The cultured stone imitates the shape of rough exterior wall tiles. It is mainly used to decorate indoor or outdoor walls, which is very popular in industrial and country home styles. This kind of building materials originated from the United States in the 1960s. It was introduced to Taiwan in the early years and now it is also widely used in Hong Kong. In this article, we will tell you all you need to know about cultured stone.
Classification of cultural stones
Cultural stones are mainly divided into two types: natural and artificial:
| Natural cultured stone | Artificial cultured stone | |
| Ingredients | Natural stone such as slate, sandstone, quartz | Cement, gypsum, calcium silicate |
| Weight | Heavier | Like tiles, lighter and thinner |
| Colour | Bright, but the colour is relatively monotonous | Rich colour selection |
| Texture | Natural and rich | Imitating stone texture |
| Dirt resistance | Higher dirt resistance, can be scrubbed clean | Difficult to clean |
| Water absorption | Low | High |
| Construction | Limited by the original shape of the stone, construction is more difficult | Convenient construction, can be glued |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
There are several reasons why artificial cultured stones are more popular. Its weight is about 1/3-1/2 lighter than natural cultured stone. The price is also relatively cheap. And the construction is simple that can be assembled at will. Although natural cultured stones are more expensive and heavier, they have better texture and simpler maintenance than the artificial ones. You can choose the type of cultural stone according to your needs.
Cultured stone installation method
There are two ways to install cultured stone, seam and seamless. The former means that there is a space of about 1-1.5cm between the cultured stones, to present the feeling imitating a country house. The latter one mostly appears in natural cultured stone, and it is also the only installation method for natural cultured stone. The seam between the stone is about 1-2mm.
The maintenance of cultured stone
The basic maintenance of cultured stone is simple. You can easily clean the dust with a brush. The natural cultured stone can be scrubbed and washed. If the cultured stone is set outdoors or on the floor, it is recommended to spray with protective agent every two years to protect the building materials.
Precautions for installing cultured stone
It is necessary to install the cultured stone as large as possible to make the effect. Cultured stone is commonly used as feature wall, such as the wall behind TV and sofa. It is not recommended to build a cultured stone feature walls in bathrooms and kitchens. In addition to the high water absorption rate of artificial culture stones, the cultured stone itself is not glazed, oil stains are likely to accumulate between the lines and seams, which is not conducive to cleaning.
The spalling of cultured stone
If the cultured stone is spalling, most of the time is due to the poor treatment of the bottom layer during installation. If primer is not applied to the painted wall, or the adhesive material is not sufficiently viscous, there is a chance that the cultured stone will spall. Therefore, the installation of cultured stone should be done by the professionals for safety.
(Image source: archiexpo, pavingstonesdirect, imynest, AliExpress)
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