DIY granite repair

An alternative to cement has appeared on the construction market, which from the point of view of environmental friendliness of production is not safe for the atmosphere. About 2 billion tons of cement are produced annually in the world, with each ton emitting 0.4 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Engineers worked hard on this problem for a long time, until they invented liquid granite - a new word in the technology of production of finishing materials. It has many advantages over other finishing materials: fire resistance, versatility, quality, safety, strength.

Liquid granite is an artificial liquid stone.

Its advantages are due to the fact that, in contrast to the composition of granite, the composition of liquid granite includes refined marble chips (80%) and polyester resin (20%). It hardens when an accelerator and a hardener are added to it. In the process of chemical reactions, all harmful substances are released, and in the finished state the product will already be environmentally friendly.

Liquid granite can be used in any environment: apartments, offices, schools and so on. As a surface for spraying are: wood, stone, metal, porcelain, fiberglass, ceramics, chipboard and fibreboard. Products made from liquid granite resemble products made from natural stone, because it contains marble chips, and you no longer need to use large pieces of stone. The color scheme of the material is varied thanks to hundreds of color dyes that allow liquid granite to fit into any room.

• The color of the soil does not affect the color of the liquid stone;
• Nice to the touch;
• The material is non-toxic, odorless;
• Moisture resistance is achieved by adding a hardener;
• Does not lose its appearance over time, is durable - the service life of products is more than 25 years;
• It is easy to remove dirt from the surface;
• With temperature drops, a product made of liquid stone does not lose its shape and properties.

Components for liquid stone:

• Plasticine;
• Fiberglass;
• Chemical resin;
• Filler;
• Hardener;
• Acetone;
• Calcinite;
• Gelcoat;
• Hot melt glue;
• Chipboard, fiberboard.

1. Casting method - the finished mixture is poured into a special mold until completely dry. Then the finished product is removed and processed.
2. Spraying method - spray on the surface to apply liquid stone with a layer of several millimeters.

Direct spraying method - a special primer is applied to the workpiece and allowed to dry. A layer of liquid stone is applied with a spray gun. Grinding and polishing is done after drying.

Back-pollination method - used if the workpiece is not part of the furniture. The workpiece is placed on a molding surface (chipboard, glass sheet, table) and contoured. A border made of chipboard or plastic is installed along the contour. A layer of release agent is applied. After it, a liquid stone is sprayed over the surface. When it partially hardens, a soil is sprayed so that the stone layer does not shine through. It turns out the form where the polyester resin is poured. The product is removed from the mold when it is completely hardened.

The room in which the production of liquid granite takes place should consist of two rooms... The first room is needed for direct production, and the second for grinding the resulting product. The temperature in the rooms should be maintained at 20-24 degrees. There must be ventilation.

Surface preparation begins with removing dirt and dust from it. Before coating, the surface is washed with water and thoroughly dried.All damage, scratches, cracks must be repaired.

Manufacturing steps:

1. Prepare the mixture by mixing a transparent gelcoat (polymer resin) with granules in a 2: 1 ratio using a drill. The hardener is added before spraying.
2. The resulting mixture is applied to the product. It can be applied in two ways: direct spray and back spray.
3. The surface of the finished product is ground and polished.

The use of marble is very diverse.... It is suitable for finishing decorative elements, for facing stoves and fireplaces. It is used for the manufacture of sanitary ware for bathrooms and toilets, as well as for countertops and other elements of room furniture.

Liquid granite allows you to create various vases, flower pots, statues.

In order for baths made of cast marble and liquid granite to please the eye for a long time, it must be properly looked after.

1. Do not cut food on a surface covered with liquid granite, otherwise scratches will appear. They can be repaired, but this will lead to rapid surface wear.
2. Do not place hot mugs, plates, pots or other utensils on liquid stone-coated countertops. High temperatures can damage the surface. Hot water must also not be poured into sinks made of this material. The temperature should not exceed 80 degrees, and be not lower than -50.
3. The surface should be cleaned with a soft towel or sponge without an abrasive layer. To make the coating last longer, you can use polish.
4. Liquid granite sinks can be cleaned with chlorine-based products. This will help update the look. If the surface is dull, it is best to use a gel cleaner. They are applied for a few minutes, then washed off with a sponge.

• GRANITO-FARFALLA - a company engaged in the production of countertops, window sills from liquid granite. The quality of products is ensured by materials and equipment from well-known world manufacturers. The company is constantly striving to improve technology, improve technical performance.
• "GRANITE" - a company producing decorative filler GraniStone for the production of liquid stone, and ready-to-use liquid composition AquaGranit, made of polyester isophthalic resin and acrylic.
• "Liquid granite" - a company for the production of countertops, artificial stone window sills, wall panels and door covers for granite.

• MASTERCOMPOSIT - a manufacturer of coatings and artificial stone products using GraniStone technology.
• ColGran - the company produces liquid polyester stone in 150 colors.
• Hi-Macs - manufacturer - LG corporation produces stone, consisting of 70% natural materials, based on acrylic resin.

Products made of liquid stone have a beautiful attractive appearance, are varied in color and texture similar to seamless marble. They are perfectly combined with any finishing materials. Quality, safety and durability complete the list of advantages of this material.

When caring for liquid granite, as well as for decorative plaster in the bathroom, you should take a responsible approach to the choice of cleaning agents, otherwise it will quickly wear out and deform. Another disadvantage of using a stone is the low adhesion of the resin to the surface, so bubbles and delamination can appear. To prevent this, you do not need to treat the surface. Unreasonably high price of the stone is a disadvantage for buyers. Manufacturers overestimate it, citing production time, harmful working conditions and labor costs.

Restoration and renovation of granite are services that are often requested from our company. This usually applies to flooring, wall coverings, window sills, countertops, stairs, as well as more interesting gizmos: rare values, art objects, decorative components, etc.Only experienced specialists can carry out recovery procedures in such a way that the result will be completely invisible to the eye of a non-professional.
So, what problems can our company help with?

Filling chips, cracks in granite

Such damage is considered to be quite common. The complexity of the restoration work depends on the complexity of the case. If it is necessary to work with binders to mask a small crack, then in more severe situations more effort must be made. So, wide cracks and chips require the search for a material similar in color and texture. After that, the flaw is filled, dried, sanded and polished. As a result of the correct implementation of the procedures, the result will not externally give itself out. Such granite repairs are carried out not only for decorative improvement, but also to prevent further destruction of the stone product.

Even if during the operation of the product, most of it was lost, an experienced craftsman will be able to return the product to its original appearance. Restoration is carried out in several stages: modeling the finished result, searching for materials that match in color, texture, designing the missing element, gluing it to the product, masking traces of work.
Such restoration of granite possible even in cases where the situation concerns rare values. Of course, this work will cost an order of magnitude more.

This process is carried out through grinding. It is carried out by rubbing a small part of the top layer of the stone with hard abrasives. After that, flaws in the form of abrasions, small scratches, irregularities are removed, after which the surface acquires a matte shine.It is worth noting that granite grinding is used at the end of each stone repair procedure, because at the end of restoration work, irregularities always appear (after gluing parts, filling in chips, cracks, etc.). They need to be smoothed out for perfect results.

This procedure is called polishing. With the help of special equipment and chemical powders and pastes, it is possible to achieve a transparent, glossy effect (like a granite floor), which not only has a mirror shine, but also allows the full color of natural stone to pass through. Granite polishing is a process that is always recommended to be carried out upon completion of any restoration work, because in addition to decorative qualities, it is possible to obtain a special protective layer here. It is he who prevents the destruction of the stone from moisture and friction. And this allows you to extend the life of the granite product.

We draw your attention to the fact that sometimes the restoration of granite surfaces is impractical. For example, in cases where more than half of the coverage area is destroyed. In such cases, our company offers a granite laying service from experienced professionals. You can find out the cost of work from our consultant by contacting him in any convenient way.

Although the natural stone granite is one of the most durable and shock-resistant stones used in decorating houses, it also happens that even on it chips and damage can occur as a result of mechanical stress.

If, nevertheless, it so happened that, say, a chip appeared on the surface of your granite countertop, then you should not worry very much and think that it is completely spoiled. Yes, of course it's unpleasant, but everything is fixable.

So, what do we need to do for this. First of all, we need to process the hole itself and the area around it using a fraser. You need to start from the surface around the chip.

After the chip has been processed and prepared, we need a two-component glue for the stone. The glue itself is transparent, but you will need to add stone chips to it. In order for the colors to match and upon completion of the work there is no trace left on the surface, the crumb must be the same stone, and not some other.Pour the crumb into the glue and mix.

Before filling the hole with glue, we need to degrease it. And after that we fill it with glue. Then the glue must be tamped a little so that it fills the hole as completely as possible. Then we leave the glue to dry for 24 hours.

After the above period has passed, the glue will dry out and will need to be sanded and polished. This can be done either with a polishing machine or with a grinder. Step by step we go over the surface with each grinding disc, after each, the surface must be wiped from dust. And already at the final stage, we carry out polishing using polishing salt. It fills in the cracks and gives the surface that everyone's favorite shine.

Granite and stone can be used for bar counters, countertops in kitchens, bathrooms and showers.

They are also used for floors, wall panels, mosaics, stairs, porch steps (inside or outside), fireplaces, window sills and sculptures. The materials are durable, but operation and time leave their marks.

Cracks, chips, stains, edge damage, loss of gloss - all of this can someday happen to a stone or granite countertop.

Most damage can be repaired, allowing the surface to look almost like new. Modern tools and technologies will provide quality repairs.

Usually removed with a suitable filler. The complexity of the work depends on the material. On pure black or white stone surfaces, it is most difficult to repair damage inconspicuously (stained stone is easier to work with).

Most finishes allow you to almost completely restore the original look of the countertop. Of course, when viewed from different angles, the damaged area will be visible. Especially if the person knows that it was there. The uninitiated, most likely, will not notice anything.

Chemical repair and polishing can be tried first. Usually, these methods give good results without requiring much effort and cost. If this does not help, the surface will have to be re-sanded.

The work can affect an individual area or the entire countertop. If the owner decides to tackle the surface on his own, then most likely he will need to rent a hand sander.

It is best not to do this work inside the house, as the process generates a lot of dust. But, if the countertop cannot be pulled out into the street, it is worth protecting the surrounding space as much as possible and preventing the spread of dirt in other rooms.

Rather, the treatment will affect the entire surface. When sanding, part of the tabletop is cut off and you need to ensure that it remains flat. But it must be remembered that the larger the area is captured, the more expensive the project will be.

In addition, when working on site, sanding is carried out using hand tools, with which it is difficult to obtain a completely flat surface.

First of all, you need to identify the cause of their appearance. If you just patch up the crack, chances are it will quickly reappear. Verification may incur additional costs.

The areas around the stove or sink are the weakest in countertops, so cracks appear most often here. They can be caused by uneven installation of modules or lack of support. Eliminating these problems and sealing cracks will help to avoid them in the future.

If a dishwasher is installed under a cracked stone countertop, the damage could be caused by exposure to steam. Improving ventilation will help solve the problem.

Often, experts recommend replacing, rather than repairing, a damaged stone countertop. If it is too expensive, the surface can be repaired, but practice shows that people are not satisfied with the result in 30% of cases.

Since the tombstone consists of several parts (as a rule, the minimum set includes a stand, a stele and a flower garden), you should carefully consider the choice of mounting materials.

The reliability and strength of the entire structure will depend on the choice of the adhesive composition.

Some masters assure that it is enough to install a granite or marble monument on an ordinary cement mortar. However, such an installation cannot be called reliable, since such a composition can withstand a limited number of freezing cycles.

Over time, the solution will lose its adhesive power, which leads to undesirable consequences.

To achieve the best result, experts recommend using professional adhesives for the installation of monuments made of granite or marble.

They are not cheap, but the "made and forget" characteristic is applied to such adhesives. There are several types of adhesives for permanent installation of granite and marble:

Marmotix is ​​a thick one-component polyester adhesive-mastic produced by the Spanish company ROBERLO. Designed for gluing, reinforcing and restoring products from marble, granite and other natural stone.

The composition based on rubber resins has high adhesion and high viscosity, it is easy to apply even on vertical surfaces.

Marmotix is ​​available in a wide range of colors and the WHITE product can be tinted with STONE COLOR to obtain the desired shade.

MARMOTIX mixes easily with the hardener and dries quickly when glued. It can be used without hardener, in this case the glue setting time increases, but the bonding strength also increases. You can work with Marmotix compounds at temperatures from +5 degrees.

AK-EPOXY NORMAL (Isomat, Greece) is a modern two-component adhesive based on epoxy resin. The composition has excellent adhesion to various types of surfaces, high compressive and bending strength, resistant to aggressive media.

The glue is easy to use: just mix the two components in a 1 to 1 ratio.

ROBEPOX (ROBERLO, Spain) is a two-component epoxy adhesive putty based on modified epoxy resins. It is used for gluing and repairing products from marble, granite and other types of natural stone.

The ROBEPOX glue is characterized by increased adhesion and flawless adhesion even on damp stone. The glue sets in 25-30 minutes.

The initial color of the composition is light beige, however, if necessary, you can obtain glue of any color by mixing with coloring pigments.

To install the stele on the base, you will need the following materials and tools:

• glue;
• spatula for application;
• clean container for the preparation of adhesive;
• clean rag;
• solvent for cleaning and degreasing surfaces.

Let's consider the process of installing a monument on the base using the example of using a two-component epoxy adhesive.

The work is carried out in the following sequence:

1. Preparation of the base. The surface of the stand is cleaned of dirt and dust, degreased with a solvent.
2. Preparing the glue. Resin and hardener are thoroughly mixed in a clean container in the required proportion. Stir the composition for three to five minutes until a homogeneous mass is formed.
3. Glue application. The composition is applied to a slightly rough surface in an even layer with a spatula.
4. Bonding. Immediately after applying the glue, a stele is placed on the marble base and its position is corrected. Excess glue is removed with a cloth soaked in solvent.

Bonding a fractured monument using epoxy or polyester glue, it is done in the same sequence with only one difference - after joining, the elements to be glued must be fixed for 25-30 minutes for the glue to set.

Helpful hint: In order for the glue seam to be invisible, it is necessary to add a color scheme of the corresponding color to the composition.

A photographic portrait is often taken on a separate plate made of granite or ceramics and attached to a ready-made tombstone.

How to glue a photo on a monument?

This is very easy to do if you choose the right glue. For these purposes, the same two-component epoxy composition is suitable.

1. Before gluing the photograph to the granite monument, both surfaces must be cleaned with solvent or acetone.
2. Then you should make the markup - attach the plate to the stele and circle it with a marker.
3. Glue is applied to a photographic portrait, after which the photo is applied at the place of marking and pressed for a few seconds.
4. After 5 minutes, the position of the plate is checked and, if necessary, corrections are made.

Incorrect operation, like illiterate transportation, is fraught with stone. And although the scale of disasters in these cases is completely different (small chips with scratches on the surface and broken elements cannot be compared in any way), nevertheless, the repair of granite, marble or any other stone becomes relevant.

Has the unimportant climate finally tired the marble façade? The porch with granite steps directly screams how mercilessly and regularly he was tortured with heels and other irritants? And from your favorite architectural form that has always stood in the garden, have they split off an impressive part? Do not despair: just seek the services of a restorer. Repair of stone products is quite popular today, so there is a chance that your problem will be solved. What are restorers capable of today?

• Eliminate stains.

In the fight against such problems, special gels help. If the stains are of organic origin, the light stone can be treated with hydrogen peroxide. There are also various special pastes that are selected empirically for each type of contamination. And even this does not always help to clear deep dirt. Sometimes it is necessary to “cut out” the defective area and insert another stone, similar in color and pattern, in its place.

But so that the repair of stone products does not become a frequent concern for you, it is worth remembering that marble, unlike granite, is afraid of acids. And not only in the form of household chemicals, but also in the form of corny sour fruits and berries.

• Eliminate scratches.

In such a situation, only the polishing process saves. We have already told you more about it.

• Eliminate chips.

Repair of granite or marble also involves the elimination of chips or even work with broken elements, which in such cases should be preserved. After gluing the elements, a specialist will repolish their surface. If there are no fragments left, the restorer imitates granite or marble fragments using polymer glue and colourants. As a result, they look more than believable. But it should be understood that this method will help out by no means in every case. After all, there are hopeless ones among them.

But one way or another, you always have the opportunity to get advice from a competent specialist and the likelihood that the stone will be restored. Call us!

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.

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.