Facing the fireplace with granite and granite

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Lined fireplace, as a one-sided decorative picture

Having a fireplace in the apartment is a dream of many homeowners and it starts with an idea. The community of creative decisions of an artist, master stove-maker, designer, a preview of photos and videos of already made fireplaces help in solving three primary problems.
Creating a unified, individual fireplace shape for a given room, determining the required materials and consumables, and facing the fireplaces with granite or granite.

Preferences for facing a fireplace with porcelain stoneware

Depending on the size of the room and the location of the fireplace, its type, parameters, various shelves, ledges, style, design features and material for decoration are determined.
Good results are obtained with fireplace mantel porcelain stoneware, interesting design solutions at a low cost and an exceptional, presentable appearance, the most respected interior details. Why do stovesmiths prefer porcelain stoneware lining?
So:

• Unique material in physical properties comparable in characteristics to natural raw materials. In some respects, even superior to it, because it is not only made from this raw material, but also undergoes additional processing.
• High frost resistance, allows facing the hearth, fences, equip garden paths, lining baths, garages, house facades.
• It does not interact with a variety of chemical elements, even with concentrated alkalis and acids.
• One of the most important characteristics is its strength and high heat resistance.
• Facing with porcelain stoneware of fireplaces is steady against pollution and is easily cleared.
• The design of the fireplace determines the type of facing material used.
• Frosted porcelain stoneware is used where there are products of combustion, traces of soot remain and there is a possibility of frequent pollution.
• Porcelain tile imitating natural stone has a non-slip stain resistant surface.

Technical properties:

• Porcelain stoneware has an extremely low rate of water absorption, and if the EN standard determines the optimal value of 3%, then for porcelain stoneware this figure is on average 0.05-0.5%.
• Resistance to mechanical stress is expressed in resistance to scratches and to fracture, porcelain stoneware according to these characteristics exceeds natural stone three times, ceramic tiles and a half times, and wall twice.
• Manufacturers of porcelain stoneware "hold" a fairly wide range of products from 200x200 mm to 1200x1800 mm, and the most popular tile among consumers is 600x600 mm.
• Surface roughness or slip resistance, this property is actually more for flooring in private housing, where the instruction recommends using one type of stone, and in public places another.
• The hardness of the front surface is expressed in the manifestations of damage and scratches on the fireplace.

Attention: The weight of one square meter of products will help to identify poor quality porcelain tiles.
Tiles 10 mm thick should ideally weigh 22 kg. Lighter weight indicates low material density.

A type of porcelain tile

Nothing extra in this design with granite

It is caused by the surface of the tiles processed by different technologies and leading to some changes and improvements in the properties of the material.
Tiles are divided by processing methods:

• Frosted product, when the stone is not machined after firing.
• Polished tiles processed after cutting one side.
• Semi-polished with a partial cut of the surface and polishing, creating the effect of texture.
• Satin tiles with crystals on the tiles before firing.
• Glazed product, when enamel is applied to the base and all is fired together.
• Rectified tile in standardized sizes with additional calibration.
• A structured product, when pressing gives an imitation of the texture of stone, wood.

Facing work with porcelain tile

A combination of various materials in the decoration

What elements can diversify the appearance of the room? It is worth considering the use of porcelain tiles, the same mosaic, embossed, smooth tiles, matte, glossy porcelain tiles to create diverse interior elements that decorate the appearance of the room.
Most cases do not limit the selection of stones for a fireplace, except for the use of decorative stone in the area of ​​contact with open fire. It can be noted that facing the fireplace with granite to decorate the furnace zone will not work.
Granite may crack upon reaching temperatures above 600 ° C due to polymorphic transformations of quartz.
When you do not need a fireplace trim:

• The fireplace body is made thick-walled and folded into two bricks.
• The surface of the material used is well polished.
• The masonry was done by a craftsman or with one's own hands, and smooth, precise seams with jointing were obtained that do not require facing.
• Disputes between supporters of decoration of fireplaces and their opponents do not subside. Some believe that the lining increases the heating time and the consumption of combustible materials, opponents object and see the benefit of the finish in its slow cooling and longer heat transfer to the room.
• They believe that facing fireplaces with granite or porcelain stoneware allows you to spend less fuel and increase the energy efficiency of the chimney system.

Preparation for finishing work

The surface for the cladding may be new or used and needs to be updated. Porcelain stoneware for facing fireplaces combines the plasticity of ceramic products and the hardness of granite, is easy to process, holds high temperature perfectly and does not scratch.
So:

• Regardless of this, the surface under the lining is cleaned of dust, particles of solution, dirt.
• A metal object is used to prepare the seams and deepen them by about a centimeter.
• The verticality of the surface is checked by two studs driven on top of the fireplace, and ropes attached to them with cargo at the end.
• Horizontalness is determined by a flat rail, periodically applied to the wall during masonry.
• Porcelain stoneware is not a light material for a fireplace lining, so that the tile fits well and holds for a long time, the surface is pulled by a mesh netting with a small mesh of one and a half centimeters.
• The mesh is fastened with nails hammered into the seams or by self-galvanized cuts screwed into the drilled holes.
• Markup is in progress. The projection of each fireplace wall is pre-drawn on the floor with chalk. Each tile is numbered on the front side, and the face is marked with the number of adjacent tiles.

Attention: This moment is especially important when laying patterns or ornaments, when selecting colors and their shades, when combining materials.

• Edges, as a rule, are made out not by whole tiles, but by their parts, which must be correctly measured and cut.

The trend of the finish itself:

• Facing fireplaces with granite or porcelain stoneware tiles starts from the lower corner of the fireplace with a whole tile.
• The glue is applied to the base of the fireplace with a notched trowel and the surface is prepared on two or three tiles, is no longer recommended by specialists.
• A suitable adhesive that can withstand high temperatures, fire-resistant mastics and cement-based adhesives belong to it.
• For facing complex surfaces, elastic additives are added to the cement base.
• The packaging of the mixture is provided with information about the recommended layer, which is carefully applied to the grid, trying to get the most even surface.
• If the attempt fails, it must be repeated, but after the first layer of glue has completely dried.
• The tile is gently pressed to the base, gently tapped with a rubber mallet as needed.
• Small, dividing, plastic crosses, purchased in advance in a hardware store, will help to get the same gaps. They need only two pieces for each side of the tile, the calculations can be done independently, and the ridiculous price will not make you strain with the calculations of the number of crosses.

Attention: The verticality of the laying level is constantly monitored every two rows, otherwise it will be very problematic and difficult to correct the work.

• Cladding of granite or porcelain stoneware fireplaces at the very edge is completed with cut tiles.
• Laying the tiles is accompanied by a constant removal of adhesive residues from the surface, without waiting for it to completely dry. Otherwise, you may scratch the surface.
• Glue is best removed with wet foam. A clean surface "rests" a day, dries, and then grouting is done.
• Specialists called this process jointing.
• The preparation of the mortar solution is carried out by dissolving the necessary powder from special dry mixes based on cement with water. It is thoroughly mixed to a homogeneous consistency, time is given for sludge and again mixed.
• Tile joints are smeared with a rubber spatula, the grout is trimmed with a sponge. After 15 minutes, the tile is wiped with a slightly damp sponge.
• After an hour and a half, after the mass has set, the final beauty is induced by a soft flannel.
• The tile brightens under your hands and seems to thank with its clean, washed surface.
• The final touches and strokes of the artist is applying to the seams of a special composition that repels dirt. The fireplace will delight the eye with its neat, clean surface and beauty for a long time.

Of course, fireplaces transformed into modern designs and perform more decorative functions than heating ones. They do not stick logs into them, and a dangerous corner does not fly out of them, but they help to create truly diverse interiors, helping to highlight functional areas.
Moreover, each homeowner independently determines a different plan of design elements, as applied to their premises.