Facing the facade with natural stone

Durability, presentable appearance, environmental friendliness, ease of operation, resistance to precipitation (wind, rain, snow, sunlight, etc.) can only characterize all this with one finishing building material - natural stone. To facing the facade of the house with natural stone with your own hands was done at the highest level, it is important to follow a number of rules and requirements. About this you can learn from this article.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the positive aspects of such finishes are:

• Great appearance. The modern market offers a large selection of different types of natural stone, ranging from smooth tiles to strip-shaped tiles.
• You can implement any design ideas, for example, to create the effect of a wall of wild stone, brickwork and the like.
• The facade of natural stone is practical in care, as well as resistant to different precipitation. Such a facade will be durable.

Often, separate sections of the walls are made of natural stone, for example, corners, basement, perimeter of windows and doors.

As for the disadvantages of this technology, here we can highlight the following:

• Natural stone in its structure is quite dense and weighty, so if the house has a weak foundation, the stone can have a negative impact on it, and in some cases the foundation will be subject to deformation.
• If the laying technology is not followed, some parts of the stones fall off the facade. This may be affected by the degree of thermal expansion of the mortar and stone.

Types of natural stone

There are several types of natural stones that are used for cladding the facade. Each of them has individual technical characteristics.

• Granite. This stone is highly frost resistant. It is presented in a variety of colors.
• Marble. This stone is often used for facades and is represented by different colors and patterns.
• Basalt. In appearance it resembles granite.
• Quartzite. It is characterized by high hardness with the presence of glossy quartz grains.
• Limestone. The special density makes the stone extremely popular.
• Quartz slate. The stone has a large range of colors from black to light tone.
• Travertine. Mostly brown or beige color of limestone tuff with a porous structure is used.

Important rules for styling

There are basic rules and requirements for installation work, independent of the type of stone. Compliance with these rules will allow to achieve the desired result.

1. Natural stone with a sawn surface and a special texture is much heavier than polished stones. For this reason, they should be laid on cement mortar, and all joints should be filled with a special sealant.
2. If the slab of stone does not exceed the size of 0.4 m²and its thickness is not more than one centimeter, then there is no need to use additional fasteners.
3. When laying the stone it is necessary to leave small gaps.
4. The base is recommended to cover with a stone of a darker color. This is due to the fact that there will be less visible pollution.

Finishing process

Facing technology consists of several important steps:

1. Preparing the walls.
2. Stone laying.
3. Facing the eaves and windows.

Now we will consider each stage separately.

The first step is to start with the preparation of the working surface. Everything is very simple here. It is important to remove all dust and dirt. Also, the preparatory work will depend on the material from which the walls are made. If the wall is made of brick, then in the presence of edges it is not necessary to nail the metal mesh. If the brick is smooth, then you can't do without it. This also applies to the mandatory packing of the mesh on the walls of foam blocks, gas silicate blocks and gas blocks. If the walls are plastered, then dust and dirt must be removed from the surface.

In order to guarantee a better result, the use of the mesh is recommended in all cases: the stone will have much better grip on the wall. The grid is fastened with dowels in the ratio of 10 pieces per 1 m².

As for laying the stone itself, all the work is done in the following order:

• When the grid is full, it is necessary to measure out the starting level. It is for him and will be laid out the first row. You can use a laser level to determine the level.
• First of all, the stone is laid out in the corners.
• A string is pulled between the corner stones.
• The first row is laid out on this thread. This will allow to observe the exact geometry of the cladding of the entire facade.
• Each stone must be individually spread with mortar. The section of the wall on which the laying will be performed is also coated with mortar.

The first two or three rows as a level, it is advisable to use a thread, and only after apply the normal level.

Throughout the laying of the stone, it is necessary to check the angle of inclination of the cladding.

When the walls are lined, you can proceed to facing the eaves and windows. Eaves are laid out strictly on a string, and stones of the appropriate size are selected on the slopes of the windows. In these places, the stone must be laid flat, otherwise the entire appearance will be spoiled. Usually, in the first place, angles, cornices and window slopes are striking. Therefore, in these places should especially try.

Finishing touch

When all the works are done, it is necessary to carry out a number of works that will give the facade complete look. For example, wall cladding must be treated with a water repellent. This solution will repel the fungus, will not let appear vegetation and moss. In this case, the liquid will prevent the blackening of the stone.

If you follow all the above tips and recommendations, you can qualitatively perform the façade cladding with natural stone.