Decorative concrete found wide application in the second half of the 20th century. The American builders of military airfields were the first to master the technology, the primary task for which was to achieve a durable, wear-resistant coating in a short time. The high performance and decorative characteristics of the coating have made it popular in the household sector: today, decorative concrete is used for interior and exterior decoration of private houses and summer cottages, landscape design. What you need to know in order to make a concrete decorative coating with your hands - read the article.
Printed (decorative) concrete is colored concrete, on which, even before the mortar hardens, a relief imprint is applied that imitates the texture of natural wood, stone, brick, tile, etc.
Due to its availability, strength and attractive appearance, pressed concrete has a wide range of applications. Today, concrete decorative surfaces are used for finishing floors and walls of both residential premises and territories adjacent to them (decor of areas near swimming pools, garden paths, pavilions), and industrial facilities, shopping and entertainment and exhibition complexes, indoor and outdoor areas of gas stations, airports, train stations, etc.
Decorative concrete is also indispensable for the restoration of old surfaces, when it is impossible to find an identical material: with the help of special forms and colors, you can easily and quickly get a product that imitates old masonry.
Stamped concrete: the benefits
In addition to the wide range of applications and beautiful appearance, decorative concrete coating has many other advantages related to its performance.
So, the main advantages of stamped concrete include:
- The ability of a material to withstand high loads. Stamped concrete for domestic use is able to withstand a load of 400-500 kg per cubic meter.
- The resistance of the coating to moisture (the appearance of corrosion), the effects of UV radiation.
- Concrete resistance to sudden changes in temperature (up to -40 to +40 degrees Celsius).
- Frost resistance. The coating easily withstands over 300 seasons.
- The ability of the coating to tolerate without changing the appearance of the effects of acid-base and petroleum products, fats.
- Durability. The service life of a concrete base is at least 25 years.
At the same time, decorative concrete has a rich color palette and a wide choice of textures (if necessary, a textured imprint in the form of plants, graphic images, complex patterns) can be applied to the coating.
What are Concrete Stamps?
A relief pattern is applied to concrete using special stamps. It is thanks to them that you can get a surface that imitates wood, masonry, paving stones. In this case, the drawing can be anything.
Today, to obtain high-quality impressions on concrete, the following types of stamps are used:
- Silicone (polyurethane) stamps are flexible, with which you can get a texture of any complexity. Their advantages include a long service life. In addition, silicone stamps do not need to be lubricated with oil: the formliner can be easily removed without any lubricant.
- Plastic - rigid stamps, which are distinguished by the ability to clearly and accurately convey the geometric shape. Most often, they are used to imitate paving stones, brickwork. You can work with rigid stamps both on the floor and on a vertical surface.
Separately, a stencil for concrete is distinguished - a form that is a contour for pouring concrete. Working with such a stencil is very simple: it is laid on the ground, after which it is filled with a solution, waiting for solidification and removed, rearranging it further. Thus, you can make a garden path, arrange a porch, a gazebo floor or a terrace.
You can buy ready-made molds in many hardware stores and on the Internet (for example, in the Damascus online store). In addition, products can be made from available materials on their own.
DIY decorative concrete
Stamped, decorative concrete, due to its high performance and attractive appearance, is an ideal solution for decorating the backyard of a private house, summer cottage. You can order the laying of paths using decorative concrete from specialized companies, or you can save money and make art concrete without professional help, with your own hands. To complete the work, you will need a mortar, a stamp or stencil, a tool (building level, stencil fasteners, graters for decorative concrete).
The technology for creating relief prints includes the following steps:
- Foundation preparation. In order to obtain a high-quality concrete coating, a layer of soil 100 mm high is removed from the area for pouring. After that, the formwork of the desired shape is mounted and the earth is covered with rubble.
- Filling the mixture. Depending on the type of stamps, concrete is poured into a stencil, or laid out on crushed stone. In order for the surface to come out even, use the building level.
- Decoration. To obtain an attractive surface under a tree or stone, concrete is coated with loose dyes. To fix the result, a colored hardener is used (to give the surface a rich color, the effect of plaster or “wet stone”, a special varnish for stone and concrete is used, which can be ordered on the Damascus website).
- Seal. If a stencil was not used to create the relief, then the pattern is applied to a flat concrete surface using stamps.
- Coating cleaning. The relief surface is washed after 2-3 days with a solution of hydrochloric acid.
- Application of a protective UV and moisture resistant layer (most often an acrylic fixer is used for this).
In this way, high-quality, attractive stamped concrete can be obtained, which will last for several decades. The design option for the coating depends on the landscape design of the site, the decoration of the house, and the personal taste preferences of the owner of the apartment.
A dry mix for the preparation of press concrete can be purchased at any building materials store (you can choose Flex Concrete brand material from budget options), or you can cook it yourself.
How to make stamped concrete: technology and recipe
A mixture for the manufacture of decorative concrete includes sand and crushed stone, Portland cement, and a plasticizer. An important ingredient is polypropylene fiber, which increases the service life of the relief coating, prevents its cracking and chipping. The ingredient is taken in the amount of 600 grams per cubic meter of solution.
For the manufacture of decorative printed concrete, it is better to choose Portland cement grades M400 and M500 / D20, which have moisture and frost resistance, are able to withstand loads of 400 and 500 kg per cubic meter.
The choice of plasticizer depends on the type of future product. So, experts recommend choosing a superplasticizer for the production of paving slabs. For a garden path, an extreme temperature resistant, explosion and fire safe C3 plasticizer is suitable.
It is worth remembering that the plasticizer should be added to the concrete mixture in the form of an aqueous solution.
The composition prepared from such ingredients is placed in the formwork, spread using a decorative concrete trowel and compacted. The recipe for ready mixes is indicated on the labels.
DIY decorative concrete (video)
Decorative concrete is an affordable way to create an attractive and durable finish on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. Modern production of molds and stamps for decorative concrete makes it possible to obtain a detailed relief of any kind and complexity. At the same time, the work can be done without outside help, and the stamps and the mixture can be made by yourself!
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Recently, there has been an interest in decorative concrete coating, which is actively used in landscape design. It will be useful for the reader to know that you can make decorative concrete with your own hands. Having mastered the flex technology for creating concrete, you can amazingly transform your suburban property. The advantages of decorative concrete, which every modern person notes for himself, are: an individual approach to the territory, quality, durability, the ability to choose a non-standard type of coating. The decorative composition can imitate wood, stone, marble, granite and other natural surfaces.
Do-it-yourself technology for creating decorative concrete
It is known that in order to obtain high-quality concrete, it is necessary to apply cement of a certain class (M 400, M 500). To significantly improve the quality of the coating, a modern material is often used - fiberglass.
Two ways to get decorative concrete
- vibrocasting in order to obtain a textured surface;
- vibrocompression with fine aggregate to obtain tile elements.
Coloring concrete
To obtain a colored decorative product, it is necessary to use colors. This operation has its own nuances. So, to get a bright color, white Portland cement should be preferred. The color of the quartz sand used (dark, light tone) also matters. To clearly express the structural composition of the future decorative coating, fragments of ceramics, glass, granite chips, basalt, anthracite, etc. are added to it. To express the textured surface, compounds that slow down the hardening of concrete are used. For a bright manifestation of the pattern, surface treatment with hydrochloric acid can be used.
The formation of a decorative coating is started at the final stage of surface finishing. It is at this time that they apply coloring pigments and other special formulations.
The application of a surface decorative layer can be done in various ways:
- spraying;
- staining with a stencil;
- stamping.
Before starting the spraying process, the concrete surface is stirred vertically. To apply a special coloring layer, a spray gun and pigment are needed. To get the surface color deeper, staining is carried out in several layers. In this method, when the paint enters into a chemical reaction with concrete, it is possible to imitate the look of natural stone, brick, etc.
Due to the use of stencils and dyes, it is possible getting a specific image. In retail outlets, you can purchase reusable stencils of various shapes. If it was not possible to acquire the necessary drawing, you can make a stencil for concrete yourself. The material for this can be varied - plywood, plastic and even cardboard. The final step is the application of a fixing impregnation layer.
Stamped (printed) concrete
The most popular way to get decorative concrete is stamping. The final version is often referred to as stamped concrete. Seals or stamps are made from silicone, rubber or polyurethane. According to the technology, stamps are pressed into the still plastic concrete surface, and removed after it hardens. Before applying stamps, concrete is treated with a coloring pigment, a moisture-resistant additive and a fixer, and after removing the seals, fixing compounds are applied to the relief surfaces. The seals are used on horizontal and vertical surfaces.
Manufacturers often keep the composition of a particular stamped mixture a secret.
How is the creation of concrete garden paths
High-quality decorative art-concrete contains white sand, high-grade cement and a significant number of plasticizers.
In order to start independent production of art concrete, need to take care of the room. The industrial zone must have an area of at least 50 m2. For optimal drying of the concrete, the room needs ventilation and heating in winter. To engage in the production of stamped concrete, for example, for paving garden paths, you need to purchase a concrete mixer, stamps and a vibrating table. Raw material base: cement grade M. 400, plasticizers, sand, pigments.
Outdoors, when paving garden paths, it is necessary to act at a temperature not lower than + 5C.
Before embarking on large-scale changes to the site, a project should be prepared. A new garden path, an area in front of the garage or a recreation area should be prepared for concreting.
The process of creating pressed concrete for a garden path
1. Armed with stakes and a building cord, they make markings and determine the boundaries of the future decorative concrete coating.
2. Start removing the soil layer, 20 cm deep. At the border around the perimeter, formwork is installed (board or specially knocked together shields).
3. Organize a drainage layer of sand and crushed stone of the middle fraction.
4. Laying a waterproofing layer made of polyethylene.
5. Additionally, you can use polypropylene fiber to create a reinforcing layer, where you need material per 1m2 600 gr.
6. The concrete mixture is poured into the prepared place from the concrete mixer and rammed with the help of a vibrating screed device. To remove excess air, the surface is rolled with a construction roller, after which it is smoothed. The decorative appearance of concrete is achieved in this case by introducing coloring pigments or large fractions of granite, marble, etc. into the working mixture.
Approximate composition of a mixture of decorative stamped concrete on a vertical surface
What you need to create your own stamped concrete:
Working vertical surface should be prepared. To do this, remove the old finish, close up cracks, blow off dust and primer. A primer is required for a special purpose (for concrete), which does not form a sticky film on the working surface.
Next, you should proceed from the thickness of the layer of decorative framing. If it is planned to be more than 3-5 cm, then there is a need to organize a reinforcing mesh. Such a plaster network will not allow the decor to crack or crumble.
Important in self-mixing use a special putty composition, white cement with a plasticizer or tile adhesive. If there is no plasticizer in the composition, you can add it yourself. Beginners are not recommended to add PVA without previous positive experience, because an inaccurate dosage can affect the final result.
A concrete layer is applied with a spatula on the working surface with a thickness of 1 cm to 5 cm and then the embossing form is applied. To level the surface, a wooden lath is used. Embossing will take 60-70 minutes.
Determine when you can remove the form at the touch of fingers on concrete. If no glue remains on the fingers, the mold can be removed. To prevent the print from sticking to the decorative layer, it should be processed from the inside with a special. separator or soapy water. When the specified time has passed, the mold is pressed into the cement, tapped a little with a rubber mallet and removed. To make special recesses and create a relief, clear edges, special tools are used during the first day after mixing the decorative cement.
Next, start painting the surface. To do this, colored pigments are mixed with a fixative-impregnation. Then the coloring mixture is applied with a paint brush or spray. There are technologies according to which pigments are added directly to concrete, only their content should not exceed 5% of the total composition of the mixture. Flex technology involves the creation of various surfaces. For example, under the guise of natural stone, where special compositions are often used to create artificial aging.
DIY decorative block
You can create your own print using silicone and wooden case. The height of the sides of the box must be at least 12 cm, and the presence of acetic acid is mandatory at the base of the sealant. After that, the box is generously filled with sealant, carefully straightened with a brush dipped in water. Lay the tiles face down on a layer of sealant and wait for the material to solidify.
In order for the tile to move away from the sealant layer after hardening without problems, it is recommended to lubricate it with grease. Instead of finished tiles, you can use directly natural stones of a suitable size. The stones are pressed into the silicone according to the planned pattern. When the seal or stamp for future decorative concrete slabs is ready, you can start paving garden paths and lining the walls of buildings.
In order to get a decorative concrete block, you can do the following:
- prepare one tile with imitation of natural stone;
- 3 parts quartz sand;
- 1 part white cement;
- 2 pieces of granite chips;
- take a plasticizer (no more than 5% of the total mass).
The consistency of the finished concrete should be such that it slowly slides off the trowel. To speed up the workflow, it is recommended to make several molds for stamped concrete.
Artistic concrete
enjoys great popularity artistic concrete due to the simultaneous execution of an architectural and aesthetic function.
The composition of a color mixture with a decorative function can pursue several goals at the same time: constructive - geometric, artistic and sculptural, and stamped and artistic. The plasticity of the mass allows you to imitate various natural surfaces (the use of stamps).
Pressed concrete is obtained according to the press, which can also be modified by adding plasticizers and mineral additives.
Any decorative cement after hardening needs a protective fixing layer that will protect the product from abrasion, mechanical damage, ultraviolet rays, natural precipitation, etc. in the future.
By changing the composition of the decorative concrete mixture or technology, one obtains:
Building material manufacturers have gone further and created new products that can be safely used for decorative purposes. Such a product is composite boards which successfully outwardly imitate decorative concrete. A distinctive feature of such materials is their low weight, a wide choice of colors and textures, but a lower degree of strength and a short service life.
Stamped concrete (or press concrete) is a technology for finishing a horizontal surface with the final imitation of natural stone, tiles, paving stones or any other material. Printed is becoming very popular these days due to some of its characteristics. Firstly, this material is very durable and reliable, resistant to temperature extremes (from -50 to +50). Secondly, it does not wipe off and retains its color (and you can give any color and shade to a decorative printing solution). And thirdly, the material looks aesthetically pleasing and harmonizes perfectly with any architectural style.
Printed is strong, durable and resistant to various weather conditions.
And thanks to its immunity to acid and alkali, it can be used in various workshops and in a manufacturing plant.
The laying technology differs from the usual laying only in that it involves the procedure of reinforcing, coloring the top layer, its formation and sealing.
Marking and preparing the trench
Laying should begin with the preparation of the base. The future section of the decorative mortar is outlined with twine. If a pedestrian zone is planned, then a 30 cm layer of soil is removed, and for a transport section - 50 cm. The bottom of the resulting trench is leveled and compacted, a vibrating plate can be used. Then the formwork is installed along the edges of the trench, and gravel is poured onto its bottom, which is compacted. From above, the gravel is covered with a layer of sand, filled with water and compacted again.
To achieve optimal plasticity, plasticizers are added to the solution, from 0.3 to 0.8% of its mass. The essence of adding plasticizers is that they reduce the amount of water during mixing, which reduces the number of pores in concrete and prevents its destruction from temperature changes.
Necessary raw materials for laying: cement (it is desirable to use M350 and M400), water, sand, plasticizers, protective sealant varnishes, fiber fibers and dyes.
Cooking and styling technology
A mortar is prepared in a concrete mixer from cement and sand with the addition of fiber fibers. For one part of cement there are three parts of sand, and for 1 cu. m of concrete add 1 kg of plasticizers.
The prepared solution is laid slightly above the level of the formwork in order to easily level the coating in the future. To give decorative qualities, a dye is applied to the surface. For 1 sq. m accounts for 2 kg of paint.
The surface is suitable for the molding process after 4-5 hours. Before molding, a special component is applied to the surface, which prevents the surface from sticking to the molds.
The technology of drawing a picture, or "printing" is very simple. It is performed using special molds with a relief pattern. After their laying, the surface is pressed with a rammer. Then the forms are carefully removed, and the seams are made with a marker chisel.
Concrete becomes hard after 2-3 days, and after this time, the release agent must be washed off the surface. After another 5 days, the surface is treated with a sealant varnish.
Stamped concrete is popular among gardeners and summer residents due to its low cost and ease of operation, and its laying technology is quite possible without the involvement of specialists.
Stamped concrete has become more and more popular lately. This material is used to cover beaches, swimming pools, sidewalks, garage complexes, bridges and other areas.
Description of Stamped Concrete
This material is also known as press concrete. It acts as a material for facing horizontal and vertical surfaces, which allows you to create an imitation of natural stone at low cost. Stamped concrete is characterized by excellent performance, produced by imprinting a matrix on the surface.
Material characteristics
Such concrete can be operated at a wide temperature range - from -50 to +50 degrees. The surface does not slip and does not lose color, and is also resistant to sunlight. Among other things, this material perfectly resists the effects of abrasion forces. Consumers mention that in terms of strength and durability, such concrete is superior to conventional road tile and asphalt pavements. Decorative material of this type usually undergoes temperature effects and numerous freeze and thaw cycles, which can be as many as three hundred. Using stamped concrete, home craftsmen are able to complete the job in much less impressive time, which is very popular with consumers. Among other things, this material saves money. It steadfastly emphasizes the effects of chemicals, which allows it to be used in indoor conditions for the appropriate purpose. It can be, for example, car workshops.
Features of use
Stamped concrete is used today in many areas. If we are talking about vertical surfaces, then the layer can vary from 0.5 to 3 centimeters. It can be interior walls, columns, arches, fireplaces, slopes, doorways and much more. Horizontal surfaces can have a layer whose thickness is 1-1.5 cm. In this case, we are talking about balconies, paths, sidewalks, terraces, etc. The stamped concrete technology may involve the use of a base for finishing in the form of brick, concrete, construction blocks, chipboard, drywall, stone slabs, tiles, etc. The main requirement for the base is its immobility and integrity.
Consumer reviews
Stamped concrete has positive and negative characteristics. Among the first, consumers especially highlight the absence of the need to prepare the base by type or putty. Errors, roughness, and chips can be left on the surface; it is not required to eliminate them before using the stamped material, which reduces money and time costs.
The described material is universal, it can be used both indoors and outdoors. In the latter case, the material copes well with temperature effects, which indicates frost resistance. In addition to heat resistance, the material does not burn, which allows it to be used when finishing furnace equipment. Stamped concrete has the qualities of hydrophobicity, which indicates water and dirt repellency. At the same time, the material retains the ability to breathe and pass steam, which is very much appreciated by consumers when finishing facades.
However, buyers especially highlight the high strength characteristics of this concrete. The described material has a low weight, which allows it to be used for vertical coatings. So, the weight of one square meter on a vertical base, the thickness of which is 1 cm, is about 12 kg. This parameter can be compared with clinker tiles. That is why consumers use this material to cover facades that were previously insulated or with polystyrene. At the same time, home craftsmen note that they observe a strong fastening of the finish, which cannot peel off and fall. Due to its low weight, decorative stamped concrete does not significantly affect the walls and foundation of the building.
Concrete in the form of imitation of other materials
The described decorative coating can be made in the form of an imitation of various natural textures such as wood, natural stone, boards, sandstone, slate, etc. This allows the use of inexpensive material that quite naturally conveys the structures of other natural textures. Consumers note that it is easiest to produce columns, slopes and other complex surfaces using this material compared to natural counterparts, because there is no need to adjust the material to size. Among other things, this saves money.
Variations of decorative solutions
If you decide to use printed concrete, the forms of this material can be completely different. This also applies to shades, which are on sale in a great variety. You can choose from 20 options, one of which will certainly suit the exterior or interior solution. In the process of work, you can combine different textures and colors. This allows you to recreate unique patterns on the surface, which can consist of imitation stone and boards. It is quite easy to take care of the finished coating, which is noted by those consumers who use the printed material for a long time. The surface can be washed with soapy water, cold or warm water. To do this, use brushes that have a soft bristle, as well as soft rags. If any inaccuracies in the form of dents and chips appear on the coating, then the material can be replaced in separate areas, which will allow the coating to return to its original appearance.
Stamped concrete technology
The technology involves the removal of the upper fertile soil layer at the first stage, after which the surface must be well compacted, and then backfilled with a layer of crushed stone, the thickness of which should be 15 cm. The preparation must be compacted by laying polyethylene on its surface, providing an overlap of 10 cm. formwork and reinforcement. Do not work when the temperature is below -5 degrees. The brand of concrete used must be at least M300, while portland cement grade M 400 or 500 should be used. The mixture must contain a plasticizing additive. Concrete, the price of which will be less if self-made, must contain fiber. This will prevent the formation of cracks. The finished mixture must be placed in the formwork, distributing it and ramming it with a deep vibrator. Next, you should start applying the color fixer.
Features of the work
The surface is smoothed with an aluminum trowel. At the next stage, the pattern is printed, where texture matrices should be used. This must be done without delay, while the concrete lends itself to light pressure with your fingers. It is necessary to lay texture matrices, moving along the entire length along the formwork.
If you decide to purchase concrete, the price of this material should interest you. In the warehouse it can be purchased for 2000 rubles per 1 square meter. It is worth noting that if you plan to cover a small area with this finish, then it will be much more profitable to purchase ready-made material. After all, additional materials and tools, most likely, cannot be found in the arsenal of the master. Once you know the recipe for stamped concrete, you can start making it. If you set up production, then it will even be possible to earn money.
As an alternative to decorative paving slabs, you can purchase or make printed concrete with your own hands. The technology for the production of printed concrete allows you to create a decorative surface of a garden path that imitates stone, wood flooring, paving stones or even animal skins.
Stamped concrete thus provides a unique opportunity to match the flooring pattern with the overall architectural design of the building.
History of technology creation
Various concretes designed for decorative purposes appeared in the United States in the middle of the last century. Initially, this development was intended for the design and arrangement of runways for military airfields. But stamped concrete turned out to be a very reliable and durable coating.
He quickly gained popularity among urban planning companies, and after - and among private customers. The production technology of stamped concrete made it possible to transform the appearance of large cities and small towns, reconciling the architectural styles of past centuries with modern office centers and shopping pavilions.
Pros of using
The advantages of stamped concrete are represented by the following qualities:
- gradual spread of decorative concrete;
- absolute environmental friendliness of the process. The production technology of printed concrete does not provide for the use of harmful and toxic substances, and even during long-term operation, decorative concrete coating is absolutely safe for humans and the environment;
- the surface of the coating, made of stamped concrete, is resistant to aggressive environments and is easy to clean with improvised means;
- decorative concrete coating is able to maintain its qualities in the temperature range from -50°C to +50°C, while maintaining the brightness of colors and the internal structure of concrete;
- in comparison with natural materials, stamped concrete has a low cost and a longer service life;
- the main stages of production and installation are quite simple and do not require special skills and knowledge.
Photo gallery
Stages of manufacturing a decorative coating
If you want to create a colorful and high-quality coating in your yard, then decorative concrete is exactly what you need. But in order not to complicate your life, you should adhere to the established technology in the manufacture of decorative concrete and take into account the advice of specialists.
In order to make stamped concrete, choose a warm, dry day. The air temperature should not be lower than + 5 ° C, the minimum humidity will contribute to the rapid drying of the workpieces. With the help of pegs and a rope, they enclose the area chosen for covering.
The top layer of soil is removed from the selected area. If the coating is intended only for pedestrians, a layer of about 158 cm is removed.
For the site on which the movement of vehicles is provided, the soil is removed to a depth of 20 cm.
A mixture of crushed stone and sand is poured into the resulting formwork. The resulting pillow is carefully rammed. A polyethylene film is laid on top of the compacted pillow with an overlap of about 10 cm, a reinforcing mesh is placed on top.
kneading
For the production of printed concrete, Portland cement of the M400 or M500 brand with the addition of various plasticizers is best suited. For a decorative coating, it is recommended to add polypropylene fiber to concrete.
For one cube of concrete, 0.6 kg of this additive is enough. Polypropylene fiber significantly increases the service life of ready-made concrete and prevents the formation of chips and cracks on its surface. To make decorative concrete with your own hands, the following components are needed:
- three parts of sand;
- three parts of crushed stone fraction 5-20 mm;
- plasticizer C-3-0.5% by dry matter. It should be noted that the plasticizer is added to the mixture in the form of an aqueous solution;
- Portland cement M-400;
- polypropylene fiber 0.6 kg per 1 cubic meter
The mixture prepared in this way is laid out in the formwork, distributed and compacted. For the smoothness and evenness of the surface layer, a rule is used. It is also possible to roll the surface of the hardening mixture with a roller, this will ensure the removal of small particles of hardening printed concrete to the surface, and the deposition of large parts of the mixture.
Along the entire perimeter of the formwork, the surface is smoothed with an angle trowel.
Applying a decorative layer
Before applying the top decorative layer, the work surface is treated with a fixer. About 70% of the required amount of fixer is manually applied to the matte concrete surface and smoothed with an aluminum trowel. After that, the rest of the fixer is scattered and the surface is smoothed with a steel trowel.
The next step is to apply the hardener. This component is a blend of permanent pigments, filler and binder. Each coat of hardener is rubbed into the surface until the outer layer of printed concrete is smooth and evenly colored.
Create relief or simulation on a surface
If your task was to make the surface of stamped concrete embossed, imitating stone, boards or bricks, after applying the hardener, the wet surface should be treated with special presses that will give the concrete the desired shape.
This operation should be carried out with concrete that has not yet hardened, while its surface is easily amenable to finger pressure.
Laying
Prepared matrices are laid on the concrete surface. The first row is usually laid along the outer edge of the formwork. To achieve perfectly even lines, the matrix should be pressed tightly against each other. It will take about two days for the final curing of decorative concrete. After that, the concrete surface is cleaned, excess material is removed with hard brushes with a long pile. The surface is washed and dried.
Application of the acrylic layer
For the final finishing of decorative concrete, a protective acrylic layer is applied to its surface. Such a protection measure will reduce the harmful effects of the environment and significantly increase the life of the stamped concrete.
Forms, tools and all necessary materials can be purchased at Domask - www.domaskbeton.ru
Making stamped concrete with your own hands will require special attention, careful selection of components and precise adherence to technology. But such a coating will wonderfully decorate the interior of your house or cottage and give the architectural ensemble of your home its own unique flavor.
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