Slab stones are a unique type of apartment stones that come in large sizes. Transporting these stones to the desired location and installing them on the wall presents its own set of challenges. Adhering a single, large, and heavy stone is not a simple task and requires considerable skill. Nevertheless, the attractiveness of slab stones is so great that one cannot forego using them!
If your choice for interior or exterior building design is this stone, stay with us until the end of the article. We plan to teach you different methods of installing slab stone and important tips for this work.
A General Look at Slab Stone
Before anything else, let's briefly review what exactly slab stone refers to. In a general answer, slab stones are products that are cut using wire and saw, and as mentioned, they have larger dimensions than other stones.
More precisely, "slab" is not the name of a type of stone; rather, it's one of the processing methods of facade stones. In this method, stones are cut back and forth with a special blade, unlike older methods where stones were cut with a chisel in circular motions. After cutting the stone, operations like epoxy treatment, vein matching, and polishing are performed on the stone, making it appear attractively.
The most important features that have made installing slab stones on walls popular include:
- Variety of designs and colors
- High durability and long lifespan, resistance to various environmental factors
- Precise and delicate cut
- Minimal production waste
Benefits of Installing Slab Stones
If you have chosen slab stone for your building's facade design, you will enjoy the following benefits:
- The first and most important advantage of this stone is its chic and attractive appearance. Slab stone can give a very grand and luxurious look to your building.
- This stone is highly diverse, and everyone can choose according to their taste. It also matches all styles of decoration and is suitable for any environment, whether office, commercial, or residential.
- This product can be used for different parts of the building. For example, you can use it for both interior and exterior facades, kitchen countertops, flooring, bathrooms, etc.
- Its maintenance and cleaning are simple and do not incur any cost.
- It has a long lifespan and does not lose its initial quality over time.
- Due to its large dimensions, it gives a completely smooth and seamless appearance to your wall.
Disadvantages of Installing Slab Stones
Like any other stone, installing slab stones, despite its shining advantages, has its downsides. The most important disadvantages of installing this stone are:
- Installing this stone is difficult. For this task, you need to seek help from skilled and specialized people.
- This stone is heavy, and transporting it from the factory to the desired location will be problematic.
- Slab stone is pricier compared to many other stones and is not considered an economical facade stone.
Methods of Installing Slab on the Wall
There are two general methods for installing slab stone on the wall. You can install this stone using mortar and cement grout or adhesive chemicals, or use a dry installation method.
Using cement grout for a stone with slab dimensions does not seem like a good idea and has many technical issues. The dry installation method is also costly; therefore, using chemical adhesives is the best option for this task.
Currently, there are many adhesives available for this purpose, but the best and most commonly used ones include:
- Special Tile Adhesives: These adhesives are available in both paste and powder forms in the market and will ensure the stone sticks well to the desired surfaces. This adhesive is completely impermeable and resistant to cold and heat. It does not emit any harmful chemical substances during use and does not endanger people's health.
- Epoxy Adhesives: This product has a very high adhesive strength and dries quickly. It also has high resistance to different environmental conditions and moisture, making it a suitable choice even in humid and rainy cities. Epoxy adhesive is resistant to chemicals and acids and is suitable for hygienic environments and places exposed to acid washing.
Next, we will explain how to use both types of adhesives to install slab stone. But before anything, don't forget that you must observe safety measures for slab stone installation. Use gloves, safety shoes, and a helmet, and prevent the presence of unrelated people in the intended location.
Using Tile Adhesive
To install slab stone with tile adhesive, simply follow these steps:
- First, thoroughly clean the intended surface. The wall that the stone will be placed on must be free of any dust, pollution, and dirt.
- If your adhesive is in powder form, mix its contents with some water using a mixer (the exact instructions for use are printed on the adhesive packaging and vary for each brand).
- Allow this mixture to set for about 5 minutes to become ready for use.
- You should have a uniform and consistent paste (if your adhesive is in paste form, skip these steps).
- Spread this paste on the stone with a notched trowel, ensuring all parts of the stone are covered with adhesive.
- Carefully place the stone on the wall in a completely flat manner.
- Once you are sure of the stone's correct placement, gently tap it with a tool like a hammer. This action removes the air between the stone and the wall, ensuring the stone adheres to the intended surface.
Pay close attention to the overall appearance of the work to correct any issues. Over time, the tile adhesive will fully adhere to the stone and the wall, making it impossible to move the stone. It is recommended to apply two coats of primer on the surface before applying the adhesive.
Using Epoxy Adhesive
Another method of installing slab stone using adhesive is to use epoxy adhesives. This type of adhesive has more strength compared to tile adhesive.
The installation method for slab stone on the wall is as follows:
- Just like the previous method, first, you must thoroughly clean the intended surface and ensure no dirt or pollution is present.
- This adhesive should be used in a well-ventilated area. Otherwise, the gases emitted from the adhesive may damage the respiratory system of the people applying it.
- If the wall surface is covered with tiles, create roughness on it using a tool like a chisel or use a surface-roughening primer; smooth surfaces may cause the adhesive to slip.
- Now the wall surface is ready, and you need to mix the epoxy adhesive. For this, you must combine it with a hardener and let it sit for a few minutes to become ready.
- At this stage, you should cover the entire wall and stone surface with adhesive.
- Carefully place the stone in its place and gently tap it with a hammer.
Note: Epoxy adhesive dries quickly after application, so if you plan to install and execute slab stone with book match, ensure the stones are precisely placed next to each other and symmetrical within this short time.
Conclusion
In this article, we tried to familiarize you with the process of installing slab stone on the wall. As you noticed, using adhesive is an easy and reliable way to do this. For stone installation using adhesive, use either tile adhesive or epoxy, both of which have shining advantages and guarantee the security and quality of the work.