The exposed stone carpet flooring is a type of flooring system that combines natural stones with a binder to create a seamless and decorative surface. It can be applied in terraces, balconies, swimming pool decks and other outdoor spaces instead of using ceramic tiles or other cement materials as a floor. It is also known as stone carpet system, or aggregate flooring. The process requires the mixing of stones (properly selected marble or granite aggregates) with a polyurethane binder, which is then poured and spread over a prepared subfloor. These stones are round in their form, and they become perfectly smooth after being covered with resin. In addition, to the technical and functional aspects of the system the stone carpet also perfectly fulfills its visual and decorative role. Combining several types of aggregates you can also develop for example a stone mosaic pattern type by alternating stripes.
How to apply the material
Once the mixture is poured, it is leveled and smoothed to create a flat surface. The stones or pebbles are partially exposed, giving to the floor a textured and natural appearance. The binder holds the stones together providing durability and stability to the flooring system.
Advantages
A stone carpet is an excellent alternative to a floor made of ceramic tiles, stones or micro cement in areas like balconies, terraces or outdoor garage spaces since the stone carpet flooring is available in a variety of colors and stone sizes, allowing for customization to match different design preferences. A stone carpet can be placed in open access spaces e.g. in front of garages, swimming pools, alleys or surroundings right next to the foundations of the building. The greatest advantage of a stone carpet is therefore its great versatility in terms of application areas. In addition, it can be applied also in private spaces, closed environments, as well as commercial or industrial spaces.
With a stone carpet the aesthetics go beyond common fantasy using different patterns and colors. There are many alternatives, limited only by your imagination. On large surfaces, a stone carpet system creates interesting geometric patterns, lines, stripes, checks, patterns, circles, etc. enriched with decorative, shiny and slightly shimmering elements.
In the technical point of view, a stone carpet is primarily a uniform floor, without any joints. Thanks to their absence, the surface seems to be optically enlarged and creating a great impression. Stone carpet flooring offers several advantages. It is highly durable, resistant to wear and tear, and can withstand heavy foot traffic.
The stone carpet offers great durability and long-term performance, it has excellent resistance to mechanical damage, cracks, scratches, to various weather conditions and extreme temperatures (does not heat up during the heat, and does not crack during the frost), to rainfall (perfect water circulation/drainage system), as well as to UV radiation (no risk of discoloration), providing at the same time a non-slip surface. Moreover, a stone carpet does not lose its color or fade and it is also resistant to significant weight pressure, which means that we can place and move, for example, heavier garden furniture on it without fear.
A stone carpet also offers great convenience in terms of cleaning and maintenance. It is easy to keep it clean with the use of ordinary detergents, or you can conveniently clean it with high water pressure.
The system also has a lot of typical utility advantages. It turns out that it is a surface much easier to apply than, for example, ceramic tiles. In addition, it is worth emphasizing that a stone carpet based on polyurethane resin will be much more flexible and thus better resistant to all kinds of cracks than a stone carpet with epoxy resin. The latter refers to harder and stiffer coatings. In addition, the polyurethane resin in the stone carpet on the terrace offers a greater guarantee of maintaining the original color, especially with light stones.
The textured surface of the system provides a non-slip finish, making it a suitable choice for areas prone to moisture, such as bathrooms, swimming pool decks, and outdoor spaces.
It's important to note that while stone carpet flooring is durable and visually appealing, it may not be suitable for every application area. The rough surface texture may not be ideal for areas where smoothness or easy rolling of objects is required, such as offices or spaces with heavy furniture. Additionally, the installation process requires skilled professionals, as the mixture needs to be properly applied and leveled to ensure a seamless and long-lasting result.
How to protect a stone carpet?
The stone carpet system has a water-permeable surface creating a drainage structure, thanks to which ponding water cannot be formed on the surface. In outdoor areas like a balcony or terrace, before the application of a stone carpet system, a waterproofing membrane should be applied.
The waterproofing layer under the stone carpet prevents water from settling on the bottom, which, for example, during frost, can create damages to the system and lead to its cracking.
After proper preparation of the substrate, priming should be carried out using a primer that it is ideal with the system. The substrate must be clean, dust-free, without crumbling elements and degreased. On such a prepared substrate, we apply a primer, which is designed to strengthen the substrate and ensure perfect adhesion of the waterproofing membrane.
Often, in order to increase the resistance of the waterproofing membrane to tearing forces, interlining with a geotextile of appropriate weight is used, which is embedded in the resin forming the waterproofing membrane. It is mandatory to use a reinforcing non-woven geotextile (e.g. Geotextile-50 Pressed) in critical places, such as: edges, corners, expansion joints, etc.
In balcony stone carpet applications, profiles made of aluminum are placed for finishing strips in order to provide high resistance to weather conditions.
Aluminum profiles are mounted to the floor and embedded in the screed. Part of the profile protrudes beyond the front of the balcony and creates its aesthetic finish. At the same time, it ensures proper drainage of rainwater so that it does not flow down the wall and facade.
For some users, the disadvantage of the stone carpet may be the need to apply it in specific, strict temperature and humidity conditions so they should have at least basic knowledge about the behavior of resin products and their properties and reactions. Also, the applicator must follow the exact proportion of mixing the aggregates and the resin taking into consideration the granulometry of the stones.
ALCHIMICA’s exposed stone carpet system is completely resistant to UV (does not discolor) and other harmful environmental influences (resistance to constant contact with water, operating temperatures -40 to +80oC).
This system consists of:
Primer (selected depending on the type and condition of the substrate, as well as weather conditions of the application),
Sealant: HYPERSEAL-EXPERT-150
Liquid polyurethane membrane - HYPERDESMO® SYSTEM that guarantees complete tightness for a minimum of 25 years (class W3),
HYPERDESMO®-T 100% aliphatic polyurethane resin used to bind the pebbles and form a "stone carpet" resin floor in horizontal and vertical surfaces (HYPERDESMO-T FILLER optional)
Stone granulometry:
Horizontal Surfaces:
Marble granules 1-4mm
Cullet granules 2-4mm and 4-8mm
Quartz pebbles with grain sizes up to 4-8 mm
Vertical Surfaces:
Marble granules 1-4mm
