dolomite. This is the best known and most popular facing stone. It is perfectly easy to work with and well polished. There are quite a hard marble, but still he is certainly softer than granite, much stronger than absorb moisture, acids and exposed to the destructive environmental factors. In the world there are hundreds of varieties and colors of marble - and this is his singular appeal. Granite - from Italy. granito (granular), polnokristallicheskaya igneous rock composed mainly of quartz, feldspar and mica. It is very resistant and durable material. It is harder than marble, polished, but it lasts longer finish. More resistant to environmental influences, acids, less absorbent. Colours of granites is also quite diverse: almost white, light gray, pink, red, green, black, blue. Granites are particularly recommended for installation in areas where you need greater strength, abrasion resistance, for the exterior cladding for kitchen countertops. Processing methods. Processed and ready for use in the construction of natural stone materials can be divided into: - gruboobrabotannye - Quarry stone, crushed stone, gravel - and ashlar blocks of regular shape (eg, bricks) - plates with various surface-treated; - products and profiled parts - window sills, stairs, countertops, etc. By way of processing the stone surface can be: - Polished - smooth, high-gloss surface that gives a clear reflection. Particularly pronounced color and pattern of the stone, reduces water absorption. Polished slabs are used for cladding the interiors and facades, making countertops and other stone products. Not recommended laying on the floor in wet rooms and outdoor stairways and platforms, since the ingress of water a polished surface is slippery - burnished texture - smooth, velvety matte identified with the figure of stone - polished surface - is uniformly rough, the stone figure smoothed. In the dark and patterned stones, especially granites, it is not winning, as is almost completely hides the color. Recommended for floors, where it is necessary to reduce sliding and outdoor stages and platforms - Sawing - rougher than the polished, the surface does not undergo further processing after the cut stone - buchadirovannaya surface is uniformly and densely deposited shell depth of 1 mm (small buchadirovanie ) to 4 mm (deep). Buchadirovannye stones used in facades, caps, and interior design. But especially where possible or desirable to use polished stones - with outdoor work (blind area, the area in front porch, outdoor stage, etc.) - fire treatment (thermal method - the impact of a jet of gas, high temperature) gives a slightly "molten" surface, allowing more pronounced than during grinding, to show the color and texture of stone. Mainly used in the granites. Recommended for exterior cladding - the facades, stairs, platforms - mimics the natural texture of the rock split rock with chaotic cavities and hillocks. This texture is mainly used for cladding facades. Latest fashion design in the marble - artificially aged stone, "antique". Surface, lined with marble so it seems polished over the centuries. Recommended for "texture", porous, soft marbles. Natural stone is resistant to temperature effects, so beautifully used in the manufacture of fireplaces. And its microporous surface is very breathable, so it's hard to find the best material for floors with internal heating. Laying technology. When laying natural stone should take into account some of its features. For example, many rocks, particularly soft marble can absorb moisture from the mortar, which treads on the surface of the stone laid in the form maloestetichnyh spots. Such stones should be laid on a specially designed water-free compositions (preferably using such compositions for all the stones). If the architect wants to get in the interior mirror complete, it can be applied two ways of laying the polished floors. In Russia, widespread way of application of ready-made, factory-polished slabs. There is another way: on the floor stacked plates polished texture, which then zapolirovyvayutsya with special shlifpolirovalnyh machines. Slabs of natural stone (GOST 9480-77) is placed on concrete, reinforced concrete or cement-sand base (Fig. 109). Coverage of natural stone performing at an air temperature not below 10 ° C. Humidity and the base is not specified. The thickness of the layer of no more than 2 cm thermal joints in concrete floors protects from filling with a solution by covering them strip roofing, roofing material. Before laying, the base and back of the plate is wetted with water, then make a bed out of solution, designed for 6 - 10 plates. Feature of the paving slabs of natural stone is a mandatory pre-layout tiles dry, allowing the right to select adjacent plates and maintain the accuracy of the picture. At the device as a layer of flooring using a cement-sand screed 1:2,5 - 1:3, the brand of solution is not less than 150. In large rooms covering placed on the center of the room in two or four directions of the axes of the stakeout. Lighthouse cords may stretch through the central axis of the premises, as well as along the wall (when laying the tiles from the wall) in the design position plate stack, reining in their wooden rammer, the lower end of which stud felt 2-3 cm thick Once the solution has hardened, empty joints filled with cement mortar matching color. Proper covering controlled rack 2 m long and square. Deviations from the central seam coating of axles does not exceed 10 mm per 10 m length. Clearance under the two-meter rack allowed up to 4 mm. Cracks, potholes and empty the seams are not allowed. The finished coating are cleaned, washed and if necessary, grind or polish the damaged areas.