Natural stone has been used in building and interior decoration for thousands of years. However, now such material is very expensive. However, there is a way out. You can make an artificial stone with your own hands, and it will be practically no different from natural stone. The price of such a product will be much lower than a natural one.
Using stone in interior decoration allows you to achieve completely unexpected results. You can decorate the room in the style of a knight's castle, a fireplace framed by slate will look especially attractive, and columns trimmed with stone will be beautiful.
However, for all its wealth of shapes and colors, natural stone also has disadvantages. These include:
- high cost;
- heavy weight, not every wall can withstand such additional load;
- significant transportation costs.
In order to be able to use stone in interior decoration and overcome the described disadvantages, the technology for manufacturing artificial stone was created.
Cladding using artificial stone
Externally, natural and artificial stone are practically indistinguishable, at the same time, the latter is devoid of all the disadvantages of natural stone and can be made with an imitation of any natural stone, and even its texture is repeated. According to the type of surface, artificial stone can be:
- chipped, as if beaten with a hammer and having an uneven surface and edges;
- sawn, having smooth, even edges;
- rubble, reminiscent of ordinary natural boulders;
- arbitrary, embodying the designer’s fantasies in form and surface;
- decorative.
For specific design tasks, a wide variety of surfaces may be required - for finishing a fireplace, arches, columns. Rocks with nautical themes, such as shell marks, may be required. So, when making artificial stone with your own hands, you can get exactly what is needed according to the requirements of the plan for finishing a specific surface. One of the most popular types of stone is slate.
What is artificial stone made from?
Strange as it may seem, there are several methods for making stone. different options. One technology uses cement, fine sand, and water. According to another, they are made of plaster or alabaster. There is a manufacturing option when polymer materials are used as a binder. Therefore, the composition of artificial stone for production on your own can be determined based on the available materials and capabilities for producing stone.
The entire manufacturing procedure is not overly complicated and can be performed by anyone with some effort and careful adherence to technology. You don't even need it for this special conditions, work can be performed directly in the apartment. Therefore, the material proposed below can be perceived as a kind of instruction for making artificial stone.
Manufacturing process
The main materials for making stone, as noted above, are cement and gypsum, or alabaster. In any option, using gypsum or cement, making artificial stone with your own hands begins with selecting an initial sample and creating a mold in which the stone will be cast in the future.
Having several such models, you can quickly produce required quantity stone As a model stone, it would be justified to purchase several stone samples of suitable shape and size from the store.
Although you can also use commercially available ready-made silicone models. They are a ready-made kit for making artificial stone.
How to make a model
The production of the mold begins with the selection of a sample, for the role of which a stone of suitable shape and size is selected. Silicone is used for the mold in which the stone will be cast later. Make or use a suitable sized box, few larger size sample stone. This box will serve as formwork.
It and the selected stone must be coated with a thick layer of grease or some other lubricant. The stone is placed at the bottom of the box. Several such formworks and forms need to be made to increase productivity.
After this, silicone is poured into the formwork. To compact it, it is tamped with an ordinary paint brush moistened with a soap solution. For the latter, you can use regular Fairy. After filling the mold with silicone, the surface is leveled with a spatula moistened with Fairy.
The poured forms dry for two to three weeks, after which the formwork is disassembled, the sample stone is removed, and ready-made pieces are obtained. silicone molds for artificial stone. If there are small defects on the surface, they are sealed with silicone.
True, here too there is an alternative option for making a mold, but we can return to this a little later, after we have fully considered the technology for manufacturing artificial stone that has been started.
Extraction from cement
At this stage, the work is performed in several passes. Initially, cement and sand are mixed for the first layer in a ratio of 3:1, everything is mixed until a homogeneous mixture is formed. The desired color is obtained by adding dyes, approximately 2-3% of the amount of cement, but this must be established experimentally. Add water to the finished mixture and stir until it is approximately thick like sour cream; the dyes are mixed with water.
The resulting mixture is poured into the mold about halfway and compacted by tapping and shaking for about a minute. Then place on top of the prepared solution metal mesh to give additional strength to the stone and fill it with a second layer of mortar. To save money, you don’t have to add dye to the second batch of concrete.
After pouring, make small grooves on the top layer of the mortar with a nail or any stick for better adhesion to the wall during installation. As can be seen from the described technology, it is quite simple and allows you to do without special equipment for the production of artificial stone.
After twelve hours, the stone is removed from the mold and left to dry and gain strength for two weeks. After removing the stone, the mold is washed with Fairy; this procedure must be repeated after each pour.
Manufacturing from gypsum
It should be noted that the production of artificial stone from gypsum is carried out in the same sequence. There are only nuances related to the fact that gypsum hardens quickly. Therefore, it must be prepared as much as is needed to make one stone, then a new portion must be diluted. To slow down the setting, citric acid can be added to the plaster.
The holding time for the material to harden will be different; this procedure takes several tens of minutes. Before pouring gypsum into the mold, it is necessary to lubricate it with oil so that the finished stone can be easily removed from the mold.
If you have the desire and opportunity, then using the described technology you can organize the production of artificial stone with your own hands. Moreover, stone made from cement can be used for both interior and exterior decoration.
Artificial stone coloring
When making the stone, we added dye to its composition. However, you can simply paint it after making it. This requires special paint and a brush of any size. The painting process is as follows:
- it is necessary to wipe the surface of the stone with a clean rag and remove sand, dust, cement;
- apply an even layer of paint to the front surface with a brush;
- After the paint has dried, a second and third layer can be applied to achieve the desired shade.
Alternative manufacturing options and training materials
Now you can consider the option of how to make an artificial stone without using a sample and silicone. All this is shown in the video:
As can be seen from the above example, you can do without any expensive materials at all.
It should be noted that stone can be made using ready-made kits. They include a ready-made polyurethane mold. How to make such products with its help, in the following video:
Artificial stone, installation
Artificial stone can be mounted on virtually any surface, including wood and plasterboard. When installing stone on wood, special surface preparation will be required; additional moisture insulation and sheathing will be necessary. At the same time, when installing stone on brick or concrete, no additional work no need, just leveling the surface.
Fastening the stone to the wall can be done using cement mortar or using special adhesive solutions or special types of glue. Installation can be done with or without jointing.
When installing with jointing, a gap remains between the stones; its size should not exceed 2.5 centimeters, which is then filled with grout. This option is more economical, but for some types of stone laying with jointing is simply not suitable; they need to be laid only completely.
Before installation begins, the stones are laid out on the floor and their best location is selected, adjusting to each other if necessary.
Laying stone begins with corner elements, then around window and door openings. And only after this the installation of horizontal rows is carried out.
The process of installing stone can be seen in the video:
It should be noted that additional care behind a surface lined with artificial stone is not required. As a protective measure, you can protect the wall from excessive moisture. This is done using special compounds. After application, they make the stone water-repellent.
Do-it-yourself artificial stone is an excellent opportunity to achieve very impressive results in interior decoration by using such an extraordinary material. And you can do all this yourself without significant costs or the use of special equipment.
On the construction market you can find a huge number of different materials and technologies that will allow you to decorate any home. Using a decorative type of plaster, you can replace natural or artificial materials and thus save quite a lot a large sum money. It will look no worse, and the wall can be given any appearance depending on the wishes of the home owner. The cost of the material is significantly lower than that of stone, and the installation process takes several times less time and does not require special knowledge.
What does stone plaster look like?
The coating will have a different appearance depending on the texture of the filler. Can use coarse-grained or fine-grained, which will create a fairly beautiful and textured surface. If the home owner wants the walls to be smooth, it is worth using a powder-like filler.
What are the advantages of this type of façade finishing?
Decorative stone plaster, like any other material for wall decoration, has certain advantages and disadvantages. It is worth noting that there are significantly more pros than cons. 
- Good indicator of vapor permeability. Due to this, the material can “breathe”, which is very important if the cladding is carried out indoors. Decorative stone-like plaster allows you to create the most favorable indoor microclimate.
- Can withstand quite heavy loads, mechanical stress and shocks.
- It tolerates sudden changes in temperature and is not influenced by aggressive factors. Plaster of this type does not pose any threat from high humidity or low temperatures.
- For a long time it can retain its original characteristics and properties, including color scheme and your appearance.
- Has long term operation.
- The solution is easy to use.
- The finished coating is very easy to care for.
The disadvantages are that over time, corrosion may appear on the metal surface due to the water base of the plaster. You should not apply the material to insulation materials such as mineral wool, because this will negatively affect vapor permeability.
Types of stone imitation
To perform stone imitation during interior decoration premises, a variety of compositions can be used: gypsum, clay, concrete, lime and others. Both mortar compositions and cheaper putty options can be used. The technique for creating a coating is divided into several types depending on how deeply the design will be worked out.
Flat
Smooth plaster allows you to imitate natural stones such as granite, marble, or polished stone walls. The coating turns out perfectly smooth. The top must be coated with a special wax composition and polished. Usually, it is possible to make the wall not only smooth, but also glossy or semi-matte. In order to get a beautiful pattern, you need to mix different colored solutions or paint the wall surface itself directly.
Textured
In this case, in appearance the walls will resemble a large solid stone. The plaster has a pleasant, slightly rough surface that resembles stone. It is very easy to imitate stone in this way and even beginners can achieve the desired result the first time. “Stone” plaster can have a small pattern or a convex one. The appearance of the surface will depend on what material the home owner wants to get.
Flat-relief
The facing material can be designed in the form of masonry. In this case, the seams are not processed deeply and are indicated only by a slight groove. Using flat-relief plaster, you can imitate processed stone, bricks or stone blocks. The wall turns out to be flat, because there are no large depressions or too deep grooves. Thanks to this facing material, the facade of the house turns out to be very beautiful.
Convex
To imitate stone, you can use three-dimensional masonry or 3D plaster. In order to beautifully decorate a wall, you need to use a lot of mortar and layer-by-layer painting. It will be quite difficult for beginners to do it. To make the process easier, you can use special molds that help you get the most realistic drawing possible, especially if you don’t have any drawing skills.
Imitation building stone slab
The stone is quite simple and does not have a shiny surface.
Other characteristics include the presence of a rough surface that is covered with tool marks and natural bumps or grooves. Due to such a complex texture, you don’t have to spend too much time leveling.
How to make stone plaster
You can apply a design to the freshly applied plaster. For laying in blocks, you should use a ruler; if the wall should look like roughly processed stones, then the design is applied freely.
Do-it-yourself stone plaster at home:
- If the thickness of the plaster does not exceed 1 cm, then it can be covered with a mesh of “impacts” or “cracks”. Due to this, it is possible to obtain the most believable texture.
- First you need to make a sketch. On the facing material, which must be fresh, you need to apply a contour drawing using a small sharp object.
- Development stage. The line deepens to almost the entire depth of the material, and its edges noticeably widen. You can use a piece of plastic or the corner of a small spatula for this work.
- Alignment. When the solution dries a little, you need to remove all the formed lumps.
- After the material has completely dried, it is worth removing minor “jags” using sandpaper or a special sanding mesh.
- Coloring. First, the wall is painted in one tone. When the paint dries a little, the bulges become lighter and the recesses become darker.
You can tint individual stones to get a more beautiful and realistic picture.
What can be used during the workflow
It is worth preparing all the necessary tools in advance.
- Two different spatulas. One should be large and rectangular, the second should be small and trapezoidal.
- Venetian trowel.
- Brushes, rollers, stencils and brushes - these tools will depend on what effect the home owner has chosen.
The first stage is surface preparation
The very first stage of the work process is the thorough preparation of the walls. They need to be leveled and all roughness removed. Small irregularities can be removed using simple plaster, large ones - through the use of sand-cement mortar.
Before proceeding to the next stage, the wall must be completely dry and there are no excess building materials left on it.
What are the ways to imitate a stone wall?
Plaster can be applied as solid stone or as masonry. Using a block wall, you can imitate more expensive finishing materials, for example, granite, marble, lapis lazuli, or simple ones - limestone, sandstone.
In order for the wall to have the most pronounced texture, the dried plaster is treated with bush hammer. You need to hit it carefully with the tool so that only the top film falls off and the grains of the filler become visible.
To create grooves or grooves, you can use a trojan. She may have different shapes and will allow you to create different recesses. Scarpel is great for drawing large and shaped furrows. To imitate travertine (Roman stone), the plaster must be applied in two layers and smoothed well. After half an hour, a thin layer of cement mortar is additionally applied to the wall.
You can also imitate a small stone. In this case, pre-painted granite, marble or quartz chips will be used as raw materials.
Imitation of natural stone using impressions
In this case, the masonry will be imitated using special molds. First you need to wet the mold you are using so that the plaster on the facade does not stick to it. The mold is then pressed into the freshly applied mortar. Next you need to remove minor distortions or defects using a spatula. If the facing material has stuck to the form, you need to re-process the section of the wall from which it came off.
How to imitate a stone surface yourself
For the work process you need to use cement plaster. You can also use a special tile adhesive, which has very good characteristics.
The facing material is laid out on the wall in one layer. The thickness of the layer will depend on how deep the joints in the masonry are. After this, you need to press the pre-purchased stamp against the wall. In this way, it is possible to achieve a texture that resembles rough pieces of stone laid one on top of the other. The laying is carried out gradually, the drawings must be joined.
There is another way. Instead of buying a stamp, you can make all the seams yourself. To do this, it is enough to draw seams on smooth plaster applied to the wall using any convenient sharp object.
Additionally, you can use a level if you plan to carefully lay small blocks. Then all the recesses need to be cleaned with a brush.
What conclusions can be drawn?
- Facade plaster is easy to apply to the wall without using a mounting mesh, because it is light in weight.
- Due to the versatility of the material, it is used not only indoors, but also outdoors.
- Due to the wide selection of shapes, the most suitable texture of the treated surface is selected.
- Stone plaster can be combined with other building materials. It will make the interior of the house original and visually attractive.
- The mixture allows you to fairly level the surface if you apply it in two layers.
- Treating a wall with such a facing material will not take much time and effort.
- By adding cement to the finished mixture, the plaster has excellent characteristics, does not crack, tolerates temperature changes and is not affected by moisture.
Unusual façade design option
Decorate your home with decorative plaster very easy. To do this, you do not need to have any deep knowledge of construction. It is enough to strictly follow the instructions and carry out the work step by step.
From the article you will learn how to make artificial stone for wall decoration, about its properties and types, get acquainted with the technology of work, equipment and necessary materials.
Contents of the article:
Artificial stone is a material obtained from a frozen mixture of various components. It has been known for a very long time: hardened lime mortar, for example, or ordinary brick also belongs to this type of stone. However, only in modern world artificial mineral took the lead in the creation landscape design And decorative finishing houses. The reason for this is latest technologies and materials thanks to which the production decorative stone became possible even at home.
Advantages of artificial stone
If we compare the two types of stones, it turns out that natural stone is a very expensive and rather capricious material. It is difficult to cut it into thin plates - it is too fragile, samples of large thickness are heavy and significantly load the ceilings and walls during cladding.
Another thing is artificial stone. In terms of its durability and mechanical properties, it is not inferior to its natural analogue and can surpass it, even if made by hand.
In addition, artificial stone has important advantages:
- It can be produced in the form of thin tiles, which significantly reduces the weight of the cladding without losing its strength.
- It has a richness and uniqueness of colors and surface textures, can be manufactured according to standard sizes and shapes or be shaped directly at the installation site.
- The material can be produced directly on site, eliminating waste during transportation.
- It can be produced immediately with a shiny and smooth texture, which eliminates the cost of polishing and grinding.
- It can have irregular shapes, accurately imitating any stone, but of a predetermined configuration and size.
Main types of artificial stone
Artificial stone for walls can be made from a wide variety of materials and in various ways. These signs divide it into types:
- Ceramic stone. It is made from clay by firing blanks at a given temperature. Its production requires significant space, high energy consumption and trained personnel.
- Gypsum cast stone. It can be made at home, the costs are minimal, but the material is only suitable for interior works, as it cannot withstand low temperatures.
- Concrete mold stone. Its cost is slightly higher than gypsum, since concrete forms wear out faster. Stone can also be produced at home or in any utility room. It has good frost resistance and is produced at temperatures of +12 degrees and above.
- Polyester stone. In terms of mechanical and decorative qualities, it may even surpass natural analogues, but the polymerization of the binder of the workpiece takes place under vacuum conditions at high temperatures. Therefore, such a stone is not suitable for home production.
- Acrylic cast stone. This is a cold-curing material. It is suitable for home production under the same conditions as gypsum. Its main advantage is chemical resistance and lack of pores. In domestic conditions, this ensures hygiene and excellent sanitation. The combination of strength and viscosity in acrylic stone makes it possible to make stone wallpaper from it. For on-site work, the stone can be produced in the form of sheets 3-4 mm thick. Naturally, they require careful handling, but having a suitable mold for casting, they can be produced to the entire height of the wall. Factory-made acrylic stone slabs are much thicker - 6, 9 and 12 mm, but this is a necessity for their transportation.
It is not difficult to make such material at home. Success in this matter depends on having a good mold for casting products. There is no point in skimping on quality, so buying a cheap plastic mold that will break after a small number of pours is not rational. The most durable and reliable are molds made from silicone or polyurethane.
Do-it-yourself artificial stone manufacturing technology
In general, the entire production process consists of several stages. This includes making a stone model, a casting mold, pouring and molding the mixture, introducing pigments and polymerizing the material to obtain the finished product. Let's take a closer look at each of the steps.
Materials and equipment for the production of artificial stone
To make artificial cast stone yourself with factory quality, you will need special materials and equipment:
- Vibration stand. This is the heart of decorative stone production; the quality of finished products depends on its proper operation. Design feature The vibration stand ensures the homogeneity of the mixture during its polymerization. You can make it yourself. The stand's operation is based on the principle of its platform oscillating in a horizontal plane.
- Models of casting molds. They are necessary in the absence of ready-made molding products.
- Release agent. This substance is applied both to the model during the production of the mold, and to inner surface molds before casting artificial stone. This procedure is performed in order to avoid materials sticking to each other.
- Casting molds. Designed to store material during its polymerization.
- Foundry mixtures. They can be very diverse, ranging from gypsum to complex polymer compositions.
- Pigments. They color the stone to imitate natural minerals.
- Sand cushion tray. It protects silicone casting molds from deformations that may occur during the stone production process.
- Thermal gun. This is a miniature hair dryer that produces a strong and thin stream of heated air during operation. The tool is designed for welding finished acrylic elements.
How to make a model for artificial stone
Models for making casting molds can be factory-made artificial stones or suitable natural ones. In both cases, a set of surface reliefs, sizes and shapes final products may be limited. However, literally underfoot almost everywhere lies an excellent material for the production of unique models - ordinary clay.
Its use for domestic purposes does not require any permits; gully clay is not a mineral resource. Tests for impurities, fat content, and the like are also not needed, as long as it is kneaded or molded.
Models of tiles for cladding are made using a grid made of strips of smooth and thin plastic. When choosing the height of the grating, two options are taken into account: for concrete and gypsum stone it is taken to be 6-12 mm and over 3 mm for acrylic stone for liquid clay or 20-40 mm for clay with stucco.
In all cases, take a flat board and cover it with PVC film, then install a grate and fill its cells with clay. To place the shield, a place protected from the sun's rays is selected in advance, otherwise the models will become covered with cracks when drying. Drying can be controlled using a lump of clay stuck near the grate.
The low grate is filled to the top with liquid clay. After drying, each resulting tile naturally acquires a unique relief. The high lattice is filled with a layer of thick clay, the thickness of which is adjusted to suit the final product.
The required relief is formed manually. On the surface you can make bas-reliefs, inscriptions, magic signs, hieroglyphs, etc. Drying of such models occurs in the shade under a canopy and takes, depending on weather conditions, from two to five days. Its speed can be increased if you hang an infrared lamp with a power of 100-200 W above the models at a height of at least 2 meters.
Making a homemade mold for artificial stone
At home, homemade molds for artificial stone can be made from silicone. To do this, the model or a whole set of them is laid on a flat surface covered with film and surrounded by a small side, the height of which should be 10-20 mm greater than the level of the outer surface of the model. The inside of the fence and the models themselves are lubricated with a fatty substance: cyatim, solid oil or shachtol.
The shield with the samples laid on it is installed in a strictly horizontal position to obtain a flat silicone surface, which in the future will become the bottom of the casting mold.
To fill the structure, cheap acidic silicone is chosen, which has a strong vinegar smell. It is squeezed out of the tube directly onto the model, starting in a spiral from the middle to the side until the cell is filled with material. To prevent the formation of bubbles, the silicone is spread with a flute brush, dipping it each time into a foamed solution of dishwashing detergent. Soap solution is not suitable for this purpose. It contains alkali, which can damage acidic silicone.
After filling the cell, the surface of the composition is smoothed with a metal spatula, periodically wetting it in detergent. Drying the mold is done in the same way as a clay model, but without an infrared lamp, avoiding the appearance of bubbles. But ventilation speeds up drying significantly. Silicone dries at a rate of 2 mm per day. To control the process, a ring filled with silicone is placed next to the molds. The service life of such products is about a hundred castings.
Preparation of mixtures for artificial stone
Artificial stone of each of the above types has its own composition of the working mixture necessary for the manufacture of the material:
- concrete stone. It contains a cement-sand mixture as a base, but the ratio of its components differs from the proportions of mortar in the opposite direction: for one part of sand there are three parts of cement. The addition of pigment is 2-6% of the weight of concrete, sometimes polymer additives are introduced.
- Gypsum stone. Due to the fact that the survivability of the gypsum mixture is about 10 minutes, it is prepared in small portions, which are enough to produce one or several products. The composition of the solution includes: gypsum, water 0.8-0.9 of the volume of gypsum for the initial layer and 0.6 for the rest of the mass. In addition, the mixture includes 0.3% by weight of citric acid gypsum and 2-6% pigment.
- Acrylic stone. It is based on acrylic resin and hardener. For the finished mixture, the proportion of mineral filler with pigment is 3:1. The filler in the composition is gravel, stone chips or screenings. Reducing its proportion increases the elasticity of the product, but reduces its mechanical strength. To prepare the mixture, the filler is treated with detergent, washed, calcined, and then rinsed again in clean water. Then the pigment is introduced into the filler, then the acrylic resin is mixed with the hardener, the pigment and filler are introduced and mixed again. The viability of the finished mixture is 15-20 minutes, the setting time is 40 minutes, and the product readiness time is a day.
Artificial stone casting technique
Artificial stone casting technology provides for a basic and initial stage of work. Accordingly, to ensure quality and economy, facial starting and base mixtures are produced. When filling small forms that do not have a relief surface, facial mixtures are immediately used. They are liquid, cover shapes well, and contain pigment and filler.
Such mixtures are applied to the mold with a brush. Sand with cement and gypsum for the starting mixture are diluted to a liquid consistency, in the acrylic mixture the proportion of pigment with filler is reduced to 60%, correspondingly increasing the part of the resin with the hardener.
After polymerization of the starting composition, the mold is topped up with the base mixture. Microcalcite is used as a filler for acrylic. It provides a background against which the decorative properties of the facial mixture are perfectly demonstrated.
The base gypsum solution is mixed to the consistency of sour cream. When pouring concrete stone, the base layer is made in two steps: first, the form is filled halfway, then the reinforcing material is laid plastic mesh, and then the mixture is added to the brim.
After completing this procedure, use a spatula to smooth the base fill flush with the edges of the mold. At the beginning of polymerization, grooves are drawn along the casting to increase the adhesion of the product to the binder material during future cladding.
During casting, the vibration stand must be turned off. After removal from the mold, the gypsum stone is treated with hot vegetable oil to increase resistance to external influences.
Watch a video about making artificial stone:
Before making artificial stone, you need to decide on the type of wall decoration and the requirements for the material. If you need to make stone for decoration interior walls, give preference to plaster and acrylic. For outdoor work, moisture-resistant material will be required. Therefore, in this case, the rational solution would be to use concrete stone. As for cost, acrylic material is the most expensive, followed in descending order by concrete stone, and then gypsum. Good luck with your choice!
Materials for artificial rocks and fake garden boulders are the most cost effective. This is an easy way to create a landscape with rock boulders, allowing you to make stone structures using a synthetic method of building stones.
For hobby designers and gardeners, this faux rock method is a versatile and extremely effective way to start creating your own incredibly realistic faux rock garden.
The method of creating and constructing artificial rock has been used successfully for many years. Use this recipe for artificial rocks.
The basic idea is to use recycled products such as construction debris to create solid mounds with specific outlines, then douse them with a surface bonding solution to create more specific shapes and textures into highly realistic boulders.
Others can be used building materials, when there is no construction waste, such as pieces natural stones, knocked down asphalt loosely mixed with cement, broken glass bottles and soil for filling.
The idea of using these materials is to keep the cost of these materials low. This recipe can be used to create your own artificial stone stairs and pebbles, fake ponds, artificial waterfalls, garden boulders and many other features in your current and future garden designs.
I'll show you everything on video since it will take a very long time to describe. Enjoy watching and happy crafts!
Option 1. How to make an artificial stone in 4 minutes. Rubber molds are used.
Addition.
At the request of one of the readers, I am posting a partial translation of the second video, since this method is easier at home, without the use of rubber matrices.
Option 2. How to make a more aged stone that improves its appearance from year to year.
Materials:
1. Natural fillers
2. Binder
3. Pigments
1. Natural fillers - this can be wood, steel filings, stone chips, fiberglass, expanded clay, perlite... or any construction waste that is on the site - glass, pieces of hardened concrete, broken brick... And a mixture of sand + cement or concrete.
2. Binder - various resins: acrylic, polyester, formaldehyde, epoxy, etc. Water is used in the video. For a sand + cement mixture, I recommend acrylic impregnation, but it is not necessary.
3. Pigments - their different variety of colors. Warm shades, green (imitation lichen), and black to fix the color are good for artificial stone.
They must be resistant to light, especially ultraviolet light. Should not contain heavy metals (lead and zinc). Buy more expensive pigments; cheap analogues fade after six months. Bayer pigments are considered one of the best.
Be sure to test on a separate piece before use.
Try making a small stone first to get an idea of how much water and pigments are required.
Sequence (use second video):
1. Dump all the filler in a heap onto the place where the stones will be located, giving them an outline.
2. Next, pour sand + cement mixture on top for small stones, and use concrete for large ones. Then sprinkle with a warm shade of pigment, then black. The sequence is mandatory: first warm, then black, so that it seems to stand out from under the black. Spray with water and use brushes to fix the pigment on the stone.
Now again warm-black pigments and on top of them a combination of lighter shades and dry fine sand. Using a piece of uneven recycled concrete, we add naturalness to the artificial stone.