Decorative stone cladding in Batumi: gypsum, concrete, clinker and flexible brick

Four materials under one name

Four different materials are sold as “decorative stone”. On the wall they look alike, but one weighs a couple of kilograms per square metre and another tens of kilograms, and gypsum doesn't tolerate water either.

Real marble or travertine is laid with a different method, with its own adhesive and polishing, described on the page about laying natural stone.

Cladding weight and the base

The weight per square metre is given on the packaging, and that is where we start. For flexible stone it is a few kilograms, for concrete stone it can be several dozen, and the plaster has to hold that weight without pulling away from the wall, not just look flat.

We strip old paint and wallpaper back to a sound layer: stone glued onto paint falls off together with it. We tap-test the plaster, open up hollow spots and take out noticeable steps in advance, because a thick bed of adhesive under stone takes a long time to dry and slips. How we straighten a crooked wall is described on the page about wall levelling.

Concrete stone above head height is fixed to the wall mechanically as well as with adhesive: Georgia is seismically active, and we don't leave heavy cladding overhead on adhesive alone. On plasterboard, such stone goes only onto a reinforced frame.

Decorative stone in the bathroom and on the balcony

We don't use gypsum stone in a bathroom, even under lacquer. Steam gets through the joints and hairline cracks in the coating, and the gypsum takes up water, darkens and crumbles near the floor. In a bathroom we use clinker or concrete stone with a water-repellent sealer, and flexible stone only if the manufacturer allows it in wet rooms. We don't recommend textured cladding where the shower spray hits: soap gets stuck in the texture, and the wall has to be scrubbed with a brush.

A glazed balcony is damp in winter and condensation forms on the cold wall, so clinker and concrete stone on exterior-grade adhesive suit it. On an open balcony by the sea, concrete stone develops white efflorescence over time, and there we recommend clinker. Falls, waterproofing and the rest of the finishing are covered on the page about balcony renovation.

Setting out, joints and corners

The tone of the stone varies from box to box, so we lay out a section of the wall on the floor from several boxes at once and mix them. Otherwise stripes will show on the wall, box by box. Brick is laid with a staggered bond, as in real brickwork.

Corners are finished with corner pieces: the smooth cut edge of trimmed stone on a corner immediately gives the imitation away. We either grout the joints in a matching colour or lay the stone tight with no joint, and decide which from a test section. Gypsum is cut with a saw, and concrete and clinker with a diamond blade and dust extraction.

Lighting, sockets and fixings on a stone wall

The relief of the stone shows in side lighting: a light fitting or a strip running along the top of the wall picks out every projection. The same light also shows up crooked joints, so we decide on the lighting before cladding and check the setting-out with the lamp on. The cables for it are laid together with the rest of the lighting plan for the room.

Back boxes are brought forward by the thickness of the cladding, and the stone around them is cut neatly to the size of the plate. A TV and shelves are hung on anchors through the stone into the wall, and their positions are marked before installation. We clad a fireplace surround the same way, and check that the adhesive and stone can take the heat according to the fireplace instructions.

How much decorative stone cladding in Batumi costs

Turnkey wall cladding in decorative stone or brick costs from 155 to 215 ₾ per m², covering the material, adhesive, installation and grouting. The material on its own: gypsum or concrete decorative stone from 36 to 48 ₾ per m², flexible brick or stone veneer from 63 to 72 ₾, and decorative facing brick from 87 to 120 ₾. A sealer or lacquer is a separate line, from 17 to 24 ₾ per m²: gypsum stone always needs one, while clinker in a dry room usually doesn't.

Clinker and concrete in a bathroom or on a balcony, columns, reveals and lots of corners, mechanical fixings and an uneven wall come out more expensive. A level, dry wall in a room and gypsum brick cost less. The final cost is set after the site measurement and once the estimate is agreed.

Sealing and accepting the cladding

Uncoated gypsum stone absorbs grease from hands, and within a year a grey patch appears around the light switch. So after grouting we coat it with lacquer or sealer, matt or with a slight sheen, chosen from a sample. Concrete stone and clinker in a hallway or on a balcony are treated with a water-repellent sealer.

We accept the wall in daylight and with the lighting on. The tones are mixed, the joints are of even width, the corners are covered, and the stone doesn't sound hollow when tapped. The rest of the same batch stays in the storeroom, so that a chip by a socket can later be covered with your own stone rather than a similar one from a different box.