Facade decorative plaster under the stone: types, methods, application techniques

For finishing facades, decorative plaster that resembles natural stone is a practical and fashionable option. This technique allows you to have the opulent appearance of stone without the expensive or difficult installation process. There is a decorative plaster option available to meet your needs, regardless of whether you prefer the smoothness of marble or the rough texture of granite.

Stone-like plasters come in a variety of forms, and each has special qualities of its own. Some offer improved durability or particular visual effects, while others are more appropriate for particular climates. Selecting the appropriate plaster type for your project is made easier when you are aware of these variations.

A realistic and durable finish can only be achieved by using specific techniques when applying decorative plaster beneath stone. Meticulous attention to detail, from surface preparation to the final coat, guarantees that the result will not only look authentic but also endure the weather for many years to come.

Methods of imitation

A stone-like surface can be produced in a variety of ways.

The primary ones being used are:

1. using suspended plastic panels for wall decoration,
2. facing walls with gypsum or cement relief tiles,
3. creation of a dummy coating from foam,
4. formation of masonry or decorative layer from mortar.

Plaster mortars, or stuks as they were known in the past, can be used to create unique designs beneath the stone.

A variety of artistic techniques or the application of various prints are used to create the illusion of stone on the wall, such as broken rock, masonry, processed marble, malachite, sandstone, or granite. Different imitation stone texture techniques yield varying pattern depths.

There are the following methods available:

• Flat with the thickness of the coating layer close to 1 mm (Venetian plaster),
• textured, having a rough surface (decorative plaster of travertin, sandy plaster, marble plaster, etc.),
• Plants in which the seams of the masonry are barely deepened,
• convex in the form of voluminous masonry, otherwise called 3D.

The main components of the plastering composition

Plaster solution is used to create a decorative coating that has a stone look.

As other plaster solutions, he has the following in the composition:

• Binders – acrylic resins, cement, silicate (silicon), gypsum, silicone resins, lime;
• Fillers – calibrated stone crumb and/or flour of various rocks, quartz sand;
• Dyes – mineral, synthetic or organic pigments;
• Plasticizers – PVA, soap solution, soaponft, etc.;
• Additives to impart the desired properties, such as frost resistance, resistance to fungus, mold, accelerated or delayed setting of binders (soap naphtha, animal glue), increased water resistance, greater decorativeness (mica chips, mother-of-pearl).

You have the option to make your own mixture and prepare the plaster, or you can buy a composition that is ready to use.

Preparation of the composition

The decorative mixture needs to be diluted with water if it is bought in a store in a dry state. Transfer the mixture into a container with half the amount of dry matter (¼ volume), and then use a drill bit with a nozzle to blend it together. This needs to be completed precisely as instructed. The final mixture ought to have no lumps or foreign materials and a consistent consistency. Stir the plaster once more after a ten-minute interval. It should be applied with ease and at a thickness that prevents spreading when adding layers. Plaster is immediately usable following the second mixing.

How to prepare decorative compositions yourself

By avoiding the purchase of pricey ready-made materials, you can save money. A few easy recipes from different compositions that are made on their own:

1. The addition of pure sand creates decorative plaster with your own hands from a conventional putty. To do this, on a bucket of putty, 1 is taken 1.5-2 liter bucket of sand. The mixture is stirred by an electric mixer. Water is supplied if necessary.
2. For outdoor work or for finishing wet rooms (bathroom and other.): 10 kg of lime, 10 kg of cement, 20 kg of sand, sufficient to obtain a mass of the desired consistency the amount of water and 5% of the mass of the solution – liquid glass.
3. 20% lime test, 74% marble sand, 5% Portland cement M400 (white), 1% peroxide of manganese, the right amount of water.
4. 20% lime test, 6% of the white M400 cement, 4% pigment, 70% quartz sand.

Here are some subtleties to consider when preparing stucco beneath stone:

• Clothing water can be running, but should not be lower than +10 s,
• to obtain lime dough from dry lime, you need to close it with warm water 3:1, insist for a day,
• binders can be used in combination, for example, lime with cement, gypsum with lime.

You can create a wild stone entirely by hand and significantly reduce costs by using homemade compositions.

Technology of imitation of a stone surface

The following are the primary avenues of "imitation" of nature and masons:

1. creation of the external texture of the surface (blocks, cobblestones or solid wood),
2. creation of the external form inherent in blocks, cobblestones, bricks or walls made of them,
3. use for painting colors close to natural.

An affordable and adaptable substitute for natural stone cladding is decorative plaster for the facade that has been designed to resemble stone. These plasters, which come in a variety of textures and finishes, offer a strong, aesthetically pleasing facade. Different types of plasters are suitable for different conditions and aesthetic preferences. The desired effect can range from smooth marble-like surfaces to rugged stone imitations, so understanding the materials and methods used during application is crucial to getting professional results. This article looks at the different kinds of stone-effect plasters, how to apply them, and how to get a real stone-like finish.

Equipment and tool

To complete the task accurately, you might require:

• masking tape,
• sanding float,
• steel floats 20 and 25 cm,
• spatulas with rounded edges 6 cm and 20 cm,
• trowel,
• brushes maklovitsa and flute,
• brush with coarse bristles,
• roller,
• rule
• sandpaper №№ 120 and 220,
• bubble level,
• tape measure or long ruler,
• containers for the solution,
• pencil
• measuring containers or scales,
• electric mixer,
• rags.

Don’t forget to wear personal protection gear! shoes, gloves, a respirator, and appropriate clothing.

Preparing the base

Plaster imitation of stone for interior design calls for meticulous execution throughout. including when priming walls in order to plaster them.

The surface of the base is prepared in the following ways to ensure that the decorative plaster layer lays evenly, adheres well to the base, and prevents various dirty spots from showing through the finish:

• it is cleaned of all mechanical impurities;
• curved walls are leveled by plastering (using a cement-sand or gypsum mixture);
• chips and cracks, large recesses are repaired with cement mortar and sand, using a reinforcing mesh;
• if necessary, the base is treated with special degreasing or antiseptic agents;
• dry;
• primed for better adhesion (this is a particularly important step for smooth substrates, such as gypsum panels, OSB, fiberboard, etc.).

A concrete "crust" is applied and reinforced with two layers of fiberglass mesh if the foundation is to be decoratively plastered under a stone and the house’s foundation/basement is insulated with sheets of foam plastic. A 2 cm thick layer of spray is applied to the mesh, and another layer of spray of the same thickness is layered on top of the first mesh. Over the mesh is thrown the last layer, 2. 3 x 5 cm.

There is no need to perfectly level the surface for coatings that provide relief or semi-relief. Some flaws will be concealed by this finish on its own.

Five ways to apply decorative plaster under stone

Types of stone imitation

Using plaster, you can imitate stone using a variety of techniques. The creation of a stone-effect finish can be accomplished with both more intricate and straightforward methods.

Flat

This type includes decorative finishing, where colors are applied on top of the layer or due to elements in the finishing composition (multicolored decorative solutions with stone flour) to create the appearance of a polished stone slab. This is a multi-layered plaster image of some sort. Venetian stone plaster is one of these. Plaster for interior work is used for this (made with floured marble or other stone). Wax is used to create a matte finish on walls that resemble processed marble, onyx, malachite, etc. They are polished to get a gloss.

Making plaster for walls appear like stone:

• the base is brought to perfect evenness,
• covered with acrylic putty of the general basic tone,
• apply a decorative layer, doing this in stages (strokes of different colors are applied alternately) or simultaneously (mass of different shades are applied to the edge of the main tool), after which they are stretched along the wall, achieving uneven mixing),
• smooth out the unevenness with a trowel after the start of setting, achieving the maximum plane of the decorative coating,
• covered with wax,
• polished with a grinder with a soft attachment.

Textured

These finishes include small depressions in flat coatings that mimic the look of a rough stone surface. Textured finishes can have areas that are convex or have a tiny decorative pattern. For instance, there are two ways to achieve a finish like a Roman stone or travertino:

• continuous, in which a uniform layer is formed, decorated after a partial drying (using tingling brushes, dishwasher, etc. funds),
• partial, in which the underlying layer is made smooth, and the proper one is applied partially (in chaotic strokes), without completely covering the underlying layer.

Decorative finishes beneath stones, stone slabs used to simulate facing, and stone masonry featuring shallow grooves cut with a sharp instrument are examples of textured surfaces.

Flat-relief

Regarding the layer’s depth of relief elaboration, the following method works well for modeling masonry using blocks, bricks, or flat stone tiles. In this instance, a very tiny relief sets the texture of individual blocks while the recesses that mimic seams do not go beyond the layer’s thickness. One example of this type of technique is simulating a brick wall or wood-like plastering using silicone molds and obtaining decorative stone from regular gypsum plaster by making a grid of small seams.

Using the convex technique, plaster that resembles cobblestone masonry is used to finish the foundation. The relief height in this technique is greater than one centimeter.

Imitation of prints: description + video

Molds are used to perform decorative facade plastering under a stone because of the large surface area that needs to be given the desired appearance (they are also a matrix). The process of imitation follows a template. The simplest stone wall decoration DIY is this one.

How to imitate something:

• apply a layer of plaster to the base,
• wet the mold with water to prevent the plaster mortar from sticking to its surface,
• press the mold into the freshly laid mortar and carefully remove,
• remove deformations or minor distortions with a spatula, knife or hand.

This type of plaster beneath a wild stone looks incredibly realistic. Its production doesn’t require any specialized knowledge or a lot of time. The mixture is thrown back onto the wall and the mold is cleaned, washed, and pressed again if a sizable chunk of mortar is removed with it.

DIY plaster stone

This technology is extremely basic. The drawing process is the only challenge.

• Prepare the solution
• Apply the solution to the wall – you can apply it by hand, leveling it very approximately
• Create a stonework pattern using a knife, chisel, palette knife or other suitable tool
• Go over the resulting seams with a brush to remove tool marks and make the surface look natural
• Smooth the surface, give it a natural look by going over it with a sponge or a roller with pile
• Paint the resulting masonry

In addition to paint, you can use colored sand and loose mineral components such as marble, granite chips, etc. to create an interesting texture.

Video. DIY natural stone plaster.

What mistakes should be avoided

1. Various pellets, roughness only spoil the marble finish, give a sloppy look and give away the amateur with all the giblets. It is better to remove them during the work, without delay.
2. Artificial stone should not have an ideal appearance with its forms, as, for example, in the amazing masonry in Cusco. It is even desirable to make the depressions between the blocks of different widths and depths.
3. For walls with brickwork, a strict horizontal direction of the rows is inherent. The same rule adhere to, imitating masonry from blocks.
4. Plaster, imitation of the stone of which is performed, can be of any composition. Decorative techniques can be made of its stone -shaped. But the shape of cobblestones or blocks must certainly have the form similar to the natural. The relief of scales in nature and masonry does not exist. This is a gross mistake that cannot be made.

Such manual labor is typically performed for oneself, thus some errors and inadequacies are forgiven.

Scope

External work, such as foundation, facade, arbor, or fence design, is better suited for surfaces with a strong relief of stone plaster that mimics warm or boot masonry. In large spaces, you can use the masonry imitation. However, this kind of decorative finishing is inappropriate for small spaces because it visually distorts and enlarges the room’s dimensions.

In spite of everything mentioned above, these finishes are occasionally used inside the rooms.

Type of Decorative Plaster	Application Method and Technique
Acrylic Plaster	Applied with a trowel, then textured using a roller or sponge to mimic stone surfaces.
Silicone Plaster	Spread evenly with a trowel, then shaped with a brush or stamp for a stone-like finish.
Silicate Plaster	Rolled or sprayed onto the surface, with additional brushing to create a rough stone texture.
Mineral Plaster	Applied in layers using a trowel, then sculpted by hand or with tools to resemble natural stone patterns.

Decorative plaster is a great way to create the illusion of stone on your facade while still looking elegant and long-lasting. There is a type available for every project and budget, ranging from mineral-based options to acrylic-based ones.

To get a natural stone look, the application process calls for precise surface preparation and deft layering. Whether applying trowels, stencils, or textured rollers, each method has a distinct charm of its own and invites artistic customization.

In the end, a facade that is both aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting is ensured by learning the techniques and choosing the appropriate type of plaster.

Video on the topic

DIY facade decor for pennies, cost price 0.4$/m2!