Do-it-yourself painting technology for crushed stone for interior decoration

Various decorative materials are used in modern landscape design. To decorate garden paths and create interesting compositions, it is possible to use colored rubble. This material is given different shades with the help of special pigments. These substances pose no danger to people and the environment. As an alternative to such material, sand or expanded clay can be used.

Why do you need to paint crushed stone

Decorative colored crushed stone is made by dyeing raw materials in different shades. For this, acrylic or polymer pigments are used, which are resistant to moisture. Marble chips are used as coloring material. Granite gravel can also be used. In rarer versions, more expensive materials are used - shungite, coil, quartzite.

The resulting painted crushed stone coating is considered durable and resistant to temperature fluctuations. It can be easily modeled, modified and deleted if necessary. In addition, the material is perfectly breathable and does not modify the composition of the floor. In addition, the cover prevents the development of weeds.

Most often, this type of material is used in such cases:

• landscaping;
• production of paving slabs;
• soil for the aquarium;
• production of embossed plasters;
• creation of mosaic floors;
• registration of monuments;
• interior or exterior building surface finishing.

In addition, colored crushed stone is used to decorate areas and paths for pedestrians. Densely packed stones are comfortable to move. If dust, needles or leaves get into it, the surface can be easily cleaned. This is done with water and a soft brush.

Painted crushed stone is often used in gardens and parks. It has excellent drainage characteristics, so it helps prevent the soil from drying out around crops.

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Appropriate painting

Colored crushed stone can be made by hand. The technology for creating this material is simple and inexpensive. For 100 kilograms of crushed stone, only 1 kilogram of dye is needed. This ratio is relevant when using a concrete mixer to create material. Costs increase with other methods.

For painting crushed stone, it is allowed to use various substances. Most often, water and alkyd paints are used for this. Enamels are also often used. Sometimes PVA glue is used, mixing it with a dye.

However, acrylic paint is considered the best option. This is due to the resistance of the substance to moisture. In addition, it does not fade in the sun and retains its color for a long time. Acrylic dyes are safe for humans and nature.

Painting technology

In order for the staining procedure to go quickly enough, you need to prepare the following:

• cement mixer;
• vibrating screen;
• sieves for washing and drying;
• palette;
• container for storing painted material.

When buying crushed stone, there is a risk of getting a heterogeneous composition. The size of the stones can be from 10 to 30 centimeters. There are also smaller elements that are suitable for interior decoration. It is therefore important to size the materials. It is allowed to do this manually with a sieve or to use a "crash" machine.

Regardless of the technology used, the stones can be separated from excess litter, undersized fragments or sand. In order for the acrylic dyes to hold normally, the crushed stone must be thoroughly rinsed. This will improve the adhesion of the substance to the surface of the stones and help achieve the desired shade. If the stones are not washed, they can darken over time.

It is necessary to wash the crushed stone directly on the "roar". At the same time, it is recommended to water it with a hose or water from a bucket. Thanks to the agitation created by the machine, it is possible to carry out a complete cleaning on each side. Then it is necessary to put the washed mass in an even layer on the grid and dry it in the fresh air.

It is recommended to use an almost automatic method to apply the dye. This minimizes human involvement in the process. The most effective and economical painting technique is to use a cement mixer. After preparing all the components, you can start painting. It includes the following steps:

1. Place the crushed stone in a cement mixer. It should be 2/3 of the volume of the machine, subject to its capacity of 0.7 cubic meters.
2. Pour paint.In this case, it is important to respect the proportions: for 30% of the paint, 70% of the stone is necessary.
3. Start the device and wait 40-60 minutes for the stones to be completely covered with the colored substance.
4. After the end of the batch, dry the material. It must be placed on a grid, placed under the bottom of a container in which the dye will flow.
5. Dried and painted crushed stone should not be stored outdoors. It is recommended to place it in a closed container.
6. To protect against external factors, it is worth using stone varnish. This will help give the material additional decorative features.

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How to paint without a cement mixer

If there is no access to a cement mixer, getting crushed stone painted will be more problematic. However, it is entirely possible to do so. To do this, you need to pour stones into a container with a dye and mix it yourself. After that, they must be dried.

Design alternatives

There are many options for dyeing crushed stone, each of which has certain advantages and disadvantages. However, there are many other materials that can be used in landscaping.

how to paint sand

Only thoroughly washed and dried sand is suitable for dyeing at home. Additional impurities make the coloring less qualitative. At the same time, a kind of dusty shell appears around the granule. Due to this, the dye hardly adheres to its surface.

Particle size does not affect color quality. In this case, it is possible to apply the pigment both to small and to large fractions.In this case, the dye does not penetrate into the structure of the grains of sand, but forms a solid layer on their surface.

For coloring sand, it is recommended to use mineral pigments with polyurethane and epoxy elements. The use of high-quality substances allows to obtain a bright and rich shade, resistant to mechanical stress and other harmful factors.

How to paint expanded clay

For coloring expanded clay, it is recommended to use environmentally friendly material that does not contain toxic elements. It is important that the paint withstands heavy rainfall, sunlight and sudden temperature fluctuations.

To apply the pigment, you must do the following:

1. Pour expanded clay into a concrete mixer to a third of its volume and add a dye mixed with water. It is used according to the instructions.
2. Turn on the device for 5 minutes. In case of uneven coloring of the granules, the process can be started for the same time.
3. Spread a thin layer of painted clay for drying. It is allowed to lay it on a wooden coating or plastic wrap.

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Paint marble chips

It is quite possible to paint the marble chips with your own hands. First, you need to rinse it thoroughly so that the material does not darken after a while. After which it must be dried in the sun. It is allowed to paint the material manually or mechanically. The second option is considered faster and more efficient. To do this, it is permissible to use an ordinary concrete mixer.

If it is not possible to use such a device, the procedure is carried out manually.To do this, it is recommended to add dye in the optimal proportion to the container with marble chips. After that, the composition must be thoroughly mixed to achieve a uniform shade.

Painted crushed stone is considered a popular material that is often used in landscaping. In this case, you can get it yourself. To achieve a uniform and even coating, it is important to strictly adhere to the technology of applying pigments.