Instructions: Lay stone carpet properly & tips for cleaning

• Material and preparation
• Instructions: pebble carpet
  • 1st primer
  • 2nd mix
  • 3rd bed
  • 4. Drying time
• Care and cleaning
• Tips for quick readers

Stone carpets are the ideal solution for many problem areas on the ground. But even if it should look just fine, a stone carpet is always the perfect and durable choice. It is even easier to lay a stone carpet than a tile or natural stone floor. See for yourself, right here in the manual.

More and more often you see friends or at the hardware store a stone carpet. As soon comes the desire to have also such a natural yet elegant-looking soil. If more do-it-yourselfers knew how easy it would be to pour a stone carpet, the supplies in the hardware stores would have already been plundered. In our step by step guide, we guide you through the laying of the stone carpet and then show you how the new floor with the right cleaning stays so beautiful for a long time.

Material and preparation

You need this:

• bucket
• Maurer bucket
• mixing paddle
• drilling machine
• trowel
• bright lamp
• skip float
• spirit level
• gloves
• safety goggles
• possibly mouthguard
• epoxy
• epoxy resin
• quartz sand
• stone mixture
• possibly Aluleists
• edge rails
• template

Stone carpet for many purposes

Stone floors for casting are not only available in different stone types, but also in numerous colors and even patterns. The different grain sizes also contribute to the lively and natural look. On almost any surface you can even cast a stone floor of pebble or quartz. The most important factor is always the chosen binder, which is made of epoxy resin in most suppliers.

Whether screed, concrete, old tiles or even mastic asphalt, stone carpets combine with the right pre-treatment with almost everything. A solid resilient plastic substrate can also be covered with a stone floor. Some manufacturers even offer stone carpets under which underfloor heating can be installed. This is especially ideal for stone rugs in bathrooms and wellness areas. However, it must be said that this type of stone floor is not so cold as a foot, such as a tiled floor anyway.

Lay stone carpet - not porous floor covering

In many cases, a stone carpet is referred to as an open-pored floor covering. However, this is not entirely true, because the rounded stones made of various natural materials are held together with a binder that is by no means open-pored. Mostly it is epoxy resin, which later holds the pebbles together, but remains almost invisible.

Tip: Epoxy resin is not lightfast and the clear variants will soon turn yellow when exposed to the sun. For that reason you should use PU-laying resins instead of epoxies outdoors or when laying in a particularly sunny area. However, in this case you should also resort to the two-component variant of the binder, as it is more robust.

This also gives the only criticism that users might have. Polyurethane or epoxy may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions in some people. Therefore, it is particularly important to protect yourself in this work. Therefore we point out here in the manual very explicitly on the various protection options, so you later only remember the simple laying of the stone floor. At least when mixing, you should wear safety goggles, so that guaranteed no splash of this mass can get into your eyes. People who suffer from respiratory diseases or allergies should inhale as little as possible. A mouthguard is therefore at least recommended. In any case, you should wear special rubber gloves throughout the work to protect your hands from the resin.

• Protect hands
• Protect eyes from splashes
• Wear a mask and ventilate well

Instructions: pebble carpet

1st primer

The more absorbent a substrate is, the better must be the primer applied under a carpet of marble pebbles. The resin contained in the binder of the stone carpet is otherwise absorbed by the substrate. Then the new ground can not form a proper bond. The pebbles will soon dissolve and tumble around in the room. If you use an epoxy resin binder, as is usually the case for these stone carpets, then you should also use a suitable epoxy primer.

Tip: Most manufacturers of stone carpets offer the whole range of required materials. If possible, also use the matching primer if the manufacturer has it in his program. Thus, the individual products do not repel each other and enter into a secure permanent bond.

In the still wet primer you should sprinkle some fine quartz sand. The later ensures an even better connection of the two levels and prevents the running of the stone mass. Do not use single-component epoxy products as they will thicken more. In addition, many of these products will no longer be allowed within the EU from 2016.

2nd mix

For these products, carefully read the instructions of the respective manufacturer. It is very important for success that you mix the binder from the two components in just the right amount and then add the exact amount of pebbles or quartz. Thoroughly mix the stone carpet mixture. But also check yourself if the amount of resin is really sufficient.

Depending on whether you use pebbles, quartz or marble gravel, it may be necessary to increase the amount of resin. For pebbles made of different materials, usually seven percent epoxy is added, whereas quartz often requires at least eight percent. However, some types of marble partially absorb the resin, and experts therefore recommend adding ten percent epoxy to these materials.

Everything you need to know about epoxy resin coating and the costs that come your way, you will find here: Epoxy resin coating

3rd bed

Most manufacturers recommend a thickness of about six millimeters for a stone floor. If you want a stronger layer, you also have to consider a much longer curing time. You should set up a strong neon lamp and check the carpet over and over again to make sure the floor is really level. Using the spirit level, drag the batten across the floor and level out various spots that are still uneven with an extra dab of the stone mix.

3.1. Working in patterns in the stone carpet

Unlike a tile floor, it is very easy to incorporate beautiful patterns and decorative additions with a poured stone floor. You can either create a pattern yourself with the corresponding aluminum rails or use pre-made patterns from the same aluminum rails. These have small mounting feet that you can nail or stick to the ground. Once the floor has been poured later, the rails can not slip any more, so it is often enough to glue the rails. The rails can also be bent into smaller arches, so even a tangled monogram on the floor of the entrance area is possible.

Tip: The prefabricated samples of aluminum rails are often found in every hardware store. But that also brings with it the danger of a certain uniformity. For example, almost everywhere there is a really nice big star that does well in an entrance hall. But if every neighbor has the same star on the ground, things get boring.

Due to the different colors that can be delimited from each other with the rails on the floor, the stone floor later looks like a true terrazzo floor. However, this is many times more expensive than the carpet of pebbles. The variety of patterns sets at most your imagination a limit and that can also be cheered by prepared templates. There are even manufacturers who make you your company logo as a template for the stone covering. For this purpose, usually plastic parts are milled, into which the mixture of pebbles and binder is then poured.

Tip: With some manufacturers you can even get decors that are already glued on a mat. These are then laid when laying the stone floor and poured all around with the contrasting color. This is certainly the fastest and easiest way to get a nice pattern into the stone. You can also decorate and combine your stone carpet with tile mats or glass stones.

3.2. Lay stone floor on the stairs

Quite ideal are the stone coverings for stairs. In addition, there are corresponding aluminum edges and aluminum rails that prevent slippage of the flooring. The rails are barely visible later, but ensure perfect edge protection. Especially on old concrete stairs or tiled stairs, the stone covering for pouring is the perfect solution. Due to the low construction height, the dimensions of the stairs and the step height are not changed too much and the stairs remain safe and comfortable to commit.

Tip: You can not do without rails if you want to cover the stairs with a stone floor. The stone carpets are very sensitive at the edges and transitions and it can dissolve single stones, which will soon follow more.

You can use the same rails that you use on the stone carpet staircase to make a matching stone mix worktop in the kitchen. As a result, perfectly curved arches and semicircles can be tinkered as countertops. For the food processing industry, there are special compounds and binders that you should also use for a countertop.

4. Drying time

You can perform an additional pore closure with another layer of clear epoxy resin. But this should be done after the dry season. Bear in mind that this type of clear coat also makes the floor a little smoother. But in damp rooms, or if you want to lay the epoxy stone floor in a walk-in shower, you should definitely perform this pore closure to completely seal the floor.

For a floor covering with epoxy resin, the drying time is not the same as the curing time. In most cases, you can re-enter the area after a good 24 hours, but it takes about seven days for such a stone to harden properly. But after two days you can put lighter furniture in the room. However, with the first cleaning you should wait until after the complete curing time.

Care and cleaning

It is important in the first place that the cleaner is free of solvents, so that the binder between the pebbles is not dissolved. Most soft PVC or plastic cleaners are suitable for cleaning the stone carpet. It is important to remember, however, that it must not be cleaned during the first seven days after installation.

Special cleaners for stone carpets often contain essential oils, so that the floor smells good. If you use such a cleaner, you should only give very little of it in lukewarm water. Thus, the essential oils are sufficiently diluted to have no harmful effect on the binder in the stone carpet.

1. Damp and warm

A normal mild soap-based floor cleaner is the right solution for the epoxy stone floor. The soil will tolerate a lot of water after the hardening time and may therefore be completely flooded. However, you should not pour the water boiling hot on the stone floor, because in the end, even epoxy resin is always a plastic that can melt a little if it is treated too hot.

2. rinse and dry

Unlike other floors, if you have a stone floor, you should still remove the soap residue with clean water. With a mop or one of the other common floor wipers, cleaning is quick and easy. To prevent the limescale from settling on the beautiful stone floor after cleaning, you should also slightly dry the floor. For microfiber towels or old towels are well suited. The floor does not have to become completely dry after cleaning, only the danger of lime edges should be avoided.

Tips for quick readers

• Primer of the substrate
• Mix the stone mixture with epoxy resin
• Distribute stone mixture on the ground
• balance with crossbar and spirit level
• Insert pattern or decor with aluminum rails
• Stairs always provided with corner and edge rails
• possibly apply top coat as pore seal
• Pay close attention to drying and curing times
• Clean only after seven days
• Use gentle means when cleaning
• Water not too hot for cleaning
• clean with clear water
• Drying the floor gently prevents limescale edges