Arches with stone trim. Finishing an arch with decorative stone: a universal solution for interior openings

An arch, as one of the design methods, is usually installed in the transition between the hallway and the living room.

This is essentially the first element of decor that can surprise visiting guests.

Nowadays arched structures are very popular, they have a variety of shapes, sizes and designs.

Arch finishing decorative stone is the most popular way to make it more functional, sophisticated and trendy.

Decorating an arch, what to choose?

You can design an arch in several ways: plastic panels, wooden opening.

But all of them are no longer relevant: they are not environmentally friendly, since they do not allow air to pass through, plaster is very susceptible to mechanical stress, and wood does not always meet the high demands of trendy design.

Today, the most popular way to decorate arches is to decorate them. artificial stone, which has a lot of advantages compared to natural ones.

In addition to everything, it has a highly wear-resistant surface and is able to maintain its original appearance for a long time.

Artificial is better than natural!

Perhaps such a statement may be confusing, since there is a general opinion that natural is always better than artificial, but not in this case.

Firstly, the artificial (decorative) material is one hundred percent natural and consists of expanded clay, pumice, cement and other natural fillers, and is only obtained industrially, artificially.

It is strong, durable and no less beautiful.

Secondly, there are several advantages of decorative stone over natural stone:

• It is almost three times lighter than its natural counterpart, which allows the use of artificial material on arched structures of different strengths;
• Available for purchase on the construction market and costs several times cheaper than natural ones;
• The shape, texture, color can exactly repeat the popular types of natural stones used in decoration;
• Easy to care for decorated surfaces;
• Even an amateur can decorate an arched space with such material; the product is malleable when cutting and grinding sharp corners.

Thirdly, the material is impervious to high humidity, temperature changes, fungus, corrosion and rotting.

This certainly makes it a leader among similar ones when choosing a product for room decor.

Main stages of work: where to start?

When designing an arched space artificial decor There are three main stages:

• Preparation of the working surface of the wall and working equipment;
• Basic work on finishing the internal and external surfaces of the arch;
• Surface decoration.

The first stage includes preparing the base for laying artificial stone and the necessary working equipment.

In the first case, no special care is required, the main thing is that the surface is cleaned of dust and primed.

For better bonding of the glue, wall and decor, before laying the layer, notches are applied to the base of the wall.

To work you will need the following tools and materials:

• Primer composition;
• Mortar or construction adhesive;
• Grout for joints;
• Auxiliary tools (pencil, ruler, sandpaper, plastic spatula, construction syringe).

It should be taken into account that the cement mortar (glue), its composition and proportions, must correspond to the selected type of material.

The second stage is finishing the arch with decorative stone, in a word, laying it on the prepared surface.

The first row of material is formed at the junction of the arch and the wall according to the “bottom-up” principle, the second according to the same principle, but in a checkerboard pattern.

The complexity of the second stage lies in applying decorative elements to the arched shape of the arch with the designation of additional markings of the required radius.

As well as trimming the product according to the intended pattern, followed by polishing the cut edges.

The time for the adhesive layer to dry depends on the type of solution chosen, most often it is about two days.

Artificial stone can be laid in two ways: without seams and with jointing.

In the case of using the second method, after the glue has completely dried, the gaps between the tiles are rubbed using a construction syringe or a plastic spatula with a special compound.

The third stage of finishing work is decorating the surface, that is, giving it a finished look.

It is important to remember that the applied adhesive must be completely dry, otherwise, when processing the seams, the carefully laid out checkerboard pattern may be disrupted.

Decoration includes: primary treatment of seams with a composition for filling gaps between products, giving the finished surface the required shade using an airbrush.

Also, cleaning the masonry from excess glue and grout, treating the surface with polishing and water-repellent agents.

Artificial stone can be laid using special construction adhesive, a mortar of cement and sand, or liquid nails; the adhesive base is selected depending on the type of wall surface and the type of decorative product.

When preparing the adhesive solution yourself, you must use it in small portions, otherwise it may dry out and partially lose its properties.

You shouldn’t lay artificial stone right away; first you need to mix it together from several different packages.

An arch is a decoration for any room, adding coziness and spaciousness to it. However, the arch itself will look quite “boring” if you don’t add a little “zest” to it. Finishing this architectural element with decorative stone will help give the arch uniqueness and individuality. And although the process of decorating an arch with stone is quite complicated, it is nevertheless quite possible to do it yourself. So, let's take a step-by-step look at decorating an arch with decorative stone.

Required tools and materials

Before starting work, you should prepare everything necessary tools and materials. Let's start with the last ones. First of all, naturally, you will need a decorative stone. Considering the fact that the work will be carried out indoors, you can use both natural and artificial stone, since in this case the resistance of the material to “external irritants” is practically unimportant. So you can choose a stone based solely on your aesthetic preferences and financial capabilities. In addition to the stone itself, you will need glue or mortar, a primer, grout and a special composition to protect the walls from moisture - a water repellent. Also, putty can be useful for preliminary preparation of the arch surface.

When choosing glue for decorative stone, keep in mind that different brands of glue can only support a stone of a certain weight. Therefore, it first makes sense to purchase the stone itself, and only then choose the appropriate glue for it.

The tools you will need are a building level, a spatula, a construction mixer, tile nippers or a cutting machine, a trowel, a bucket, a tape measure, paint brushes, a metal brush, a rubber mallet, plastic or wooden wedges of the same thickness, and for the final finishing – a household spray bottle.

Having prepared everything you need, you can begin work on decorating the arch with stone, which should begin with careful preparation of the surface.

Surface and material preparation

Before laying the stone, the arch and adjacent sections of the wall should be properly prepared. Firstly, if the arch was previously finished with another material, such as paint or wallpaper, the remnants of this material should be completely removed. Secondly, it is necessary to check the surface of the vault for defects and cracks, and if any are found, eliminate them using putty. When the putty dries, the surface on which you plan to lay the stone must be treated with a water repellent and primed.

To reach from the primer maximum effect It is recommended to use the type of mixture that best suits the material from which the walls in the room are made. For example, for concrete walls, a primer from the “Concrete Contact” series is best suited.

In addition to preparing the surface, it is necessary to properly prepare the decorative stone itself. To do this, you need to lay out all the stones on the floor face up and group them so that they the best way matched each other in color and texture. You can, for example, sort them by the degree of tone change or “dilute” smooth elements with more embossed ones.

In addition, it is necessary to check the back side of the stones. Sometimes a “foamy” coating forms on it, which will significantly reduce the adhesion of the stone to the wall, even when using the most the best glue. If such deposits are present on the stone, it must be removed with a metal brush.

The glue should be diluted immediately before starting work in a quantity sufficient for the process.

The glue is diluted immediately before installation, and only the amount of material that you are guaranteed to “work out” during working hours should be diluted. The glue should be diluted in accordance with the instructions supplied with it. The only one general recommendation Regardless of the brand of glue, use a construction mixer when preparing the solution. Thanks to the mixer, the glue will be homogeneous, which will significantly improve its bonding properties.

Laying stone

The stone is laid from the bottom up, and you need to start from the corner joint of the wall and the arch. Before laying, apply adhesive solution to the stone using a spatula. Make sure that the glue covers the entire surface of the stone and does not contain voids.

When laying each stone (except for those that form an arched vault), be sure to check that its position is horizontal. You can level the stone by lightly tapping it with a rubber mallet. Once aligned, press the stone firmly against the wall for a few seconds, thereby giving the glue a chance to “set.”

After laying the stone, be sure to “tap” it with the handle of a screwdriver or spatula. This way you will be able to detect voids formed in the adhesive layer. If they are found, it is necessary to remove the stone from the wall, clean it of any glue residue and repeat the installation again.

If you want to lay a stone without jointing, then all subsequent stones are laid close to the previous ones. If you plan to do between the stones decorative seams, then between the elements it is necessary to insert plastic or wooden wedges - spacers, which can be easily removed after the glue has dried.

Video about laying decorative stone

You can learn more about the technology of laying decorative stone from the following video.

Working with chips

When decorating an arch with decorative stone, you will have to lay it on part of the wall adjacent to it. But if the edges of the stonework are smooth, then such decor will not look entirely natural. To make it more harmonious, it is necessary to “revive” the edges of the masonry with artificial chips. It’s most convenient to make them using ceramic tile nippers, but if you don’t have them, you can get by with ordinary pliers.

Artificial chips on the stone will help diversify the design

To begin with, on the wall around the arch, draw with a pencil the “irregular” shape of your future masonry. Those stones that, during preliminary fitting, will protrude beyond the intended contour will need to be trimmed with pliers. To do this, place the stone in its future place and draw along it with a pencil. front side line so that it connects the contour lines visible on both sides on the wall. After this, start breaking off small pieces from the corner of the stone with pliers until you remove all the unnecessary part.

Do not try to break off very large pieces of stone, since in this case it may crack in an “unplanned” place.

After you have finished working with the nippers, the edge of the “chip” can be processed with a file, or it can be left “rough” - it all depends on the “design idea”. A chipped stone is laid on the wall in the same way as whole elements.

Sealing seams

If you laid decorative stone “under the jointing”, then you will need to fill the space between the stones with a special grout. For this purpose, you can use a grout similar to that used for seams. tiles. However, given that the seams between stones are much wider than the seams between tiles, the technology for applying grout in this case will be different. If a spatula is used in a situation with tiles, then when working with decorative stone it is better to use a construction syringe. If it is not available, you can use the usual plastic bag, having previously cut off one of the corners.

You can seal the seams with a construction syringe

To do this, the grouting powder should be diluted to the consistency of “liquid sour cream” and poured into a construction syringe. After this, slowly squeezing out the contents of the syringe to fill the space of the seams between the stones.

If you want to emphasize the relief of the masonry, then fill the seams to about half their depth. If, on the contrary, you want to smooth out excessive texture, fill the seams completely.

30-40 minutes after applying the grout, the seams should be given a “shape” using for this purpose a special shaped spatula or, in its absence, any object with a rounded end, for example, the back of a paint brush handle.

Final decoration of masonry

After laying, the stone can be further decorated using a tinting mixture and acrylic varnish. By the way, the tinting mixture will also allow you to hide minor defects in the stone or cracks and scratches received during work.

You can apply the color mixture using an airbrush.

To apply the tinting mixture, it is best to use an airbrush, although you can get by with regular paint brushes.

Using an airbrush, it is necessary to apply the tinting mixture from a sufficiently large distance, holding the tool at an angle to the surface to be painted.

Naturally, you should not completely cover the stone with the tinting mixture. It is enough to just slightly tint the main protrusions and depressions and this will be enough to give the masonry a deeper texture.

A rather interesting effect can be achieved if gold or bronze coloring pigments are used as the basis for the coloring mixture. Moreover, in this case, only the ends of the tiles should be tinted. In this case, the “metal” will not be noticeable, but when the light hits the ends of the stone, the entire masonry will “play” light gold glare.

After applying the tone, it is recommended to cover the decorative stone masonry with a layer of acrylic varnish, which will significantly simplify its care in the future.

The process of decorating an arch with decorative stone is quite complicated and can take you more than one day. But, nevertheless, it makes sense to find time and energy for this work, since an arch decorated in this way will become a real decoration of your home and will give you comfort for a long time. for long years. Good luck with your renovation!

Many rooms are equipped with arches dividing different zones. Arches have become a fashionable alternative to doors and partitions; they make an apartment more spacious and can become an ideal decorative object. Various natural and artificial materials are chosen to decorate arches. One of the most popular options is finishing the arch with decorative stone. To decorate an arch correctly, you need to know about all the nuances of the design and material.

Advantages

To decorate the arch, choose one of two types of stones - artificial or natural. Each type has its own advantages.

For natural materials The following signs are characteristic:

• They have a very interesting texture. Such stones look unusual - both on the pages of magazines and photographs, and upon closer examination. These include shell rock and sandstone.
• For lovers delicate flowers in the interior you should choose arches lined with marble. This stone is aged in various shades pink, pastel color looks very neat and unobtrusive.
• To emphasize their status, buyers often choose arches trimmed with granite. This material is very expensive, but it gives the interior solidity and is a sign of financial well-being.

Artificial decorative stones also have their advantages:

• They are made of such high quality that they can hardly be distinguished from natural materials.
• The price for such material is affordable. You can decorate the vault with a large number of stones without worrying about financial expenses.
• Artificial stone is usually finished in such a way that it is not inferior in strength to natural materials.
• Weight decorative covering significantly less than natural. The combination of strength and lightness gives artificial material a significant advantage.
• Artificial stone is not affected external factors. It is not susceptible to rotting and mold, and harmful bacteria do not appear on it.
• Using a variety of dyes, they create a wide palette of colors for stones, so you can choose the shade that suits your apartment.
• Decorative material is easy to clean, no need to buy special means for care and adhere to special technologies.

Based on these characteristics, you can determine which type of material is more suitable for finishing arches in your apartment. You will be able to choose the best option.

Tools

To cover an opening with stones, you need to stock up on certain tools and materials:

• hammer;
• sandpaper;
• chisel;
• hacksaw for stone carving;
• construction knife;
• building level;
• putty knife;
• roulette;
• construction mixer;
• Grout syringe.

As Supplies the following components are used:

• Select a special glue for decorative stone, depending on the chosen coating. Some materials require glue with a special composition, so be careful when purchasing.
• To make the seams between the stones invisible, choose a grout that is close in color to the material.
• Purchase a primer to prepare the walls. Choose a primer carefully, taking into account the composition of the walls, because different types primers may differ from each other. Not all of them will be suitable for your apartment.
• A water repellent is needed for the final processing of the stone.

If everyone is present necessary materials and tools, you can easily handle decorating walls with decorative or natural stone on your own.

Preparation

In order for the material to be fixed as firmly as possible, it is imperative to prepare the surface of the wall and the part to which the stone itself will be attached.

• Remains of wallpaper and paint should be removed from the walls. If there is whitewash near the doorways, then traces of it must also be removed.
• To level the surface, use putty.
• The arch and walls in the apartment must be treated with a primer. If the arch is made of plasterboard, do not lay heavy stone on it. Drywall will not support much weight.
• Some people use stones of several colors in the interior. When you are going to start decorating the vault, lay out the composition of stones so that you draw up a drawing in advance - and only then transfer it to the wall.
• Calculate the size of the material so that each part fits exactly into a specific location in the doorway.

Finishing

Direct finishing of the opening is the main stage of the entire process, which must take place in a certain sequence:

• You need to stir the glue until smooth (using a mixer). This should be done strictly according to the instructions.
• The glue is applied to the surface where the stone will be placed and to the back of the tile itself. The layers should be from 0.5 to 1 cm thick, but no more.
• Stone tiles or decorative brick Place it on the wall surface and press down. Each piece is fixed in a pre-allocated place and leveled using a building level. Square parts are much easier to apply, but tiles of a different shape will make the cladding more original.

• Try to attach the stone to the wall as tightly as possible with your hands.
• Tap the surface of the material and remove any protruding adhesive, if any. When the glue holds the pieces of tile together at the end, it should be left.
• Afterwards you need to carefully grout the joints. Using a syringe, it is necessary to fill the joints between the pieces of tile so that the recess is at a distance of 0.3-0.5 cm from the outer edge of the covering.

• After half an hour (after the solution has dried), the surface should be leveled with a spatula.
• To create an imitation of natural material, you should decorate the tiles with chips. To do this, you need to outline the chip line in advance. Slowly and carefully remove excess edges with pliers, working from the edge to the marked line. Use a file to smooth out the edges of the chips. For final polishing, use sandpaper.
• You can spray coat the tiles using special aerosol. If the room has high humidity, treat the material with a water repellent.

You should remember not only the main stages of the process, but also the special advice given by professionals on decorating arches in rooms:

• It is recommended to leave arches made of artificial stone in the hallway with seams between the tiles. This nuance gives additional comfort. However, it is important to remember that too sharp a contrast between the shade of the coating and the color of the seams is unacceptable.
• If you have to cut man-made material with a saw, it is important not to press on it during this process, otherwise there is a risk of the stone splitting.
• A stone arch is inseparable from good lighting. Make sure in advance that the room or corridor is equipped with powerful electrical appliances. This will allow you to enjoy all the beauty and texture of the material. Lamps can be placed directly in the vault structure itself, which will add additional originality to the design.
• Arches lined with decorative stone or brick look especially beautiful in combination with plants. Vegetation near the structure will make it sparkle in a new light and make your interior truly sophisticated.
• Even openings made of stone can be decorated with decorative curtains made of suitable material. Curtains should not attract attention; they are intended only to create additional comfort in the room.

Design options

The room in which the arch is located can be decorated in different styles. For each of them it is necessary to select a material of a special texture and a certain color.

Interior arches in the loft style are made to look like old brick. They can be decorated in red, gray or brown color. It is in such designs that it is provided a large number of chips emphasizing the influence of time on the material.

The gentle concept of Provencal interior involves the use of light stone or brick, without obvious signs of time. Such masonry must be very neat.

The pompous Baroque style involves the use of natural stone to decorate interior arches. Such material is a sign of wealth and solidity. The stones near the doorway are very large and massive. In most cases, they are designed in light shades.

In the Mediterranean style, arched design can be embodied in the most complete variety. Material of any texture can be chosen. Preference is given to light or neutral brown shades, depending on the basic color scheme of the interior. Mediterranean arches can even be combined with curtains in a similar style.

The Empire style is very specific for creating interior arches. His characteristic feature is to supply the structure with columns on the sides. This design makes the vault a striking interior detail. Primary colors – white, beige. The columns at the top are often decorated with stone carving technology, which may also be present on the arch itself.

The minimalist style practically eliminates the allocation of space around the arch using masonry. Usually small stone slabs cover the entire wall where the arched opening is located, and inner surface the openings are finished using special materials - without the use of stone.

Country style is dominated by beige brick. Arches are created with a targeted emphasis on the joints. The material finds echoes in other interior items - for example, in the fireplace, which goes perfectly with the arch.

Many people think about in which parts of the house an arched structure is acceptable.

There are several options for its location in the premises:

• Popular are those arches that separate the kitchen area and the dining area. A similar layout can often be seen in country and Provence styles.
• The dining and living areas are also often divided in a similar way. Sometimes a stone arch fits into rooms decorated in different color ranges. It looks equally presentable with any shades of furniture and walls.
• Arches are popular not only as doorways, but also for styling windows. Often the wall is designed in such a way that there is an arch-shaped protrusion above the window. This design is relevant for the loft style.
• In the bedroom, arches separate the work area from the relaxation area. This concept is especially often embodied in modern interior trends.
• If the loggia is insulated, then often top part the walls are removed. What remains is an elegant lower partition that turns into an arch.
• In large rooms, openings are sometimes used as boundaries between all areas. This replacement of doors helps to visually expand the space in the room.

Interior arches are very original way decorate your interior. An arched doorway always attracts, some have an association with a triumphal arch, for others it is the entrance to a grotto or a mysterious cave. Anyone who makes an arched opening in his apartment receives comfort and a visual expansion of the space. But it is very important to design such arches correctly.

Eat different ways arch finishing: , forging. But none of the mentioned methods will look as natural and unobtrusive as decorating an arch with decorative stone. Firstly, there is different types stone for every taste, and with the help of each of them you can create a beautiful, unique interior. Secondly, the stone has whole line advantages, and the first of them are reliability and durability.

In this publication, “Dream House” offers to see what interior arches made of stone look like in the interiors of apartments and houses, as well as how beautifully and originally they can be decorated, so that the result is an interesting design object.

Ways to decorate arches with stone

Decorating interior arches with decorative stone is used in modern interiors often enough. This type of decoration allows you to realize many design ideas. For example:

• using granite-like stone in the shape of a brick, the arch is stylized as the entrance to a castle or cave;
• an arch framed with blue-green, light stones looks like the entrance to a grotto or underwater world;
• There is also a completely unusual solution - stylized as a dragon’s mouth, this option is suitable for a children’s room, especially if it lives there.

Decorating the arch with decorative stone photo

Arch made of decorative stone photo

Interior arches made of stone photo

And that's not all possible options finishing arches with decorative stone, but all these techniques often require additional decoration.

Lighting and flowers: additional decoration of stone arches

First of all, do not forget about such additional ways decorating, like the use of light and plants. You cannot do without vegetation when the arch is stylized as an entrance to the underwater world. It will not be superfluous in other cases.

The arched doorway is illuminated and gives mystery and solemnity. In soft light, the “green” arch will look like an aquarium. And you certainly can’t do without using light in the case of the “dragon’s head.”

Decorating arches with artificial stone photo

How to decorate an arch with decorative stone

Arch made of decorative stone: only advantages

It is worth dwelling once again on the advantages of decorative stone and emphasizing that it has practically no disadvantages. Artificial material, of which it consists, is not subject to corrosion and rotting, and will not suffer from fungal diseases. In short, it is very reliable.

Lovers of natural materials need not worry, because decorative stone consists of cement, pumice, expanded clay and other environmentally friendly fillers. Pumice is volcanic glass, formed when flowing lava quickly cools. The gas released in this case leaves large depressions inside, making the pumice frost-resistant, giving it valuable properties heat insulator. Expanded clay is fired clay balls or slate. Perlite is again a material of volcanic origin.

A reasonable question may arise: why is the real one not used? natural stone? The answer is simple: even if the customer has enough material resources to purchase natural stone, it is not a fact that it will be suitable for an arched opening. Not every foundation (wall) can withstand the weight of such cladding - natural stone is very heavy. For example, granite is 3 times heavier than decorative stone.

It is worth mentioning some more advantages of finishing an arch with decorative stone:

• It is very easy to care for artificial stone: just washing it with any non-abrasive detergent is enough.
• Manufacturers of decorative stone have mastered their production so well that it has become possible to create a stone that imitates any natural one. Moreover, similarity is achieved not only in color, but also in texture.
• And the process of laying stone is so simple that, if desired, it is quite possible to handle the finishing of the arch yourself.

Decorating arches with decorative stone photo

How to lay an arch with decorative stone

Decorative stone today acts as one of the most suitable materials for finishing surfaces both inside and outside buildings. This material is quite easy to process; it can not only be drilled, but also cut. But to get a good result, you should be guided by the installation technology, which will be presented below. You can use decorative stone to decorate the interior, one of the elements of which is an arch.

Preparing tools

Decorative stone begins with the preparation of tools, among which are:

• construction mixer;
• cutting machine;
• bucket for mixing adhesive solution;
• paint brushes;
• trowel;
• grout syringe;
• wedges of the same thickness.

Among other things, you will need a building level and a spatula. It is important to ensure that you have a metal brush, and with the help of the latter you will be able to adjust the elements on the surface after installation. To measure and cut the material you will need a construction tape. You can’t do without a household spray bottle while working. Wedges can be made of wood or plastic, they will allow you to form seams. You can replace the cutting machine with a cutting machine.

Preparation of materials

Decorative stone is carried out after preparing all the necessary consumables, among them the following should be highlighted:

• glue;
• primer;
• grout;
• water repellent.

When choosing an adhesive, you need to pay attention to its purpose. For certain types of finishes, different grades of adhesives are available, usually they are designed to hold the calculated weight of the material. Therefore, first you need to choose finishing materials, and only then start purchasing glue. If the work is supposed to be carried out at low temperatures, then you should take a more serious approach to the choice of adhesive composition; it must have the appropriate properties.

Surface preparation

Finishing with stone necessarily involves preparing the walls. To do this, you need to rid the base of old whitewash, wallpaper or paint. The master will have to carry out the leveling using putty. The surface of the arch must be primed; this composition will bind small particles together, so any finish will be held as firmly as possible.

On sale you can find primers for any surface. If you have to work with a concrete wall, you should treat it with Betonkontakt primer. When the room conditions are high in humidity or temperature, backside decorative stone must be wetted before installation.

The finishing of arches with decorative stone is carried out using a slightly different technology if we are talking about a plasterboard structure. It is necessary to prepare a light stone for such work. Such manipulations should be carried out exclusively indoors. If the gypsum board arch is located on outdoors or under a canopy, you cannot decorate it with stone.

The surface of the drywall is treated with a primer, which should be left until it dries, only then can you begin installing the products. The primer is applied with a roller, and not only the external, but also the internal surfaces are treated with the composition.

Preparing stone for laying

If you will be decorating the arches with decorative stone (photos of design options are presented in the review for your reference), it is recommended that you first mix all the products from different packages. At the next stage, the stone must be laid out on the floor. The position of individual elements is chosen in such a way that the texture looks most advantageous. For example, you can distribute elements by shade or shape, as well as size.

Rules for applying glue

Before starting work, you must read the instructions and dilute the glue in the bucket according to it.

The composition is mixed using a construction mixer until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Using a spatula, the mixture is applied to the wall only in the place where the product is supposed to be installed. WITH reverse side the stone must also be treated with glue, which is applied with a spatula. The thickness of the layer should not appear to be more than 1 cm. If this parameter is exceeded, the product will slide down the wall.

The glue is applied to the entire surface of the stone, while avoiding voids that can cause condensation to appear inside the masonry during operation. This recommendation also applies to walls; glue should be applied to their surface in an even layer.

Methodology for installing decorative stone

When decorating an arch with decorative stone in an apartment, you must follow certain instructions. The stone is applied to the area treated with glue and pressed against the surface. In this case, it is important to use a building level, and with the help of a mallet the products are aligned vertically. The stone can be moved from side to side to achieve a tight fit to the surface.

In order to check the quality of the masonry, during installation it is necessary to tap the products with a screwdriver handle. This will allow you to understand whether voids have formed inside. If there are any, then the stone is removed, cleaned of glue, and the work is repeated again. When finishing an arch with decorative stone in an apartment, you should definitely look at the photo. They will allow you to understand which material is better to prefer. As soon as the finish is on the wall, you need to gently tap it on its surface, and remove any excess glue using a spatula. If the mixture appears on the ends, there is no need to remove it; it will improve the quality of adhesion of the material to the wall. Work can be carried out using one of two technologies:

• no seams;
• with jointing.

Laying stone with seams

When finishing an arch with decorative stone with your own hands, you can form seams between the products. Their grouting is carried out using a syringe filled with grout. The solution should be applied in such a way that it deepens 4 mm from the outer edge of the product. This will create a clearly defined relief. To obtain a smoothed texture, it is necessary to fill the seam at the same level as the front surface of the stone. 30 minutes after applying the grout, it is necessary to smooth out the seams using a special spatula or spatula. When choosing grout, you should know that the compositions can imitate the color and texture of real mortar. The grout may have different colors.

Chip processing

When finishing a door arch with decorative stone, it may be necessary to process chips. The stone is cut to size, but if its edge remains smooth at the joint, the wall will not look natural. You can make a chip by outlining its outline with a knife. At the next stage, the excess part is bitten off with pliers. There is no need to bite off the product along the edge of the mark; you need to start with small pieces, otherwise the product may break in the wrong place. You can correct errors with a file; with its help you will make the chip smooth. Additionally, the surface is treated with sandpaper. However, sometimes the chips are not smoothed out.

Final decoration

Finishing interior arch decorative stone can be completed by applying varnish or tinting mixture. The latter allows you to hide defects and cracks that formed during the work process. It is better to use an airbrush to apply the composition, but some artists make do with paint brushes. The airbrush allows you to apply the mixture from a long distance, while holding the tool at an angle to the surface to be painted. You should not cover the entire area completely; it will be enough to tint the main protrusions and depressions, this will help to obtain a deep texture.

An interesting effect can be achieved if bronze or gold coloring pigments are used as the basis for the mixture. In this case, only the ends of the tiles need to be tinted. With this finishing technique, the metal does not catch the eye, but with certain lighting at the ends, the masonry begins to play with golden highlights.

Conclusion

The arch is a rather small element of the interior, but its design sometimes takes several days. However, you should find time and energy for this work, because decorating this part of the room will allow you to decorate the house, making it more comfortable and the interior more refined.