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Finishing the facade with stone - a guide for those who hesitate

If you are interested in decorating the facade of a house with stone, then this article will help you thoroughly understand the topic raised. I will talk about the types of cladding and installation technology, and also share the secrets of high-quality finishing of a private house or cottage.

Types of facade cladding

Finishing facade stone can be natural or artificial:

• Natural is divided by breed;
• Artificial - what material is it made of and what rock or mineral does it imitate?.

Inexperienced owners forget about such an important point as the type of masonry. But the appearance of your facade largely depends on it.

Sometimes people confuse two completely different concepts “masonry” and “stone cladding”, as a result, serious misunderstandings may arise when making an agreement with the master.

The term masonry means the construction of full-fledged walls and partitions of a house from stone, brick and other block materials. The cladding is done with decorative stone on brick, concrete, wood, in general, on any load-bearing surface.

Die masonry

This type of artistic masonry is considered the closest to natural style. And at the same time, it is possible to equip such cladding for quite reasonable money.

This cheapness is due to the fact that for this style the so-called Dagestan stone is usually used - sandstone, slate, limestone and some forms of dolomite.

But that's not all. Die laying does not require pre-processing of the material. In other words, a truly “wild” flat mineral is used. You understand that the less money is invested in processing the material, the cheaper it is.

Artificial copies of such cladding are rare. There is no point in paying for this type of artificial stone finishing if the original version costs almost the same.

“Die” is also suitable for self-installation. But I warn you right away, in order to get an original natural look, you will have to tinker a lot. After all, it is quite difficult to select uncalibrated material of different sizes, and even so that there are no gaps and large fragments evenly alternate with small ones.

Castle masonry

Translated from English, “Castle” means castle, and accordingly, the masonry in appearance is as close as possible to a medieval castle. These are bricks of a conventionally rectangular shape, with chipped or torn natural relief.

Dimensions may be different, they are united only by a rectangular shape. This is why it is better to entrust such natural stone masonry to a specialist. But you can try laying artificial stone with your own hands.

In addition to limestone, slate and sandstone, marble and granite can be used for Castle masonry; naturally, the price of such finishing will increase by an order of magnitude, but still this is not the upper ceiling.

Masonry "Plateau"

If previous finishing options claimed to be natural and close to natural motifs, then “Plateau” is a purely decorative type of cladding. Most often this masonry is found on the base and corners. Sometimes the framing of windows and doors on the facade is finished in this way.

These are rusticated stones of rectangular and square shapes with well-processed edges. Unlike “Castle”, in “Plateau” the material has clearly fixed dimensions. And although all the tiles seem to be different, the sizes of their sides are multiples of 5 cm.

Here it is necessary to explain what rusticated stones are. Rustication is a type of processing of decorative stone. The point is that a chamfer is removed from the plate along the perimeter, or they say, a border is made. This border can have either a natural, chipped appearance, or the appearance of a smooth or shaped chamfer cut by a machine.

Almost the same materials are used for “Plateau” as for “Castle”: limestone, slate, sandstone, quartzite-sandstone, marble and granite.

Although the plates have a geometrically correct shape, they are difficult to lay. The whole problem is that you need to correctly, and most importantly, evenly distribute the rectangular and square elements.

Due to inexperience, people first choose all rectangular ones, and then begin to focus on square plates or vice versa. At one time, I, like most novice home craftsmen, also stepped on this “rake”.

Masonry "Shahriar"

The Shahriar masonry is one of the simplest and most common. Here all the plates have clearly fixed rectangular dimensions. A distinctive feature of this style is the obligatory presence of a border around the perimeter of the plates (rustling).

The plates themselves can have a torn or chipped relief, or they can be ground and even polished. But the ground and polished options are very similar to banal brickwork, which, by the way, is not in fashion now.

At the same time, natural torn stone will make your facade look like an antique fortress. Plus, installation of the Shahriar style often does not cause difficulties for home craftsmen. In fact, you only need to evenly beat and lay the lower level and corners, and then it will go on its own.

Masonry "Assol"

This style is distinguished by its volume and unusualness. Therefore, “Assol” is often decorated with artificial stone for finishing facades. The base material is usually shale or sandstone.

In its natural form, the material consists of thinly cut plates. The end of such plates is the front side. The result is the illusion of a massive, heavily laid wall.

“Assol” made of natural stone is difficult to lay without preparation. The problem is that all stones have different thicknesses. In part, the work is reminiscent of the Castle masonry, everything there also seems to be rectangular, but with different dimensions.

"Rondo" masonry

“Rondo” is a kind of marine theme, because river or sea pebbles of different sizes are used as the main material. Naturally, no one polishes these pebbles or processes the ends of them.

To be honest, I have never seen the entire façade finished in this style. But the pebbles on the base and corners look great. Plus, this option is quite simple to install; it only takes a lot of expensive glue and grout to look like natural stone. First, large fragments are laid out, and then the gaps are filled with small ones.

What natural stone is used for façade finishing?

Any natural material, even if it seems absolutely “wild” to you, is in any case at least somehow processed or, at a minimum, calibrated. The starting price depends approximately half on the level of material processing.

Natural facing stone varies quite a lot in terms of durability, strength, weight and appearance. Plus, now many owners have begun to become interested in the mystical, astrological and other non-standard properties of rocks and minerals used in construction.

Marble belongs to the elite sector. Polished material is most often used for cladding buildings. Depending on the place of extraction and natural inclusions, polished marble finishes in the sun or in good lighting have a unique deep color.

There are many types of marble. They are separated not only by color; the natural pattern and level of polishing are of great importance. Medium density marble is used for finishing purposes.

Granite slabs can be polished, unpolished (matte) and have a natural chipped texture. Plus, the material is produced both in the form of volumetric slabs and in the form of medium-sized paving stones. This stone has phenomenal strength and durability.

Finishing granite usually comes in three types:

1. Slabs that have a light gray tint are called plagiogranite;
2. If the main color of the material is pink, then it is already alaskite;
3. And when light gray inclusions are visible on a pink background, then you are dealing with porphyritic granite.

According to beliefs, natural granite gives people living in such a house sociability. Intuition increases, mental performance improves, and most importantly, peace and harmony should occur in relationships with people.

Don't go for cheap granite! This is one of the few materials that can accumulate radiation. When purchasing, be sure to request a quality certificate for the product. Plus, it would be a good idea to check the authenticity of this certificate; this is now not difficult to do via the Internet.

Limestone is mainly represented by slabs with a polished (matte) and natural chipped surface. The shape of such slabs can be square, rectangular and polygonal.

There are several types of limestone, but material with a high calcite content is used for cladding. Its level can reach up to 98%. Most limestone is pure white or white with a yellowish tint, although gray material is occasionally found.

Builders love this material, as it is not only beautiful, but also quite easy to process. Plus, limestone is much warmer than marble or granite.

But in terms of strength and, as a result, durability, limestone is not so beautiful. In the middle zone of our great homeland, where in the off-season thaws often alternate with frosts, limestone begins to “crumble.”

There are no non-traditional beliefs or special qualities associated with limestone. True, doctors claim that this material has good bactericidal and antiseptic properties. But these advantages are good for cladding interior spaces, on the facade, but they will not help you in any way.

It is quite easy for an inexperienced person to confuse sandstone with limestone. The range of sizes and shapes for these two materials is almost similar, and they are similar in color.

But their physical characteristics are quite different. Sandstone, as you can see from the tables presented in the article, is much stronger, and therefore more durable, than limestone.

There are 4 types of building sandstone:

• Shell rock;
• Oolitic;
• Lithographic;
• Pisolite sandstone.

For finishing purposes, only oolitic and pisolite subtypes of material are used. Shell rock and lithographic sandstone are used to build walls.

In ancient times, it was believed that truth reigned in houses built of sandstone. And the residents of such houses were distinguished by clarity of mind, creativity and stormy temperament. Although, to be honest, I don’t understand how clarity of mind can be combined with a stormy temperament.

Slate is most often represented as a “wild” stone. These are multifaceted flat plates. Although now this material has begun to be actively processed and interesting rusticated slate stones have appeared on the market.

Shale can be clayey or crystalline. Both of these subspecies have approximately the same physical characteristics and, in fact, differ only in appearance. A serious disadvantage of slate is its increased fineness (susceptibility to delamination). But the price of this material will please you.

Experts in alternative sciences claim that shale has a good connection with space. This connection should manifest itself in heightened intuition and prompts from higher powers.

Of course, in addition to the stones that I talked about, there are still a lot of other minerals and rocks, for example, dolomite, shugnit, goldite, andesite and others. But for the most part, these materials are either derivatives or analogues of the above listed materials. Which, by the way, is a good thing that savvy marketers use.

Types of faux finishes

Faux stone finishes have now reached a whole new level. Some manufacturers have reached such heights that only a specialist can distinguish artificial stone from natural stone.

Of course, artificial analogues are not as strong and durable as natural stones, but they are an excellent alternative. These materials are an order of magnitude lighter than their analogues, plus they are much easier to install. And most importantly, they are much cheaper.

The statement that artificial stone is not as durable as natural stone is certainly true. But now most artificial materials are guaranteed for 50 years or more, and clinker or porcelain tiles will last even 100 years. And I always want to ask how long such critics are going to live if a 100-year guarantee does not suit them.

Now let's talk about what kind of artificial stone the modern market offers us for facade finishing:

• Clinker bricks and clinker tiles are one of the most affordable and popular types of facade cladding at the moment. Clinker is made from a special type of clay. The material is molded and fired at a temperature of about 1200ºC, resulting in a fairly durable ceramic cladding. With the help of clinker, the facade can be decorated with brickwork and masonry made of “wild” crushed stone;

• Concrete stone. This cladding is made from high-strength grades. The technological instructions are extremely simple: a solution based on high-grade cement is poured into a mold and then compacted on a vibrating table. If such cladding is painted or covered with a strengthening primer at least once every 2–3 years, then it can last for at least 30 years;

• The so-called architectural stone, in fact, is one of the varieties of concrete stone, only here high-strength white cement is used, to which dyes can also be added. Almost every one of us has seen openwork stucco on the facades of some government institutions, and so this is architectural stone;

• Polymer sand cladding is made on the basis of modern polymers; the sand component there is not large. Sand is added to such facing panels to save money and add color. The strength of this finish is low, but it is elastic and not expensive;

• Facade finishing based on synthetic resins 100% matches the color and appearance of natural stone. This is explained by the fact that the main filler is dust or crumbs of this very natural stone. Synthetic resins are used only as a binder;

• The currently popular porcelain stoneware is made on the basis of feldspar. The product is fired at a temperature of more than 1400 ºС. After such exposure, the material is sintered into a single monolith and acquires unique strength and enviable durability. Among artificial materials, porcelain stoneware is considered perhaps the most beautiful and reliable coating.

A few words about installation

Both natural and artificial stone are installed using approximately the same technology. In theory, it is not complicated and mastering it will not be difficult. The whole problem is that, as the masters say, you need to “get your teeth into”, that is, practice somewhere and then everything will work out.

• The stone is laid only on a solid base; it is advisable to knock down the old plaster. The first thing you will need to do is coat the base a couple of times with a deep penetration strengthening agent;
• After this, a reinforcing galvanized metal mesh is attached to the base with dowels;

• It is advisable to secure the starting profile from below. Usually a corner is used for these purposes. But if you don’t have it at hand, you can nail a flat wooden block. In any case, upon completion of the work, when the glue has finally set, the starting profile will need to be removed;

• Next, construction adhesive for the façade stone is applied with a trowel onto the reinforced wall and the stone itself is laid. By the way, glue should be applied not only to the wall, but also to the stone itself;
• Keep in mind that the glue sets quite quickly, so it is better to first place the stone nearby on the ground, and then transfer the panel to the wall.

In the old days, stone cladding was laid on a cement-sand mortar. I don't recommend you do this. Now there is a special construction adhesive on the market, so you need to buy it. Cement-sand mortar, of course, is cheaper, but only a professional can work with it.

Conclusion

Now you know what natural and artificial stones are used for facade finishing. And in general terms you can imagine the finishing technique itself. In the photos and videos in this article, I selected material on this topic. If after watching you have any questions, welcome to the comments, I will try to help.

December 10, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, or ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

Every homeowner who decides to change the appearance of the facade will prefer to see his home not only modern and beautiful - his home must be original - different from all others. The finishing material for the facade should not only decorate the house, but also provide it with reliable protection from wind, rain and snow, be resistant to fire, durable, and not too expensive.
What stone to choose for cladding? If you haven’t decided yet, then this article will help you.

Types of stone, their advantages and disadvantages

Facing a house can be done with two types of stone: natural and artificial.

Natural or, as it is also called, wild stone is a durable building material that can transform the facade of any house beyond recognition. There are still houses all over the world that were lined with stone hundreds of years ago, and time can’t do anything with them - they are still as beautiful and reliable as before. This stone harmoniously intertwines monumentality with grace, severity and beauty.

Natural stone is divided into several types:

• Marble is a stone with a very dense structure and is distinguished by a variety of patterns and colors.
• Basalt is also dense, very similar to granite.
• Quartzite (rubble) is not so dense, it can be recognized by inclusions of quartz.
• Limestone (shell rock) can be dense or soft; only its dense varieties are used for cladding a house. This is a unique stone that can protect against radiation by 100%.
• Sandstone is a soft, porous stone that is easy to work with, easy to cut and grind.
• Slate - it is characterized by a layered internal structure, which gives this stone originality. One of the most inexpensive natural stones.

Limestone, sandstone and slate are most often used for cladding a house. The biggest disadvantages of natural stone are its weight, difficulty in working and high cost.

An artificial stone can be a complete replacement for natural stone. Its main advantage is lightness, ease of installation and price. Cladding a house with this stone costs much less because working with natural stone is a labor-intensive and complex process that requires special training, so the services of a professional are expensive.

Artificial stone is almost two times lighter than natural stone, it is easier to transport to the site, it is easy to process: it is easy to cut and polish to the desired shape and size, which allows you to obtain a stone of any configuration. On the back side of the artificial stone there is a rough surface onto which an adhesive mixture is applied; this roughness contributes to the effective adhesion of the stone to the load-bearing wall. Finishing the facade with artificial stone is a process that does not require special construction skills, and therefore the time costs are low.

In the assortment of many companies engaged in the sale of finishing stones, you can purchase thin-walled facing bricks. It is much thinner and lighter than real brick; cladding made of this material can imitate both new brickwork and antique brickwork. This is the cheapest type of finishing.

Material calculation

First of all, you need to understand how much decorative element you will need for your home.
Decorative details come in two types:

1. Planar - to find out the required number of planar elements of the correct shape, first, using the formula (multiply the height by the width), we calculate the surface area that will be covered. After this, divide the found area by the area of ​​one element. Very often, the manufacturer indicates the area of ​​the element in the technical documentation.
2. Angular - to calculate them you need to add up the lengths of all external angles. Then divide this amount by the length of the element.

It is better to buy facing stone 10-15 percent more than your estimated need. This way you will be insured in case of defects when laying or cutting stone.

Preparing the facade for work

Before you begin, you must complete the following steps:

• The wall must be strong, shrinkable, and not subject to deformation.
• The wall on which the cladding will be glued must be flat, without protrusions and depressions, a difference of no more than 2 cm per 1 m2 is acceptable.
• The load-bearing wall must be clean, wipe off dust and remove grease stains
• Check the load-bearing wall for moisture; the cladding must be glued to a dry base.

Remove previous finishing, remnants of cladding, cracked plaster, etc., this will allow you to cover the facade with high quality and without problems.

Installation of stone on the wall

• After the preparatory work, the facade cladding begins. First of all, the corner elements are laid out.
• Lay decorative stone in rows on the ground, simulating future cladding.
• If necessary, adjust the shape or size of individual elements. Use a grinder to cut natural stone. The disc must be designed for cutting hard surfaces.
• Prepare the glue: the choice of glue depends on what kind of stone will be used for the cladding; you will need either a cement-based mortar or a suitable glue.
• Apply the solution or adhesive mixture to the back side of the element, distribute the mixture over the entire surface.

• Press the facing piece against the wall with slight force until adhesive appears around the perimeter of the element.
• We remove the protruding solution, leaving a small layer along the ends of the decorative element.

Advice! If you work in dry and hot seasons, we recommend moistening the wall with water. Use a handy tool.

All the cladding is glued to the wall - it's time to start undoing the seams.

Joining seams

The jointing is carried out using a culinary type bag: take a thick plastic bag and fill it with solution. Then the top is tied with a string, one corner of the bag is cut off and you can get to work!
Slowly squeeze the solution out of the bag, filling the seams between the decorative elements, being careful not to stain the cladding. Smooth out the slightly dried solution using a special spatula.

The cladding is finished, we are waiting for the finish and seams to dry completely. And finally, we suggest treating the façade with a special (water-repellent) solution. This procedure will make the appearance of your façade shiny and guarantee protection from moisture.

After reading our article, it becomes clear that doing stone cladding with your own hands is quite affordable, if you have minimal experience in construction work and you follow the recommendations - you can handle this task!

The expansion of the range of finishing materials has not trampled the position of classic home design options. Finishing the façade with stone and using decorative plaster still remains relevant. The polarity of the methods when merging creates a harmonious picture on the external walls, striking in its sophistication and variety of types.

Functions and types of facade finishing

When choosing a façade finish at the construction stage or during the renovation of a house, in addition to its decorative role, you should pay attention to the performance of protective functions. Basic conditions that finishing materials for external walls must meet:

• Durability over a long period of time.
• Resistance to negative environmental factors. The complex concept includes exposure to moisture, significant temperature changes, and the possibility of mold growth.
• Fire safety.
• Improving thermal insulation qualities.
• Maintaining an attractive appearance for a long period.

Let's leave aside modern options for decorating the facades of private houses using siding or sandwich panels and pay attention to traditional methods in the form of finishing with stone or applying decorative plaster.

Facade stone for decorating external walls can be of natural or artificial origin. When choosing a natural stone, the species plays a key role; the properties of the finishing material depend on it. The characteristics of a decorative stone depend on the composition from which it is made. The appearance of the finish is influenced by the mineral or rock that is imitated by artificial stone.

Important! The overall picture of the facade decoration is formed thanks to the cladding method. This point must be discussed before starting work.

Also, when choosing stone as a finishing material, you need to be aware of the difference between two polar concepts such as “stone cladding” and “masonry”. In the first case, this refers specifically to the exterior decoration of the house, the walls of which are made of concrete, brick or wood. The second concept implies the full construction of stone walls of a private house.

What is useful to know about decorating with plaster

Decorative plaster meets all the requirements that are put forward for finishing materials for the facade. The main advantages of decorative plaster:

• Reliably protects the facade from moisture, while the walls of a private house remain “breathable”;
• The use of color gives decorative plaster a unique shade. Combining two colors in decoration allows you to achieve a spectacular appearance of a private home.
• In addition to a wide range of colors, decorative plaster has a different structure. The desire to make the facade individual is quite feasible through the use of various application techniques.
• Decorative plaster is suitable for finishing external walls made of stone, brick or finished with thermal insulation material.

When choosing a composition for finishing, you should distinguish between the concepts of structural and textured plaster. In the first case, the appearance of the coating is formed due to the presence of small abrasive particles that form a certain pattern on the facade. Textured plaster is more suitable for interior finishing work, when various application techniques allow you to achieve interesting effects on the surface of the walls.

The cost of finishing the facade is influenced by the composition of the selected decorative plaster. A budget option would be a mineral-based mixture. But there is a risk of cracks forming during shrinkage of a private house. Acrylic plaster is more elastic, its cost is higher than its mineral composition. The main disadvantages are that the façade finish is susceptible to contamination, and the material is flammable.

The leader in performance characteristics is plaster with silicone and silicate composition. As a result, its cost is much higher.

Comment! When choosing plaster as a facade finish, you should be prepared for a labor-intensive process of applying it yourself.

Characteristics of natural stone intended for facade finishing

Stone for finishing external walls must be processed. The required minimum of work is calibration of the finishing material. The cost of natural stone is largely determined by the degree of processing.

​Note! A cheap stone can be a dangerous source of radiation, so before purchasing it is recommended to verify the availability and authenticity of the quality certificate.

The characteristics of natural stone, depending on the type, differ in strength and durability, appearance and weight. Some owners of private houses also pay attention to the mystical properties of rocks that are used in cladding external walls. A brief description of the most popular types of stone will help you decide on the choice of material for facade finishing:

In addition to the presented stones, there are many other rocks that are used in the process of finishing the facade.

Variety of artificial analogues

The high cost of natural materials is often the main reason why owners of private houses prefer artificial analogues when decorating the facade. Fortunately, modern technologies have brought production to a level where only a specialist can accurately say about the origin of the material.

Of course, leadership in strength and durability remains with natural finishing materials, but decorating the facade with decorative stone has a number of advantages:

• Cladding with artificial material is much lighter than natural stones. This is especially important when there is limited additional load on the foundation.
• The installation process is simplified.
• Significant cost savings are observed.

Important! The statement about the lower durability of non-natural materials is true, but not significant. Finishing facades with artificial stone can maintain its integrity for half a century or more. And as for porcelain stoneware and clinker tiles, this figure increases to 100 years.

Finishing of facades can be carried out using the following types of decorative stone:

Exquisite decoration of the facade of the house with stone and plaster in the photo below:

Stone cladding methods

As mentioned earlier, the appearance of the facade is largely determined by the cladding method. Let's look at the most popular options:

Exterior wall design options

Complete finishing of external walls with stone is a labor-intensive and financially expensive process. In addition, stone cladding creates additional load on the supporting structure.

Advice! The combined design of plaster in combination with fragments of stone cladding can give the building's exterior an attractive and elegant appearance.

The most common options:

• Facing the porch and basement.
• Highlighting the basement and corners of a private house.
• Design of window and door openings.
• The fragmentary decoration of individual sections of the facade looks incredibly beautiful.
• The technique of using different types of rocks is unique.
• Various stone compositions look impressive.

The imagination of the owners and the advice of specialists can become the source of an individual picture in the design of external walls. The main thing is to take into account the characteristics of the material and follow the masonry technology.

How elegant do houses look, the facade of which was decorated using a decorative or natural component. It's no secret that previously buildings were built exclusively from stone and wood. Now construction technologies have gone much further, but these materials remain in demand to this day both in building a house and in finishing work. Stone facades have become quite popular and in demand for country cottages and houses, and a wide range of facing materials allows you to fulfill any ideas.

We improve not only appearance, but also performance

Stone for the facade allows you to create the most enchanting home decorations. One of the favorite jobs of landscape designers is working with it. And it doesn’t matter whether the facing component is decorative, artificial or natural.

A stone facade has its advantages:

1. First of all, the façade stone gives the house an impressive appearance. The manufacturer has a huge range of slabs, ranging from smooth types to tiles with crumbs.
2. It is possible to imitate brickwork or a wall from a natural component - you just need to combine the facade stone and its types.
3. The high practicality of finishing a house with stone is due to its resistance to adverse conditions. In addition, it is not afraid of exposure to ultraviolet rays.
4. It doesn’t matter whether the finishing is done using a natural component or decorative archstone is used - both of these types are durable and resistant. Artificial facade stone, although inferior to natural stone in external features, is a strong competitor in terms of practicality.

Facade stone of natural origin is:

• Slate
• Marble
• Granite
• Sandstone
• Limestone

They all have a lot of positive characteristics, but they are so different from each other that before choosing you need to get acquainted with their detailed characteristics. The most important details are indicated in the table below:

Type of material	Hardness, according to Mohs	Density, kg/m3	Porosity in %	Strength in MPa
Slate	2-6	2600-2700	3,2-3,4	40-110
Marble	2,5-5	2500-2800	0,6-3,3	95-200
Granite	6,5-7	2640-3110	0,27-1,7	120-311
Sandstone	3-5	2250-2670	0,69-6,7	120-240
Limestone	3	1700-2600	Up to 40	10-100

Facade stone made from concrete has a huge number of shapes, not only given by nature, but processed in thousands of variations by man.

Important! For the facade of a wooden house, a combination with archstone is possible. These types of facades are often found in the modern world. In addition, finishing work with this material cannot be performed on the entire facade - buildings with partial cladding look great, where the remaining surfaces are painted or treated with decorative plaster.

Artificial stone for facades is much lighter than natural material. On average, its weight is two to three times less. This greatly simplifies the work of finishing the house. Another good solution is to use a slab with stone chips. Finishing work can be carried out independently, and it is possible to attach slabs with crumbs both to the wall and to a system of ventilated facades. Different types and sizes of crumb fractions allow you to use slabs for finishing the facade and basement of a house, and a variety of colors will save you from unnecessary painting work. Slabs with stone chips have many advantages:

• Simple installation will allow you to carry out the facing work yourself, without involving highly paid specialists.
• One slab can cover a large surface of a building wall.
• The service life of such finishing is at least 15 years if the installation technology is followed and the region has a temperate climate.
• You can combine other types of facing materials with chip-coated slabs.

The well-known plate manufacturing company KOMAKPLAT received good recommendations. Slabs with stone chips from this manufacturer are manufactured according to standards, but the thickness of the chips still exceeds them. Therefore, during transportation and installation, you should not worry about the separation of a certain amount of the applied crumb layer.

The material has the following characteristics:

Weight	10mm – 18kg/m²
Weight	8mm -16 kg/m²
Density	1,400 kg/m²
Humidity	6% — 12%
Swelling in thickness per day, no more than 24 hours	1,5%
Water absorption per day, no more than 24 hours	16%
Bending strength is no less	12 MPa
Tensile strength perpendicular to the slab layer is not less	0.5 MPa
Hardness is no less	45 MPa
Maximum deviations in length and width	+- 1 mm
Impact strength no less	1,800 kJ/m²
The specific resistance to pulling screws out of the slab is no less	4 N/m
Thermal conductivity coefficient	0.216 W/m²
Elastic modulus no less	4,500 MPa
Frost resistance, (decrease in bending strength after 50 cycles) no more	10%

Stone facades look aesthetically pleasing and magnificent; the same effect can be easily achieved using slabs with stone chips. The material retains its technical characteristics for up to 50 years - this indicates the possibility of long-term use of elements on the facade of one’s home.

Architectural stone

Facing a private house with facade stone

Cladding materials are used to transform interiors, landscape design and facade decoration. Upgrading a house using archstone is much faster than cladding the façade with natural stone. Archstone is similar in appearance to such types as granite, limestone, and sandstone of natural origin.

Archstone and a number of its advantages:

1. The material does not require painting or protection using special means.
2. Not afraid of temperature changes, excess moisture and weathering.
3. The archstone on the facade will last for many years.
4. The facing material is capable of realizing many design ideas.

Decorative stone cladding

Artificial stone for the facade - archstone is a type of concrete stone. However, it is an order of magnitude more expensive, and at the same time much better than its relative. It is much stronger and more durable, and its appearance is identical to natural sandstone and limestone. Archstone is made in accordance with the size and texture of the materials it imitates. The surface of archstone is similar to pebble plaster, but if you choose based on performance characteristics, then a façade finished with architectural stone is much better and more durable.

Important! Interestingly, façade stone goes well with wooden structures. These two components can give your home an aesthetically pleasing and natural appearance. For example, a beautifully tiled base will look great against the background of a wooden house. Cottages made of stone and wood have become very popular and in demand.

There is another option for beautifying your home, and at a cost much lower than using natural ingredients. This option sounds like wood-look façade siding. It is used in systems of suspended ventilated facades and its characteristics are not much inferior to natural materials.

Sometimes you want your house to look not modern, but, on the contrary, to look like an ancient building built in the Middle Ages. But at the same time, his appearance must be attractive and impeccable. A finishing material such as wild stone for the facade, which is far from new but still popular, will help achieve this. This expensive, but unique and beautiful material deserves special attention.

Wild stone, as you might guess, is a material created by nature itself. It was formed over a long period of time – thousands of years – under the influence of various natural factors. It is distinguished by a rich range of colors, allowing you to create the most unusual combinations and variations of building facade cladding. This type of natural cladding material is made from large slabs of stone that are split into many small pieces. All the resulting fragments have completely different shapes and sizes, torn edges, their surface is rough and uneven. It is interesting that in a huge pile of such stones there will not even be a pair of identical ones - they are all somehow different from each other.

On a note! Transporting wild stone, despite its weight, is very convenient, since it has a flat shape and is easily stored.

Wild stone as a finishing material has several features that significantly distinguish it from other types of finishing:

• its manufacturer is nature itself; at its processing plants it simply breaks into pieces;
• the material has a lot of application possibilities;
• the stone is unique. Even if you use pieces of the same type, they will still differ from each other;
• the technological stone slab has dimensions of 30*60, 30.5*30.5 or 40*40 cm, and its thickness is about 1-3 cm;
• The texture of wild stone is special - it cannot be imitated by any method of finishing a façade.

Advantages and disadvantages

Wild stone as a finishing material has its pros and cons. And before you make a decision regarding finishing the house with it, you should get acquainted with its features. This will help you make the right choice.

Advantages of wild stone for facade finishing:

On a note! There is an opinion that some types of natural stone are radioactive. However, this is far from true - this fairy tale was invented by competitors selling other types of finishing materials. So you can safely buy wild stone and use it to decorate your home.

Now a few words about the disadvantages of wild stone. This material is quite durable and heavy. The first, of course, is also its advantage, but it significantly complicates processing and cutting if necessary. But not all types of finishing stone are heavy. But the price of natural materials is quite high - for example, marble or granite (1 m2) will cost at least 1,400 rubles, and sandstone - from 230 rubles.

It is worth remembering that not a single method of artificial imitation of stone can convey the charm and beauty that natural material possesses. The stone received its design and texture thanks to the centuries-old “labor” of water, air, high temperatures in the bowels of the earth, and other natural factors. That is why facades with such finishing will always look unique and are considered an indicator of the taste of the home owner. This type of decoration will never go out of fashion.

Types of stone

A large number of types of wild stone are used to decorate the facades of residential buildings and other buildings. They differ from each other in processing complexity, strength indicators, appearance and many other factors. Each type has its own disadvantages and advantages.

Table. Types of wild stone used for finishing facades.

View	Characteristic
	This is the most durable and expensive type of stone. It does not age, is not affected by any natural factors, and looks very expensive. Granite has always been considered a symbol of wealth, reliability, and strength. Its main drawback, in addition to the high price, is its heavy weight, which makes the installation process extremely complicated and expensive. Granite is a rock of igneous origin.
	Limestone is distinguished by its relatively small mass. The stone is of organic origin; it is the compressed remains of shells of sea creatures. The stone contains a large amount of calcium. It has good decorative properties, is environmentally friendly, relatively lightweight, and has high levels of sound and heat insulation. Limestone also has bactericidal properties - it purifies the air from pathogenic microorganisms. The price is lower than that of granite. At the same time, the stone is well processed. By the way, shell rock is a type of limestone. The disadvantage is that limestone must be treated with water repellents.
	The stone has an attractive appearance and is relatively inexpensive. It is pleasant, slightly rough to the touch, has a beige, yellowish color, or less often dark brown. Wear-resistant, but cannot be polished. By the way, palaces and royal chambers were previously created from this stone. And even now sandstone is one of the most popular types of finishing stone.
	Dense, strong, easy to process, very beautiful looking finishing stone. But it is extremely difficult and capricious to use; under certain conditions it can become stained and lose its appearance. It consists of calcite and is formed due to the processes of limestone metamorphism.
	Frost-resistant, strong and reliable finishing material that can be polished. This is an igneous rock, has a beautiful blue, less often yellow or red pattern.
	The rock is of igneous origin, very durable, not afraid of heat and fire, and can be polished. Light, porous. Disadvantage: it wears off relatively quickly.
	This is a series of rocks that are dark red in color and smooth to the touch. Its chemical composition is similar to granite. Durable, non-fading rock, highly polishable. It was used in ancient Rome - statues and luxury items were made from porphyry.
	Difficult to process material with a light or reddish tint. Very heavy, so rarely used.
	It is not afraid of fire or frost, a very beautiful mineral. Disadvantages: high price, small selection of colors.
	It is not afraid of water, frost, sudden temperature changes, and is not destroyed during mechanical processing. It has black, green, gray, bluish colors. Laminated material.

Which stone is better?

All rocks differ from each other in terms of strength, appearance, resistance to various influences, price and complexity of processing. Most often, limestone, sandstone, slate are used for cladding buildings; granite is the most expensive and difficult to process.

It is very difficult to single out among them the one that can be called the best of all. You need to be guided by your wishes regarding appearance, the possible amount of expenses and other factors. If possible, it is better to buy granite or marble, but if you don’t have enough money for them, then you can buy sandstone.

Main stone formats

There are five main types of stone that are used to decorate facades:

• tile called “Euro-2”, measuring 60*30*2 cm. It is the most popular type of material;
• slabs The most expensive type of facing stone. Made from solid stone blocks;
• wild stone. These are layers that have an irregular shape, the corners of which are carefully processed;
• die - stones are made from pieces of material. It looks very nice, but installation of tiles is more expensive than tiles;
• Moscow fur coat - the parameters of these stones are approximately the same, but the stones themselves have torn edges on the main side. One of the most expensive types.

Where is it used?

Wild stone is used not only for facade decoration. It is suitable for decorating the basement of buildings; it can also be used to decorate walls from the inside of the room. The openings of windows and doors trimmed with wild stone also look very beautiful. Floors made of natural mineral, fireplaces, columns and other decorative elements decorated with it will also look good.

On a note! Entire façade walls are rarely finished with wild stone, as this process is lengthy, labor-intensive and expensive.

Wild stone goes well with forged metal products, so you can add grilles and lanterns of various shapes made from alloys to the wall of the house.

Finishing technologies

There are two ways to decorate the facade with wild stone - with jointing and seamless. In the first case, you will get a beautiful pattern formed from stones loosely fitted to each other and a mortar holding them together. In the second case, the seams will not be visible, but the stones should fit very tightly to each other. The first option saves the consumption of the finishing material itself.

On a note! Before you start covering the walls with stone, it is important to evaluate the material from which the wall is made. The fact is that placing a stone directly on a surface is only possible if it is made of brick or concrete. If the facade of the building is wooden, then before installation it should be covered with a special mesh.

We decorate the facade with natural stone

After the stone has been selected, purchased, and delivered directly to the construction site, it is sorted, removing too small and fragile pieces from the total. In general, the entire stone is divided into several piles, in which elements of approximately the same size are collected. Next begins the preparation of the facade and its facing with stone. Work should be carried out at positive temperatures so that the base is heated to +5-30 degrees.

Step 1. First of all, the facade is carefully examined. The surface must be durable and dry.

Step 3. All large cracks are filled with putty. If there are greasy stains or paints, they are removed with a solvent.

Step 4. The primer is applied to the prepared surface in one layer (on a porous surface - two). It is necessary to wait time for the primer to dry.

Step 5. Before starting work, wild stone is washed with water using a stiff brush and dried. This way, dust will be removed from it, which reduces the adhesion of the stone.

Step 6. To glue the stone, a special dry adhesive mixture is used. It is diluted immediately before starting work strictly according to the instructions given on the packaging. The required amount of the mixture is dissolved in water and mixed using a construction mixer.

Step 7 The grout for the joints is immediately prepared from a special mixture. It can be given the desired color using tint.

Attention! The mixtures harden very quickly, so you need to work quickly and carefully. And it’s better not to dilute the entire solution at once.

Step 8 The prepared mixture is applied to the wall and then leveled with the notched side of the spatula.

Step 9 The stone is applied to the applied solution and pressed. You can lightly tap it with a rubber mallet.

Step 10 A thick layer of grout is applied to the edges of the glued stone.

Step 11

Step 13 After a day, the remaining grout is removed from the surface with a wet brush.

Step 14 The final stage of finishing is applying varnish. This will highlight the natural color of the stone and also protect it from moisture.

Finishing the basement is a separate task to which a good owner of a country cottage will definitely pay a lot of attention. Most often, decorative stone is used for these purposes - an expensive material that not everyone can afford in large quantities. But today the material has a cheaper alternative that is not inferior in its performance characteristics. This .

Video - Facade facing with stone

This is how you can turn your home into a real medieval castle. It will seem that it was made using ancient masonry technology from large monolithic stones. Agree, such a structure looks impressive. And the “blame for it all” is the wild stone used to decorate the facade