Methods for imitating marble and granite tiles. DIY artificial marble - imitation stone

Marble, which has excellent decorative properties, has always been appreciated in construction. But due to the high cost of the material, not everyone can afford to use it to decorate premises. Therefore, as an alternative, an artificial material has been developed that imitates stone. It has been named artificial marble.

Description and types of material

Artificial marble is a material that is mainly used in plumbing, in the manufacture of running, facing materials. Window sills, bathtubs, countertops, steps, decorative fountains and sculptures are made of it. It is used to decorate offices and administrative premises.

The term "artificial marble" means not only cast marble, which is an imitation of natural stone. There are other varieties of it that are widely used in construction, industry and interior decoration.

Varieties of artificial marble:

1. casting;
2. donkey (or plaster);
3. ground (or chipped);
4. flexible (or liquid).

Casting

The most popular is cast marble - a composite material based on cured polyester resin and mineral filler. The filler can be marble chips, quartz sand, etc.

Depending on which resins and fillers are chosen, the material can be made as an imitation of natural marble, jasper, granite, malachite, onyx.

This is how the cast artificial marble looks in the photo.

Oselkovy

Whetstone marble is a colored plaster mass mixed with glue water, which is applied to the base and brought to a mirror-like shine by polishing and grinding. It can be tinted for various materials such as lapis lazuli, malachite, different types of marble.

Gypsum is the main material for the production of whetstone marble. Special substances are added to it that slow down the setting of gypsum. The most commonly used glue is diluted in water.

The advantages of gypsum marble are low weight and high strength. With its help, lightweight structures can be erected. The use of this material in living quarters helps to improve the microclimate: it absorbs excess moisture or gives it away if the room is too dry.

Photo of donkey marble

Ground (microcalcite)

Crushed or crushed marble is a finely dispersed filler of mineral origin. It is a white or gray powdery substance. It is made by grinding white marble.

This material is distinguished by its strength, low chemical activity, resistance to ultraviolet rays. It has a bright white color and practically does not absorb moisture. Most often it is used for the production of plastic products, paints and varnishes, abrasive cleaning agents, paper, linoleum, etc.

Liquid

This type of marble is one of the newest materials for decoration. It contains marble chips and acrylic polymers.

Liquid marble is highly flexible, lightweight and environmentally friendly. It can be easily cut with scissors or a knife and glued to walls instead of wallpaper. Using this material, you can get a perfectly flat, seamless surface. Therefore, it is often used for cladding structures of irregular shape, such as arches, columns, spherical objects.

Application of liquid marble

Production of cast artificial marble

The material manufacturing technology is quite simple and will require only special equipment, premises, time and financial resources.

Equipment

To obtain cast marble, a small set of equipment is used:

• casting forms (matrices);
• gelcoat sprayer;
• mixer for mixing the composition;
• brushes for smearing forms.

Molds for marble production are made on the basis of polyurethane rubber. High-quality matrices, which are characterized by strength and are not prone to strong deformations, are very expensive. However, their cost pays off in full, since the production has a high profitability.

Composition of raw materials

For the manufacture of the material, acrylic or polyester resin and marble chips are mixed in a ratio of 4: 1. For bonding, you can also use cement mortar, stucco, lime mortar with the addition of cement. But most often it is resins that are used, since they provide high strength of the material.

Decorative materials (colored sand, pebbles, colored quartz) sometimes perform the function of a filler. In this case, the finished products are not an analogue of natural stone, but a fundamentally new type of finishing materials.

To achieve the required color, mineral pigments are added to the mixture. The material is made in different colors, with splashes and stains. For this purpose, a special pigment mixing technique is used. Pigments not only color the material, but also make it more resistant to external influences. The outer protective gelcoat layer gives the coating a glossy sheen.

Production technology

The material manufacturing technology is very simple and labor-intensive. It provides for the preparation of the matrix, mixing the polyester resin and filler, pouring the resulting mixture into the matrix and curing it.

The artificial marble casting process can be divided into the following stages:

1. Forms are polished, material is applied to prevent adhesion.
2. Gelcoat is applied to the molds. For this purpose, a special installation or cup spray is used.
3. The gelcoat cures.
4. A mixture of polyester resin, filler, pigments and hardener is prepared.
5. The mixture is poured into molds.
6. The molds are vibrated to remove air from the mixture.
7. The material is cured.
8. Products are removed from the mold.
9. Further processing of the material is carried out (in some cases).

In the video, making cast marble and sinks from it:

DIY cast marble

It is quite possible to make artificial cast marble on your own. You just need to purchase all the components of the material, molds for pouring and follow the instructions.

To make cast marble you will need:

• polyurethane casting mold;
• film;
• mixer;
• brush.

In production, CaMg (CO3) 2 is used as a filler, and Butanox M-50 is used as a hardener. At home, pebbles and cement can be used instead of these substances.

Materials for making artificial marble:

1. sand (river) - 2 parts;
2. cement - 1 part;
3. water - 0.2 parts;
4. pebbles (as filler) - 25% of the total;
5. pigment - 1% of the weight of the cement;
6. plasticizer - 1% of the weight of the cement;
7. gelcoat.

The sequence of making cast marble:

• A dry and clean form is greased with a gelcoat and allowed to dry.
• Mix sand, pebbles and cement. A plasticizer, a coloring pigment and water (80%) are added to the mixture, mixed with a mixer to obtain a plastic mass (about 30 seconds). Then add the rest of the water and mix the mixture again until smooth.
• The mixture is laid out in a mold, the excess is removed from the edges, covered with foil and left to harden for 10 hours.
• The material is removed from the mold and left outside for a while.

In this simple way, you can get a material that can be used in its original form or subjected to further processing to give the desired shape.

The technology of self-production of artificial cast marble is shown in the video below:

Pros and cons, reviews

Although the composition of artificial marble is fundamentally different from its natural counterpart, it has the same technical properties. Moreover, the level of strength and durability of artificially produced material is several times higher than that of natural material.

The main advantages of artificial marble:

• has a high level of mechanical strength, is not afraid of impacts;
• it is durable, has a long period of operation;
• almost does not conduct heat and electricity, has a high level of fire safety. Therefore, it can be used to decorate heating radiators, electric stoves, etc .;
• the material does not heat up, does not exfoliate, is not afraid of the effects of acids, alkalis, solvents, does not absorb grease, and does not leave stains on it. Due to this practicality, it is often used to decorate kitchens and bathrooms, flooring in residential, industrial and public spaces;
• does not emit harmful substances, is environmentally friendly;
• thanks to the external gelcoat coating, it looks aesthetically pleasing and can be used for decorative purposes.

It combines the hardness of natural stone and ease of processing. Unlike natural marble, the artificial material provides a greater degree of comfort and is always warm to the touch.

Among the disadvantages of artificial stone, many note that it cannot be considered a complete analogue of natural material. It feels more like plastic to the touch, and the top coat looks like polyurethane.

In addition, the gel coat often cracks over time. As a result, the material is discolored and destroyed.

Average cost of artificial marble

The marble manufacturing process requires minimal investment and a very high return on investment. Initially, the costs are made for the purchase of equipment, raw materials, rental of premises and the manufacture of dies. In the future, the cost of products is determined mainly by the cost of raw materials.

The cost of production is estimated at about $ 5 per square meter. m., while the market price reaches $ 30 per 1 sq. m. or even higher.

Various are considered to be as beautiful, strong and durable as products made from real natural stone. After all, its production has been improved for 30 years and has achieved high results.

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

How to get artificial marble with your own hands

What is the stone of interest to us? It has a heterogeneous color, most often with veins penetrating the entire thickness, a granular-crystalline structure. The color can be white, pink, blue, black or gray. Less common colors: red, purple, green, yellow. The easiest way to create the illusion of marble is with gypsum, which produces a dense, non-porous mass. However, this option is unacceptable if you need a countertop or cladding in a room with high levels of humidity. Therefore, we will consider alternative ways to make artificial marble with your own hands.

The simplest technology is casting in molds from a cement-sand mixture. Cast marble is durable, waterproof and, most importantly, looks very similar to real marble. However, it should be borne in mind that thin tiles will be quite fragile, and thick ones will turn out to be heavy. As a result, it is possible to make a countertop from such an imitation, but at the same time the furniture body must be very massive in order to withstand the weight of the stone slab. A more subtle version can be made, taking as a basis the wooden plane of the table itself. We'll look at both options below.

Almost real artificial marble: manufacturing technology

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

Manufacturing technology of real artificial marble - a step-by-step scheme

Step 1: preparation

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

Step 2: fill out the form

As soon as the dye has dispersed through the cement mass in thin veins, the composition is ready, and you can proceed to the most important phase of the technological process. We take the mold, put it on an absolutely flat surface to exclude bending of the bottom or walls, and pour the solution into it. We clean the edges of the mold from excess with a spatula, which can affect the smoothness of the plate, after which we level the surface of the mass with a rule and cover it with polyethylene.

The larger the slab of artificial stone, the higher the likelihood of breakage due to internal voids. Therefore, if possible, you should use a vibrating table, and if there is no such table when mixing, try not to lift the mixer out of the mass so that air bubbles do not form.

Step 3: Getting the finished artificial stone

After about 10 days, the solidification of the mass poured into the mold will end, and there is no need to intervene in the process, as other works with cement require. For example, regular moistening of the surface is not required due to the fact that the solution is covered with polyethylene, which excludes rapid evaporation of the liquid. When the plate is completely solidified, carefully lift it up, turn it over and, like a cover, remove the mold from the finished countertop.

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

How to make illusion artificial marble

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

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

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

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

Products imitating natural stones have high strength, resistance to chemicals, environmental friendliness, shock and heat resistance, as well as other advantages. Artificial marble is made of concrete, gypsum and polyester resin and is used not only for cladding houses, but also in the manufacture of countertops, stairs, window sills, fountains and much more.

To make artificial marble with your own hands, you need to decide on the technology for its production.

Cast marble

As a basis for this material, polyester resin and any mineral filler (marble chips, crushed white quartz and other fine components) are used. The latter make it possible to produce slabs stylized as granite, malachite, jasper and onyx.

To make cast artificial marble at home, you will need to prepare a solution:

1. Polymer concrete. For this it is necessary to mix 20-25% of polyester resin with 75-80% of crushed neutral mineral.
2. Butakryl. In this case, instead of resin, AST-T and butacryl are used in equal proportions, after which 50% of quartz sand or crushed rubble is added to the mixture.

You will also need to prepare river sand, pigment, gelcoat and plasticizer. The technology of manufacturing artificial marble from resin includes the following stages:

1. Lubricate the matrix for the future artificial stone with gelcoat and let the mold dry.
2. Prepare the solution using one of the methods described above.
3. Pour the slurry into the matrix and remove any excess.
4. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and wait 10 hours.
5. Remove the finished artificial stone from the mold and leave it outdoors for a while.

The hardened stone can be additionally sanded or left without machining.

Despite the simplicity of making such artificial raw materials, the casting method of marble production is distinguished by its high cost, so it makes sense to consider other methods of creating stones.

Artificial gypsum marble is a plaster mass mixed with a mixture of water and glue, which is sanded until a mirror-like shine appears. This "toning" allows you to imitate such natural minerals as malachite and lapis lazuli.

No expensive materials are required for the production of this artificial marble. You can prepare it as follows:

1. Knead dry gypsum and wood glue in water.
2. Pour melted resin into the mixture.
3. Stir the composition and add pigment to it.
4. Stir the mixture again until natural blotches and streaks appear.

Healthy! If you want to get a product of natural color, then you need to mix 200 g of white humilax, 1 kg of alcohol (technical) and 50 g of gypsum. Use orange humilax to create a coffee shade, and aniline paint to create a black stone.

1. Pour the liquid mass into the plastic matrix.
2. Remove excess mixture. To do this, sprinkle the solution with dry plaster.
3. Wait about 10 hours and remove the finished product from the mold.
4. Treat the surface of the product with potassium silicate to make the finished stone waterproof.
5. Dry the marble and polish it with soft felt (you can also use specialized abrasives to give the finished product a richer color).
6. When the surface of the stone is almost mirror-like, the artificial marble is ready.

Such production of artificial marble and mosaics is considered the simplest and most affordable. Thanks to gypsum, the stones are very light and durable. Such products are successfully used in residential premises.

Artificial marble with concrete filler

The technology for the production of marble using concrete is also very popular, due to the use of environmentally friendly materials and ease of manufacture of products.

To create such a stone yourself, follow these steps:

1. Coat a dry matrix with a smooth surface with a moisture resistant gelcoat and wait until the mold is completely dry.
2. Prepare a concrete mixture and add clay or slaked lime to it.
3. Prepare your filler. To do this, you need to mix 2 parts of river sand, 1 part of cement, 80% water and add pebbles to the composition. It is also necessary to add pigment to the resulting solution (1% by weight of the mixture) and mix the composition for artificial marble for 30-40 seconds. It is recommended to mix all components in a special mixer.
4. Add pigment to the finished filler (you need to add it unevenly to make the finished product more realistic). After that, carefully move the liquid composition.
5. Place the matrix in a horizontal position and pour the prepared mass into it in small portions. In this case, all the voids of the form must be filled.
6. Remove excess mixture with a spatula.
7. Cover the surface with polyethylene and wait until the composition has completely hardened at positive temperatures (depending on the thickness of the stone, it will dry from 24 hours to several days).
8. Remove the finished artificial slab from the matrix and process it with a grinder and special transparent varnish.

If you are deciding how to make artificial marble yourself, then plaster or concrete should be preferred. However, you can purchase ready-made material:

• Ground marble (microcalcite). This raw material is made from chipped marble. This powdery substance of mineral origin is characterized by high strength and low chemical activity. In addition, the material is resistant to sunlight and does not absorb moisture.
• Liquid marble. In addition to marble chips, this material contains acrylic polymers, which makes this stone lightweight and flexible. Such marble can be easily cut with a knife and pasted over the walls. It is most popular when decorating irregular rooms.

In custody

The production of artificial marble differs based on the material used (more on the video). However, no matter what raw materials you choose, the stone must be properly cared for. For example, to preserve the gloss of a marble surface, use a soapy solution (add 1 cap of any detergent to 3 liters of water).