The treatment of wall stone can be considered a technical difficulty. Unlike ground stone, it can be constructed using a heavy grinder. The grinding and leveling of wall stone materials can only be carried out by workers using handheld polishing machines in conjunction with grinding discs. Due to insufficient pressure, it can only be handled manually by workers, which is quite tiring and the effect is average. Therefore, currently, wall grinding can only be done with a “light touch” and is only suitable for mild treatment. Objectively understanding and viewing this point is of great help for good communication between the owner and the construction party. But the flatness of the wall stone also has a significant impact on the decorative effect. How should we handle this issue?
1、 Installation method of wall stone
1. Wet sticker
Use cement, marble adhesive, adhesive, etc. to paste the stone onto the foundation surface of the building.
2. Dry hanging
Hang the stone on the wall or hang it on the steel frame with metal pendants, without the need for grouting and pasting. The principle is to set the main force point on the main structure and fix the stone on the building through metal pendants.
[Note] The requirements for decorative details generally exist in the interior wall stone closest to us. Therefore, here we only focus on the specific type of stone installation process of “interior wall+dry hanging”.
2、 Factors affecting flatness
The installation process of stone materials hung on the inner wall is relatively advanced and complex. Throughout the entire process, there are several factors that can have an impact on the final flatness.
1. Stone deformation
When stone is processed in the factory, it generally does not deform. Deformation mainly occurs during transportation, stacking, and other processes. For example, the factory will see the raw materials into very large-sized raw boards. These raw boards, when transported from the factory, have larger dimensions and are prone to deformation.
For example, uneven ground, uneven stress, and long-term stacking during the stacking process can cause stone deformation. Some stone materials, through wind and sun exposure, temperature changes, absorption, and evaporation of moisture, can also cause significant changes in the physical properties of the stone, which can easily cause deformation of the board.
2. Installation error
The installation process and the precision of the hanging components will have an impact on the final flatness.
3. Difficult to handle
As mentioned earlier, the grinding of wall stones is very difficult. For example, grinding off an overall error of 1-2mm is not difficult for ground stones. But for the walls, it is a terrifying workload and labor intensity.
4. Psychological effects
The inner wall stone is closest to people. Therefore, people have higher requirements for it than exterior wall stone – this can be considered a significant factor.
3、 Handling ideas – grinding is not recommended
The previous description can also explain our consistent approach: it is not recommended to grind the wall stones. The reason is simple – the effect is not good. At present, the aesthetic and overall effect of installing wall stones with original boards without treatment is much higher than that of time-consuming and labor-intensive grinding treatment. Therefore, we do not recommend grinding the walls.
4、 Processing method
For the overall design of wall drywall hanging, we have also summarized the following three techniques for handling its flatness during long-term work, which can be properly handled during installation.
1. Drive in wooden wedges
During installation, if there is a significant height difference at the joint between two boards. Suitable-sized wooden wedges can be cut using materials such as wooden sticks from the construction site. Along the edge of the concave plate, wedge under the plate to adjust the height drop to a satisfactory condition. [Note] The wooden wedge method is more suitable for boards with a height exceeding 600mm. Below 600mm, it is difficult to adjust and can easily deform or even break during the process of using wooden wedges.
2. Import grooves, gaps, etc
The joint of the board is processed into various grooves, such as V-shaped grooves, T-shaped grooves, other types of grooves, reserved joints, etc. These treatments are all done by visually transferring at the joints to eliminate the visual effect caused by the height difference of the stone. Note: For groove treatment, horizontal joints are generally made instead of vertical joints.
3. Plate “Orthomorphic”
As mentioned earlier, the transportation and stacking process of the board may cause deformation of the board. So, we can also use the same principle to “normalize” the deformed stone, as follows:
Step 1: find a flat and hard stone, such as a granite plate, and place it on flat ground.
Step 2: Place the deformed board flat one by one.
Step 3: Sometimes, you can also spray some water on the stone. After absorbing water, the stone will have a softening effect and can also play a role in adjusting and shaping the board.
Step 4: Depending on the needs of the project, leave it for a period of time. The sheet can be re-straightened.
