How to make marble at home. How to make marble from concrete: secrets of technology. Technology for the production of artificial marble from concrete

Concrete, traditionally used in construction, is the main building material, which is the basis of the foundations of buildings, interfloor ceilings, supporting structures, beams But not everyone knows that you can create an original design yourself, which is what distinguishes concrete marble.

Natural marble has been used for centuries to decorate interiors and buildings. Unfortunately, the financial capabilities of developers make it difficult for the mass use of rare and expensive material.

Currently, production technology has become widespread artificial marble, allowing living conditions without application special equipment make marbled concrete, appearance which is close to natural stone.

After the marble obtained from concrete has hardened, it is removed from the molds and the corner surface is polished grinder with diamond discs

The appearance can be imitated by making your own marble concrete, which adds sophistication to building facades. The material is in demand for the manufacture of cladding, interior elements, landscape design. Let's look at how to make marble from concrete on your own, ensuring complete similarity with natural stone.

Requirements

Severe demands are placed on a self-made composite. Marble concrete made at home should:

• repeat the color and structure of the original;
• have high strength;
• do not require increased financial costs associated with its production;
• do not emit harmful substances during operation;
• meet fire safety requirements;
• maintain structure when operating in conditions of high humidity;
• be resistant to temperature changes.

Concrete marble withstands temperature changes and retains its strength

The technology for producing artificial marble makes it possible to create products that fully comply with the entire range of specified requirements.

Required materials

To create marble from concrete with your own hands, you will need the following materials, devices and tools:

Having prepared the specified materials, begin to make artificial marble with your own hands.

Method of making artificial stone

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The given technology of marble from concrete will allow you to get an appearance close to original stone. The sequence of operations for the production of artificial stone includes the following stages:

• dry mixing. Using a clean container, mix Portland cement with sifted fine-grained sand, maintaining a 1:2 ratio. After finishing mixing, add multi-colored pebbles and marble chips, which are filler, to the resulting mixture. The introduction of multi-colored filler will provide original look concrete product;
• introduction of dye. Add pigment to the prepared dry mixture, the concentration of which should not exceed 1% of the total mass of the mixture;
• re-mixing. Using an electric drill with a special attachment, thoroughly re-mix all ingredients. The main condition for the natural appearance of the future product is its uneven coloring, ensuring the identity of natural stone, which has veins and spotted inclusions;

If artificial marble is produced in large quantities, you will have to purchase or rent a vibrating table

• compaction of the composition. Using a vibrating table or manually (by vigorous shaking), ensure that air is removed from the dry mixture;
• adding plasticizer and water. Using heated water, dilute the plasticizer in a container in an amount equal to 1% of the total volume of cement and 80% warm water. Mix the mixture with a mixer until a plastic composition is obtained. Add the remaining water to the volume and stir the mixture again;
• filling. Pour the resulting mass into pre-dried, clean polyurethane molds. Pay attention to the horizontal position of the form before pouring;
• reinforcement. If the area is larger and the product needs to be strengthened, reinforce the array using pre-prepared steel wire. Carry out the strengthening operation after pouring the mixture into molds by immersing a wire in a concrete mass.

Cover the flooded products plastic film. Ensure that the array remains stationary for ten days. During this period, the concrete mass will acquire operational strength. The use of collapsible forms with smooth surface walls will facilitate the process of removing finished products.

Using original forms of appropriate sizes and configurations, you can easily make a stylized marble window sill with your own hands, as well as facing tiles, balusters, columns and other products.

The main advantage of marble, for the production of which concrete is used, is the absence of the need for additional processing.

Advantages of artificial stone

Self-made marble concrete has a number of positive properties, the main ones of which are:

Areas of use

Application decorative material significantly improves the exterior, causing admiring glances. The original texture of the material allows it to be used for finishing and decorating the outside of premises:

• execution of external cladding;
• implementation of territory design solutions;
• laying sidewalks in recreation areas.

Undoubtedly, marble concrete is used not only for decorative finishing buildings from the street side and landscape design. It is also popular inside apartments, where it is used for:

• Decorative finishing of residential premises.
• Applications instead ceramic tiles in the bathroom, kitchen, toilet.
• Fireplace linings.
• Formation of floor coverings.
• Manufacturing of countertops, window sills, railings, balusters, stairs, various interior items.

The affordable price of concrete products that imitate marble allows consumers to realize their fantasies for decorating a building and improving the interior of a room.

Conclusion

Affordable and simple technology for the production of artificial marble allows minimal costs independently produce various exclusive products for finishing and decoration. The popularity of decorative marble is growing.

Knowing how to make marble from concrete on your own, you can set up mass production that does not require major capital investments. The key to success is application quality materials, correctly made molds for filling, as well as compliance with the requirements of the technology set out in the article.

Artificial marble is a very popular material today. It can be manufactured according to various technologies and using different materials. Previously, the construction magazine already talked about how to do it yourself.

In the same review, we will talk about the production of marble from concrete, which can be successfully used both for surface finishing and for manufacturing various products, for example countertops.

You should know that it can be made from gypsum, as well as other building materials that are no less common today. However, concrete marble is the most popular due to the ease of its manufacture.

To make concrete marble with your own hands, you will need the following components:

1. Cement not lower than M400-500;
2. Plain water;
3. Plasticizer C3 - you can read about the various ones by going to another article;
4. Fine sand;
5. Pigment additives;
6. Gravel - will be used as filler;

Well, it goes without saying that to make marble from concrete you will need empty containers for mixing the solution, plastic film and molds.

So, when all of the above components are prepared, and the materials for making marble from concrete have been purchased, you can safely begin the work. Initially, you will need to take into account some preparatory issues regarding forms. The forms should be rinsed and dried.

You should know that the mold for concrete marble must be made taking into account the dimensions, for example, or any other product. About making molds and stamps for decorative concrete has already been discussed in previous issues of the magazine.

Once the forms are prepared, you can begin mixing the solution. To do this, take 2 parts sand and 1 part cement, after which, while still in a dry state, these two components are thoroughly mixed with each other. Then the dry mixture is filled with filler, which, as mentioned above, is gravel.

However, as a filler to make concrete marble with your own hands, you can use not only gravel, but also natural marble chips or, for example, pebbles. In this case, the surface of artificial marble will be original and colorful in appearance.

Mixing the solution and pouring the molds

But at this point, making marble from concrete with your own hands is not finished yet. Now you need to add dye to the prepared mixture (about 1% of the total mass of the solution), and then thoroughly mix all the components again. Only after these above mentioned manipulations can you safely add plasticizer and water.

The amount of plasticizer, just like the dye, is used about 1% of the total mass of the prepared solution. Water is added gradually until the solution becomes highly plastic. For the convenience of mixing the concrete mixture, you should give preference to an electric drill or hammer drill using a mixer attachment on them.

The solution for artificial marble is completely ready when it has uniform coloring and homogeneous structure. After preparation, it can be poured into previously prepared forms. At the same time, do not forget about reinforcement if the dimensions of the future concrete marble product are large enough.

Marble finishing adds sophistication and prestige to both the facades of buildings and the interior of the premises. In this case, they talk about the high status of the company or the owner of the apartment. Concrete even sounds a bit rough. It’s hard to imagine that the most ordinary mixture of sand, cement and water would look chic. Nevertheless, marble can be made from it. Here's how - read on.

This technology is available to everyone, but it is necessary to have at least a little knowledge on this issue. After all, we have all seen concrete and we all know what marble looks like. At first glance, there is nothing in common between them. But it's time to dispel such thoughts.

What do you need to know?

Firstly, it is important what kind of sand to use for the solution. What forms will be needed, is it possible to make them yourself? How to pour the solution there, how to dry it all and then take it out? It would seem that these are simple questions with obvious answers, but, alas, not everything is so simple.

Without additional materials You can’t make beautiful artificial marble yourself. Therefore, it is worth buying white cement, marble chips, etc. in advance. Then the stone will really look elegant and expensive. An ordinary passerby is unlikely to guess whether the fence is made of real marble or not.

Advantages of artificial marble

1. Eco-friendly material.
2. Excellent physical and mechanical properties.
3. Much cheaper than natural marble stone. Amazingly, the prices differ by approximately 10 times.
4. Waste-free production of marble from concrete is also important.
5. Minimum complexity in processing and restoration.
6. Good heat and moisture resistance.
7. There are no restrictions when choosing color and shape.

How to make marble from concrete - technology as it is

First, let's prepare the essential materials:

• sand with cement;
• pigment;
• plasticizer (a substance that, when added to concrete, significantly increases its characteristics).

About forms and more...

To make concrete marble with your own hands, you need molds. The solution will be laid out there. A special polymer mold is ideal for this task. If you can’t find one on the farm, use any other plastic one. Pay attention to cement grade 500. A high-quality material is suitable as a pigment. oil paint. A wide variety of colors will give free rein to your imagination.

Marble made from ordinary concrete - step-by-step instructions

• If all required material is already standing and waiting in the wings, it’s time to take care of the vibrating table. It’s not at all necessary to buy it specifically, but if you can borrow it, then it’s necessary thing. During vibration, air evaporates from the solution. This can be done manually - no one has canceled shaking with your own hands. This is how cheap and cheerful it is to do without a vibrating table.

• It’s time to add paint to the solution (1 part cement and 2 parts sand). There is no need to stir the mixture vigorously until smooth. Do it casually, leaving stains, feel like an artist. Don't be afraid to experiment and add a few drops of different colors at once.

After adding paints, shake the molds or place the container with the solution on a vibrating table. By the way, you can do it yourself. Then you will become a beloved neighbor and relative. In the future, such a table will be useful in the manufacture of, for example, paving slabs. After all, buying a ready-made instrument is not a cheap pleasure.

• The last stage is the most labor-intensive. And its name is grinding. After all, after the molds have dried, the marble cubes will need to be polished. Any here mechanical processing will not be superfluous. The efforts made will inevitably affect fatigue, but it is important to pay attention to one more thing. important fact- dust. Yes, it does happen, there will be a lot of it. Therefore, take care of a couple of buckets of water in advance or connect a hose with good pressure.

Other technologies for manufacturing artificial marble

Of course, alternatives to the above-described technology for making marble from concrete exist. Some of them are even more efficient and less labor intensive. Most exclude the grinding step, which in itself is already very tempting. But it is almost impossible to implement them at home. Companies involved in this can provide photos of concrete marble and offer good conditions for cooperation. Still, any deal will cost you a pretty penny.

Artificial marble in the interior

It would seem that marbled concrete is mainly used outside the living space. Indeed, fences made of such material look majestic. Nevertheless, artificial marble has found its application inside apartments.

Where you can see it:

• decoration of walls of residential premises;
• in the bathroom - an excellent alternative to standard tiles;

• countertops and other interior items in the kitchen (and in the most unexpected places, but they look unusual and rich);

• fireplace is not just a hearth home comfort, but also a luxury item (especially if it is made of marble, albeit artificial);
• floor coverings.

If you are still thinking about how to make marble from concrete at home, watch a video on this topic and get to work quickly. The result, if not surprising, will definitely please you, rest assured.

Products that imitate natural stones are highly durable and resistant to chemicals, environmental friendliness, shock and heat resistance, as well as other advantages. Artificial marble is made from 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

The base for this material is polyester resin and any mineral filler (marble chips, crushed white quartz and other fine components). 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. To do this, you need to mix 20-25% polyester resin with 75-80% crushed neutral mineral.
2. Butacryl. In this case, instead of resin, AST-T and butacryl are used in equal proportions, after which 50% is added to the mixture quartz sand or crushed crushed stone.

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

1. Lubricate the matrix for the future artificial stone with gelcoat and let the form dry.
2. Prepare the solution using one of the methods described above.
3. Place the liquid solution into the matrix and remove any excess.
4. Cover the mold with film and wait 10 hours.
5. Pull out ready artificial stone from the mold and leave it in the open air for a while.

The hardened stone can be further polished or left without machining.

Despite the simplicity of producing such artificial raw materials, the casting method of producing marble is highly expensive, so it makes sense to consider other methods of creating stones.

Artificial gypsum marble is a gypsum mass, sealed with a mixture of water and glue, which is polished until a mirror shine appears. This “tinting” allows you to imitate natural minerals such as malachite and lapis lazuli.

The production of this artificial marble does not require expensive materials. You can prepare it as follows:

1. Mix dry plaster 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 inclusions and stains appear in it.

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

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 finished product from the form.
4. Treat the surface of the product with potassium silicate to make the finished stone water-resistant.
5. Dry the marble and polish it using soft felt (you can also use specialized abrasives to give the finished product a richer shade).
6. When the surface of the stone becomes almost mirror-like, the artificial marble will be ready.

This 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 producing marble using concrete is also very popular due to the use of environmentally friendly material and the ease of manufacturing products.

To create such a stone yourself, follow these steps:

1. Coat the dry matrix with a smooth surface with a moisture-resistant gelcoat and wait completely dry forms.
2. Prepare concrete mixture and add clay or slaked lime to it.
3. Prepare the filling. To do this you need to mix 2 parts river sand, 1 part 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 this, 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 voids in the form should be filled.
6. Remove excess mixture with a spatula.
7. Cover the surface with polyethylene and wait for the composition to completely harden at above-zero 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 treat it with a grinding machine and a special transparent polish.

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

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

In conclusion

The production of artificial marble differs depending on the material used (more details in the video). However, no matter what raw materials you choose, the stone must be properly cared for. For example, to maintain the shine of a marble surface, use a soap solution (add 1 capful of any detergent to 3 liters of water).

The use of natural marble in decorative works quite popular, but not everyone can afford such pleasure. A worthy alternative natural stone can become artificial marble, especially since making it with your own hands is accessible to any self-taught craftsman.

From this spectacular and inexpensive finishing material You can get a wide variety of household items: sinks and sinks, window sills and countertops, bathtubs and steps and much, much more.

Properties of artificial marble

Artificial marble is an alloy of acrylic resins and various mineral fillers . The main ingredient of this alloy is polyester resin– characterized by high strength and good wear resistance.

Fillers added to artificial marble - multi-colored mineral chips and pigment dyes - allow you to create exactly the same stains on the man-made material as on natural stone. And the hardeners present in the alloy give this patterned beauty durability.

When used more than simple technologies in the production of artificial marble, fillers can be cement-concrete mixtures, fine quartz crushed stone, pebbles, tinted sand.

Artificial marble is an excellent dielectric, it is not flammable, so it can be used without restrictions for any decorative work. The homogeneous structure does not allow it to delaminate.

Artificial marble is known for its anti-corrosion, resistance to chemical solvents and alkaline environments. This allows it to be classified as a hygienic material from which kitchen and bathroom utensils can be safely made.

Do-it-yourself artificial marble production technologies

Technologies self-made artificial marble are quite simple. Anyone can master this simple task, the main thing is to prepare the appropriate mold for casting.

Production of artificial marble with concrete filler

This method is the most simple and accessible. It is distinguished by elementary manufacturing technology and low cost.

1. 1. Coat the inner surface of the matrix (mold) with gelcoat. It should be noted that types of gelcoat differ in the environment of use and color. In this case, a moisture-resistant gelcoat is suitable.
2. Wait until it dries completely and only then fill the form with filler - gypsum or concrete mortar. Add clay as a plasticizer or slaked lime.
3. Now we begin to prepare the filler for the main layer of the product. You will need to thoroughly mix cement and sand in a 1:2 ratio. Then add pebbles or crushed stone as a filler along with a plasticizer. Again you need to mix thoroughly (best in a mixer) until a homogeneous consistency is formed.
4. Finally, pigment dye should be added unevenly into different sectors of the form - this creates a pattern characteristic of marble with specks and veins.
5. The matrix, set strictly horizontally, should be filled with small doses of liquid artificial marble. It should fill all the voids of the form. If there is excess solution, it should be removed with a spatula. The filling must be covered with plastic wrap.
6. Now you need to let the solution dry. In natural conditions, this may take, depending on the thickness of the artificial marble, a day or even more. The temperature should be positive.
7. The dried slab removed from the mold should be treated grinder and transparent polish.

Production of artificial marble based on polyester resins

This technology will require large material costs, but the result will be distinguished by an excellent appearance of the external surface. The resulting product will be light and durable, resistant to chemical and physical influences.

The solution for artificial marble can be prepared in two ways:

• used to produce polymer concrete polyester resin (20%) and bulk filler (80%) is added to it; any mineral or sand crushed into crumbs is most often used as a filler;
• polyester resin can be replace with a mixture of AST-T and butacryl in a ratio of 50 x 50 and add 50% quartz sand or crushed stone to it. Acrylic-based pigment dyes are used to add color to marble.

Manufacturing process steps:

1. The solution that fills the form is leveled with a spatula. Sometimes a chipboard board is used as an additional filler: it should be cut 50 mm smaller than the contour of the matrix and pressed into the mass. The excess that appears after immersing the board must be leveled internal parties castings
2. After drying, the hardened product is removed from the mold.
3. The finished product is ground, drilled, or otherwise machined.

Making artificial marble from gypsum

Make marble with your own hands gypsum base simple enough. This does not require any special material costs.

Pour dry plaster into a container with water, then add wood glue and resin dissolved in a hot turpentine bath. All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed. After this, acrylic or pigment dyes are dipped into the mixture to produce veins and streaks.

If you need to get artificial marble milky, then the following should be added to the solution: 200 grams of white humilax, 1 kilogram of industrial alcohol and 50 grams of dry gypsum. If final product must have coffee or brown, orange humilax is dropped into the mixture. Black marble is made using aniline dye.

Stages of the production process:

1. The liquid mixture should be poured into polyurethane or plastic mold. To get rid of excess water and achieve fast setting solution, it must be sprinkled with dry plaster.
2. Since plaster dries quickly, the finished product is removed from the mold after 8-10 hours.
3. To make the outer layer of marble waterproof, it would not hurt to treat it with potassium silicate. To do this, the ingot is thickly coated on both sides with a brush or completely immersed in the bath.
4. The dried surface is polished either with soft felt or a similar abrasive agent while adding polish of the required shade. The treatment continues until an almost mirror-like surface is achieved.

Video: how to make marble with your own hands?