Furnace lining: material selection

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Furnish options

If the house has a stove or its modern analogue, then it is necessary to finish on its surface. Decorative lining for furnaces can be using any modern material.
Only a prerequisite will be its fire resistance.

Materials used in furnishing furnaces

To date, the range of materials for finishing such structures as furnaces is so large that it will not cause great difficulties to choose the suitable option for both quality and cost.
There are several options for materials that can be used to decorate furnaces:

• Artificial or natural agglomerate.
• Ceramic tile.
• Porcelain tile (seePorcelain stoneware lining: finishing steps).

The selection of such materials is based on their fire resistance and high strength.

Furnish artificial stone

Facing furnaces with decorative stone has recently become very popular. This is due to the fact that the stone has a very attractive appearance.

Note. Its price is several times lower than the natural counterpart, and thus the demand for it increases even more. On its surface you can find a variety of imitations of natural stone.

Facing with decorative stone furnaces has the following properties:

• Strength. Artificial stone itself is considered a fairly strong finishing material and is able to withstand significant mechanical and physical stresses.
• Practicality. Caring for such a surface finish is quite simple. You will need to clean it regularly.
• Moisture resistance. Decorative rock unable to absorb moisture due to its protective layer. For this reason, you can clean its surface with a damp cloth and any mild detergent.
• Fire resistance. Artificial stone does not burn. For a long time, it can withstand a direct source of fire without deformation.
• Wear resistant. The surface finish for a long time is able to retain its appearance, despite the wet cleaning.
• The ability to withstand sudden temperature changes (very low and very high temperature indicators).
• Facing with decorative stone stoves has one and the most important advantage - simple installation of the material itself.

Tip. Since the back side of natural stone has a flat surface, then for its installation the furnace walls must also be flat.

There is a very large selection of artificial stone structure:

• Plaster dough. The stone is quite durable and has a large selection of imitations on its surface. In appearance it is very similar to natural sandstone.
• Acrylic stone is a more durable type of material. It has a well-protected surface.
• Synthetic with the addition of natural stone chips. This stone began to be used most often in finishing work.

Mounting decorative stone on the surface of the furnace

How to mount decorative stone on the surface of the furnace

As a rule, facing a stove with decorative stone affects not only the finishing work on the facade of the structure. They carry out and the side walls of the furnace itself. Artificial stone is able to withstand such high temperature loads.

Note.The surface for mounting the artificial trim stone must be flat and well prepared. Preparatory work includes high-quality surface cleaning and priming.

Since the weight of the artificial stone is small, then strengthening the surface is not required.
The lining of the furnace with decorative stone is performed using:

• A solution of cement or special glue (for this type of material has its own specific means for installation).
• The construction level with which it will establish the evenness of the stone on the surface.
• Putty knife or trowel for applying mortar to the surface and back of the material.
• Tile cutter to give the stone the required size (here you will need a certain nozzle).

Styling Features:

• The decorative stone for facing the furnace can be of different sizes and different thicknesses. All actions for its installation are carried out in accordance with the size of the material itself.
• As a rule, installation starts from the corner of the structure.
  In some cases, only corners or some part of them are made with artificial stone. It all depends on the design of the stove and the overall interior design.

Natural sinter in the furnace

Furnishing with natural stone

This decoration material in furnace finishes not used often. This is due to the high cost of natural stone.
There are various types of it that can be used to decorate furnaces:

• Granite.
• Marble.
• Onyx.

Note. They are finishing at the top of the stove. The decorative lining of the furnace using natural stone is distinguished by its luxury and originality.

Natural stone:

• Very durable.
• Practical.
• Fire resistant.
• Not able to undergo deformation under the influence of too low or too high temperature conditions.
• Moisture resistant.
• Wearproof and frostproof.
• It is worth considering that the natural agglomerate has a very large mass and for its installation it is necessary to strengthen the surface.

Tip. When choosing a natural agglomerate, you should always check the documentation of its certification. In some cases, it can emit radiation and toxins, which means that it is strictly forbidden to use it in the finishing work of a residential building.

• Decorative lining for stoves in the form of natural stone is durable. The stone is not susceptible to corrosion, decay and a variety of insects will not start on its surface.

Installation of natural stone

So:

• Perform such work only on a reinforced surface. For this, a special metal mesh is used, which is pre-mounted on the surface of the furnace and fixed on it with brackets.
• Then a layer of plaster or concrete mortar is applied to it.

Tip. Such work must be done very carefully, because when using a concrete solution it will not be possible to level the surface and smooth out its defects with sandpaper, as when using plaster.

For the installation of natural stone, cement mortar and a similar tool for the installation of decorative stone must be used. Why cement mortar?
For the reason that only he can withstand a significant weight of natural agglomerate. In the video you can see the full range of installation of natural sinter.

Ceramic tiles in the furnace

Refractory Ceramic Tile

The design of the lining of the stove with tiles can be varied. This is ensured by the variety of ceramic tile design itself.
There are many imitations on the surface of this material, which can be matte or glossy. Both types of ceramic tiles are similar in their properties.
Advantages of ceramic tiles:

• Moisture resistance, as the material does not absorb moisture and dirt, dust.
• Practicality.The surface of the material is quite simply cleaned using any cleaning and detergents or a simple damp cloth. At the same time, the material retains its original design and shade.
• Strength. Thanks to its production technology, ceramic tiles are particularly durable.
• Wear resistance. The surface of the material does not wear and does not deform under the influence of mechanical and physical influences.
• It does not deform under the influence of very low or high temperatures.
• Very quick and easy installation, which you can do with your own hands.
• It is also worth considering that ceramic tiles are distinguished by their durability. The term of its application in the furnish of the furnace is about 10-15 years.

Note. All types of ceramic tiles are divided into tiles with one firing and double. Of course, double fired tiles have high strength.

Ceramic surface mounting

To install ceramic tiles, the surface must be flat. Before fixing the material, check it for defects.
If they are, then you can eliminate them using plaster, a layer of which is applied to problem areas and, after drying, is passed with sandpaper.

Stages:

• The next steps will be surface priming.
• This is necessary in order to provide stronger adhesion of the concrete mortar for the installation of ceramic tiles and the surface itself.

Decorative lining of the furnace itself with the use of ceramic tiles can be very easily performed.
For these works you will need:

• Mortar concrete.
• Spatula of a certain size.
• Building level.
• Cruciform lighthouses.
• Decorative color putty for masking masonry joints.

It is impossible to say that there is a certain instruction for the installation of ceramic tiles. There are simply recommendations for the implementation of preparatory and basic work on the surface.

Porcelain stoneware

Porcelain in its composition of raw materials and manufacturing method is one of the types of ceramic tiles.
Get it from two types of clay, sand and water. This type of tile undergoes double firing.
Stages:

• Porcelain tile has various sizes, which are largely larger than simple ceramic tiles. There are also various surface finishes for the material itself. The photo shows examples of porcelain stoneware.
• The surface of porcelain stoneware can be matte, structural and glossy. Due to the structural surface, which has small pores in its body, porcelain tiles of this quality can absorb dirt and stains will appear on the surface.

This type of material has the same properties and characteristics as a simple ceramic tile. Installation is carried out in the same way.
Only here it is worth considering that porcelain stoneware has more weight than simple tiles and for a more durable finish you need to first strengthen the surface with a special metal mesh.