Our contemporaries are increasingly undertaking grandiose redevelopments in their apartments, filling old interiors with new structures like drywall niches, glass partitions and the like. Do not go unnoticed and doorways. Their traditional rectangular shape is replaced by an arched one. The general decor of the door zone is also changing. Instead of the usual platbands, the arch is decorated with decorative stone. Most often, they get rid of extra doors in rooms with high traffic, for example, in the kitchen or in the living room. And this step is fully justified. Remember how many times a day you have to open the doors to these rooms. There is no point in having a door that is constantly open either, which means that it is quite logical to get rid of it, replacing it with such a magnificent structure as an arch.
arch decoration with decorative stone
By the way, the interior arch is a great way to bring originality to your home interior. She is always in the spotlight. Someone, looking at her, will remember the Arc de Triomphe, someone she will remind the entrance to a mysterious cave or grotto - everything will depend on the specifics of the decoration of the surrounding space. In general, the use of arched openings in the design adds space and comfort to the house.
Arch in stone frame
You can trim the arch in different ways:
- Stucco.
- Forging.
- Thread.
- Stone.
an arch with a decorative stone looks appropriate in a living room with a false ceiling
Each of these methods is good in its own way, but interiors where the arch is finished with decorative stone are best perceived.. This way of decorating opens up wide opportunities for designers to implement their ideas. If you want to get a stylization of the entrance to a cave or a castle, use a granite-like stone. Need an entrance to the underwater world? Line the arched space with blue-green translucent stones. Do you want a fairy tale? Style the opening under the dragon's mouth. This will be a spectacular entrance to the boy's nursery.
As you can see, there are plenty of ideas for playing around the arched space. But on which option to stop, it will largely depend on what type of decorative stone will be used.
narrow arch with decorative stone in the hallway
Finishing the arch with decorative stone: solid advantages
“The decorative stone produced for finishing the arch has a lot of “appearances”, because it can accurately convey the structure of any natural prototype”
Coming to a more detailed consideration of the advantages of finishing arches in apartments with stone, it should be noted that there is not only an aesthetic moment, but also a practical one. Important, that:
- It is easy to take care of decorative stone: it can be simply washed with a detergent without an abrasive effect.
- Material manufacturers have mastered the technology to perfection and now create decorative stones that exactly imitate any of the natural ones.It is important that this similarity is visible both in color and in texture.
- The method of laying the stone is so simple that if you want to make repairs on your own, there will be no problems with finishing the arch.
artificial stone arches in the interior
Arch openings without appropriate finishing will get dirty and rubbed very quickly, since the arch is always located in the most passable places. A decorative stone will protect its vaults and protect it from acquiring an unsightly appearance. Since this type of finishing material usually has a dark color, the dirt that appears on it will not be so obvious, and it can be cleaned quickly and without problems, just a sponge, water and non-aggressive detergents.
The decorative stone produced for finishing the arch has a lot of “appearances”, because it can accurately convey the structure of any natural prototype. He will repeat the pattern of brickwork and imitate shale deposits, the roundness of large pebbles and the relief of a mountain cliff. Each presented model has a lot of interpretations. For example, brick slabs can accurately convey all the dilapidation of the old shabby masonry.
By itself, decorative stone is an environmentally friendly and durable material. He is not afraid of water and temperature changes, he does not know what corrosion and decay are, even such "omnivorous" parasites as fungi bypass him.
an example of finishing the upper part of the arch with decorative stone
Connoisseurs of natural interiors need not worry. The decorative stone contains only pumice, expanded clay, cement and other natural fillers. Pumice, in fact, is a volcanic glass formed during the instantaneous cooling of flowing lava. The gas released in this case leaves large depressions in the material, but this does not spoil the pumice stone at all, but, on the contrary, endows it with valuable heat insulator properties. Another volcanic gift was perlite. But expanded clay is already slate or clay balls that have been fired.
The question “why do they take a decorative stone for finishing the arch, and not a real one?” quite natural. And there is a logical answer to it: even if the customer has enough money to buy natural stone, this is not a guarantee that the material can be used to decorate an arched opening. Not every base can withstand the weight of natural cladding, because in nature the stones are very heavy. Look, granite tile initially weighs three times more than decorative stone, so before you buy it, you need to think about whether this material is suitable for finishing your particular arch option.
using stone of different sizes to decorate the arch
DIY arch decor
“you need to be careful and catch the line in time, beyond which a wide seam in the decoration of the arch with a decorative stone turns from decoration into a seal of ugliness”
Excellent: the arch, in principle, is ready and it is time to give it a complete look! At this stage, you may well work on your own and try your hand at decorating the arch with a pre-purchased decorative stone. It is worth choosing this particular material for decoration because an absolutely flat surface is not needed for its installation, which means that you will be able to avoid time-consuming leveling processes. In addition, a wide range of decorative stone is accompanied by many additional components that will facilitate the design of the arched space. However, to achieve a great end result, it is very important to know how to use decorative stone correctly and strictly follow the rules of masonry.
Decorative stone is a very practical and easy-to-work material. As already mentioned, it does not require an ideal base, the difficulty of the finishing process will only be that the arched surface to be finished has an arcuate appearance.However, this is not a reason to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bfinishing the arch using decorative stone with your own hands. Just try to delve into the working nuances, and you will surely succeed without the intervention of specialists.
laying of decorative stone with the preservation of seams
Start by selecting the material and calculating its quantity. In arched openings, it is best to use narrow plates of decorative material, which are easily attached to its rounded vault.
There are two ways to perform masonry with artificial stone:
- No seams.
- With the preservation of seams.
Experts recommend using the second option in residential premises. Since the seams are able to give the interior a special cosiness and charm, they are advised to make them wide enough. Here you need to be careful and catch the line in time, beyond which a wide seam in the decoration of the arch with a decorative stone turns from decoration into a seal of ugliness. Rough scars, tearing the integrity of the surface, create a painful impression.
seamless arch with decorative stone will fit perfectly into the Gothic interior
When everything is bought and thought out, you can begin to prepare the work surface. The finished opening is primed, and neat notches are made on the surfaces, which will ensure the most tight adhesion with adhesive solutions. To fix the stone, you can use cement, glue-cement, "liquid nails" or other adhesives. If you use dry adhesive mixtures, then you need to prepare them in strict accordance with the instructions that are required on each package. It is much easier to use ready-made formulations. There is no risk of doing something wrong at all. The adhesive composition is applied not to the work surface, but to the back side of the finishing stone, after which it is pressed against the wall, lingering on each glued area for several seconds. This time is quite enough for primary adhesion to the surface to occur.
Like it or not, you can’t do without finishing only the inside of the arch with a decorative stone. You will have to decorate the joints of the arched opening with the walls. All elements must be level and securely fixed. Work at this stage is carried out from the bottom up. Finishing the arch space can be done in several rows. In this regard, it is very important to lay the first row of stone tiles so that it extends exactly its width beyond the arched joint. This will make it possible to fix the trim elements at the overlap joint, which will eliminate the need to separately close up the place of the arched-wall corner.
Finishing the arch with strips of decorative stone along the wall surface will present the greatest difficulty in the whole process, because here it will be necessary to measure the finishing material in place and cut it correctly, giving it an arched look. A hand saw is used to cut stone slabs. Important! In the cutting process itself, strong pressure should not be exerted on the material, otherwise the artificial stone may break at unexpected angles.
the use of perfectly even decorative stone for finishing the arched opening
The decoration of the seams will complete the finishing process. Do not rush to do this immediately after laying the stone. The seams can be completely sealed in a couple of days, when the masonry dries well. The fact is that when finishing the seams, they will need to be filled to the full depth with grout, remove the protruding excess with a spatula and smooth the resulting surface with a special brush. By doing this on fresh masonry, you risk breaking it, and then your work will take on an amateurish look.
back to index ↑Illumination and flowers in the decoration of arches
Don't forget that decorating an arch with only decorative stone can look a bit unfinished if you don't complement it with plants and good lighting. Without plants, you will never be able to stylize the arch under the underwater world, and in other cases, plants will not interfere.
The task of illumination is more difficult. It should give the arched opening a mystery, mysticism or solemnity. Soft light will turn the ultramarine arch into a real aquarium, and the “dragon head” at the entrance to the nursery will “blow with heat”. You can place stylish sconces in the arch, equip them with built-in lights or colorful LED lighting. The choice of the type of lighting fixtures will depend on the specifics of the arched decor.
pendant lights that are attached directly to the arch
Conclusion
Finishing the arch with decorative stone will diversify the most boring interior. Since this type of finishing material in skillful hands receives multifunctionality, the design fantasy will be able to run rampant virtually unhindered. If you like original interiors, then decorating with decorative stone is the best way to create them!
Photo gallery - arch decoration with decorative stone:
