Ceramic tile. Composition, production, main characteristics. The process of making paving slabs at home How to make tiles

What are ceramic tiles and what are they made from?

Ceramic tiles are plates made of baked clay. Most often they are square and rectangular shapes, but can be made in the form of a complex geometric mosaic. It can be used to decorate walls and floors both indoors and outdoors.

1. Wear resistance is one of the most important qualities floor tiles, which characterizes the resistance of the tile to abrasion and the ability to maintain its appearance without changes. There is a PEI classification that includes five groups: PEI I - for walls in bathrooms, PEI II - for walls/floors in bedrooms, offices, bathrooms, PEI III is installed in any residential premises and in small offices that do not have a direct entrance from streets, PEI IV suitable for any living rooms, as well as for covering stairs, halls, corridors, PEI V is used both in private and public interiors with above average traffic (offices, shops, cafes, restaurants). For places with heavy traffic (traffic), it is recommended to use unglazed porcelain tiles (airports, train stations, shopping centers).
2. Water absorption is the ratio of the mass of water absorbed by a sample when it is completely immersed in water to the mass of dry matter. The ratio is expressed as a percentage. The water absorption of glazed ceramic floor tiles should not exceed 3%, while tiles with a water absorption of more than 10% can only be used on indoor walls. The water absorption rate of tiles plays an important role when tiling pools. To do this, you need to use only special tiles, such as porcelain stoneware or clinker.
   
   
3. Frost resistance - the ability of tiles to resist temperature changes. Durability ceramic tiles is determined by two parameters: the presence and number of pores. Double-fired tiles are quite porous and therefore not frost-resistant. And single-fired tiles with a water absorption of less than 3% are considered frost-resistant. Porcelain tiles, unlike ceramic tiles, have a minimum level of water absorption - less than 0.05%.
4. Cracking is the appearance of fine cracks in the enamel coating. This happens with low-quality or incorrectly selected tiles under the influence of sudden temperature changes. This defect is sometimes present on the tiles before installation. When tiles crack some time after installation, the cause may be incorrect installation tiles: use of poor mortar or adhesive, too thick or thin layer of these materials.
5. Slip resistance is a characteristic that determines the ability of a surface to prevent an object placed on it from sliding. This property is a basic requirement for the safety of residential and industrial premises, as well as for external floor coverings. In bathhouses, saunas and swimming pools, ribbed tiles with grooves are usually laid.
6. Chemical resistance is a characteristic of tile enamel, reflecting its ability to withstand contact with acids, salts, household chemicals at room temperature. It must resist the aggressive or mechanical effects of these substances without undergoing external changes. Tiles can be protected by filling epoxy materials, which are well resistant to chemical influences.
7. Tone and caliber. Tone is the color saturation of the tile, which may slightly differ from the declared color. It is indicated on the packaging by a number or letter. Caliber is the actual size of the tile, which sometimes differs by a couple of millimeters from the nominal one. The caliber is indicated on the packaging next to the nominal size. During production, tiles are sorted into batches of the same size and tone with the tolerance for differences established by the standards.
   
   
8. Bending resistance. The higher it is, the lower the water absorption of the tile. Porcelain tiles have very high bending resistance, while porous tiles have lower ones.
9. Tensile strength - the level of possible load that the tile must withstand. It directly depends on its thickness. The ability to withstand loads is especially important for floor tiles. The tile covering should be able to withstand loads such as the weight of a person or furniture easily and not break.
10. Surface hardness is a characteristic that expresses the ability of a surface to be resistant to scratches and damage. Scratches are clearly visible on a shiny tile surface, but on a matte surface they are less noticeable.

Production technology paving slabs I have mastered it with my own hands for a long time and everything is improving every year. In terms of characteristics and quality, finished products are in no way inferior to store-bought products, and sometimes even surpass them. So why overpay a considerable amount of money for a pig in a poke when you can make good quality paving slabs at home. This does not require the purchase of expensive equipment and tools, of course, if you do not want to produce it in industrial scale. The key to quality paving stones is the “correct” solution and skillful hands.

Paving slab production technology

Despite the simplicity of the production technology, there are some nuances that should be studied before you start making tiles yourself. First of all, you need to choose and master the method of making it that is suitable for you.

Vibro-cast paving slabs

This tile production technology involves a continuously operating vibrating table on which the sand-cement mixture, placed in special molds, hardens.

After complete compaction and hardening of the mixture, the forms are transferred to a warm place where they must stand for at least 12 hours.

The finished product is even and smooth. These tiles are easy to remove from snow and sand. It has a bright, rich color, and the form of its manufacture is practically unlimited.

For paving paths, it can be used to implement any design idea on your site. High-quality laid tiles can add emphasis to any of your buildings on the site, especially since perfect solution get away from the boring asphalt.

WITH production point From our point of view, the production of vibro-cast paving slabs is a fairly cheap process, perfectly suitable for private use.

Vibropressed paving slabs

The manufacturing technology of vibropressed paving slabs is as follows.

1. The concrete mixture is placed on a continuously vibrating bed in a special form (matrix).
2. Then a special blank (punch) made according to the shape of the matrix high pressure, like a piston, begins to put pressure on the mixture.
3. After complete compaction, the die and punch rise up, and the finished product remains on the bed. This method is fully automated and requires minimal human intervention.

The surface of the product becomes rough and porous. Such tiles can withstand heavy loads, are resistant to severe frosts, and are suitable for places with large crowds of people and vehicle traffic.

Despite the fact that there are compact installations allowing such equipment to be placed on a home site, their cost is still high.

Based on the above, we can conclude that for private needs, vibro-cast paving slabs will be sufficient.

There is no need for the ability to withstand heavy loads, since neither crowds of tourists nor vehicles will move along it. Therefore, in this article we will look at the production of paving slabs using vibratory casting technology.

Technologies for manufacturing paving slabs

The feasibility of purchasing equipment or leasing it depends on the scale of the planned production.

If necessary, tiling small areas it makes sense to take your site necessary equipment for rent, but if there is major work to be done on laying paved paths, blind areas, and various platforms, then it makes sense to think about purchasing it. In a word, it’s up to each of you to decide.

Necessary equipment for work

It is very difficult to bring the concrete mixture to the desired consistency manually. An alternative is a powerful drill with a special attachment for mixing the solution.

However, it is not advisable to work with such a tool for a long time; periodically you need to give it time to rest from the load. Ideal option will be a time-tested electric concrete mixer.

The main element of production that cannot be avoided. Today you can purchase a vibrating table in any store that specializes in the sale of construction equipment.

Their initial price starts from $300. But don’t rush, it’s very easy to make from scrap materials. For this you will need (an electric motor, a sheet of metal, corners, metal plates and springs).

Local Kulibins manage to use ordinary washing machine, putting it at high spin speed.

Forms for the mixture. You can also make the necessary forms using material that almost everyone has on their site (plywood, metal plates, plaster, and so on).

Options for making molds for paving slabs

You can purchase ready-made forms at any construction market, their price is not very high, so this will not significantly affect the budget.

DIY vibration table

We will describe step by step the production of a vibrating table for future shapes. The main task is to obtain a flat surface of the upper platform. Required material and the tool you will need:

• Vibration motor;
• Sheet of metal with a thickness of 5 mm. (upper platform);
• Metal corner or profile pipe (frame);
• Springs (depreciation);
• Welding machine, electrodes and grinder.

Frame

From metal corners or pipes we weld a regular frame of suitable sizes. It is important to ensure that opposite pipes are the same size.

Using the same material, a rectangle is welded. A sheet of metal is welded onto it on one side, and on the other there is a reinforced platform for a vibration motor with slots for fastening.

Vibration motor

For vibrating tables, it is better to use a platform-type vibration motor. It is installed on the prepared base and tightly clamped with bolts.

Installation

The final stage is to connect the platform to the frame, after inserting springs into the landing cups between them. The table is ready for use.

Composition of mortar for paving slabs

The composition of the mortar for the manufacture of paving slabs must contain the following components:

• Cement M-500;
• Seeded river sand;
• Crushed stone (fractions no more than 10 mm);
• Fiber fiber;
• plasticizer;
• Concrete dye (optional);
• Pure water without impurities.

It should be crumbly without lumps or foreign impurities. Remember that cement is a binding component, so the strength of the tile will depend on its quality.

Sand Just like cement, it should not contain foreign impurities such as clay or algae. There is a simple way to test sand for clay content.

The sand needs to be tightly squeezed into a lump with your hands, fixed for a few seconds and unclenched, and monitor its condition. If the sand does not crumble, this is a clear sign of the presence of clay components in it.

It is advisable to purchase crushed stone in fractions 5-10 mm.

Fiber fiber acts as concrete reinforcement. The most common fiber material is polypropylene. Purchasing this component on the construction market will not be difficult.

The component that gives concrete strength and moisture resistance is - plasticizer. Pigment dye is used as needed.

Important! When mixing all of the above components, you must adhere to strict dosage and sequence.

The ratio of components in the solution

Components	Proportions in %	Per 1 m² tiles	Per 1 m³ of tiles
Cement (M 500)	20%	28 kg.	490 kg.
Crushed stone (fractions 5-10 mm.)	22%	30 kg.	520 kg.
river sand	55%	73 kg.	1300 kg.
plasticizing additive	0.5% by weight of solution	45 gr.	1.7 liters
Dye (pigment)	7% by weight of solution	650 gr.	9 kg.
Fiber fiber	0.04 by weight of solution	55 gr.	0.8 kg.
Water	6% by weight of solution	8.5 liters	135 liters

How to mix the solution correctly

We mix the mortar for paving slabs in the following sequence:

1. To the drum with a small amount water (1-1.5 buckets) add plasticizer and dye;
2. Start the concrete mixer and stir the added components for one minute. From this time on, the mixer must work continuously until the solution is completely mixed;
3. Then, observing the above proportions, first cement is added alternately, and then sand and crushed stone.
4. We carefully monitor the consistency of the solution in the drum. The solution should be viscous, but in no case liquid.
5. The final step will be to add ready solution fiber fiber. Stir for another 2-3 minutes. The solution is ready.

Casting and vibration processing

1. In pre-lubricated (with soap or oil solution) the forms are placed on the vibrating table platform and the solution is poured.
2. The vibration processing process must be carefully monitored. As soon as foam forms on the surface, this is a signal that degassing of the liquid is complete and the machine can be turned off.

Typically this process lasts 4-5 minutes. It is impossible to overexpose the solution on the frame; the process of its delamination will begin.

Some people wonder why vibration treatment of the solution is needed, why it is not possible to simply pour the finished mixture into molds.

The answer to this question lies in the tiny air bubbles that are found in hardened concrete. In severe frosts, they contribute to the splitting of paving slabs.

Drying and stripping of forms

IN summer period Drying of castings should last at least 24 hours, in cool weather for at least 2 days. In order for the tile to come out of the mold more easily, it should be immersed in a container with hot water for 10-15 seconds. The molds are rinsed well with water and they are ready for use again.

Important! It is not recommended to put freshly cast tiles into work right away. To gain strength, it must be maintained for fresh air under the sun for another week. Only after this the paving slabs are ready for use.

If you have decided to make paving slabs with your own hands, then we hope that this article will be of help to you good help and help in work.

An area covered with paving slabs or paths lined with this material look very presentable. However, the cost of such a coating makes owners of suburban areas think three times before choosing a finishing method. Therefore, in this article we will look at the process self-made such coverage. With this information you can save money on your tile purchase.

How are paving slabs made?

In industrial conditions, the tile production process is organized using two technologies:

• Vibrocompression - filling a matrix with a working mixture while simultaneously subjecting it to pressure and vibration.
• Vibration casting - filling a mold with a mixture followed by vibration.

In the first case, a particularly durable tile is obtained that can withstand any operational loads. In the second case, the result is a tile of acceptable quality, but without extreme strength characteristics.

Moreover, the vibrocompression technology involves the use of such expensive tools as a vibration press and a drying chamber. The vibration casting technical process requires the use of only a vibrating table, which distributes the solution throughout the matrix and squeezes out air bubbles from the hardening mass.

Experienced House master can assemble a vibration table from improvised means, saving on equipment, and instead drying chamber You can use a well-ventilated area. Therefore, in most cases, to produce tiles at home, it is the vibration casting process that is used, which will be discussed below in the text, along with a description of the design of the vibrating table.

Choosing sizes and making a shape

The production of paving slabs begins with the production of a casting mold. However, before making the base for casting, you need to decide on the size of the tile. Moreover optimal thickness the finished product can be either three or five centimeters.

It is more difficult to determine the width and length, since tiles that are too small complicate the installation process, and large and heavy elements suffer from deformation of soil heaving and force the use of professional vibrating tables that can withstand significant weight loads.

Sizes and shapes

However, the optimal dimensions for width and length have long been known and are equal to 20x20 cm. Such tiles are easy to lay - only 25 elements fit per square meter, and its weight allows you to do all the work yourself, without involving people from outside. In addition, it is much easier to assemble square formwork for casting than a triangle or hexagon.

For the production of three tile formworks for garden paths we need nine meter segments wooden beam with a cross section of 4×4 centimeters, a square meter of galvanized sheet and a roll of adhesive tape. Well, the process itself looks like this:

1. 1. We take two meter sections as they are, and cut the third into five 20 cm bars.
2. 2. We knock together two meter and two 20-centimeter pieces into a 100x28 cm rectangle (the short bars are placed between the long ones and fastened with nails at the end)
3. 3. Place the three remaining short bars inside the rectangle, placing them in increments of 20 centimeters.
4. 4. We wrap all the bars with tape, forming three or four layers that isolate the wood from moisture in the cement.
5. 5. Cut a strip with dimensions of 100x28 cm from a galvanized sheet and stuff a “ladder” made from bars onto it. This way you can make the bottom of the mold and finally fasten the wooden blocks together.
6. 6. Repeat all the above steps two more times, obtaining three forms.

Using one such base, you can make four products up to 4 cm thick at once. Moreover, on a square meter of the vibrating table top, you can lay all three manufactured forms, getting 12 tiles with a total area of ​​0.48 square meters. At home, such performance will be more than enough.

Preparing the solution - the starting point for making tiles

To prepare the mortar for pouring tiles, we will need not the classic 4:1 sand-cement mixture, but a slightly different composition, which will include the following components:

• Cement grade 400 or 500 (the latter is preferable to the former) - 1 part.
• Washed small crushed stone with a grain size of 1.0-1.5 cm - 2 parts
• Sifted river sand without clay and organic impurities - 1 part.
• Reinforcing fiber made of basalt or polypropylene fiber or chopped glass fiber - 1/1000 of the weight of cement.
• Plasticizer (a substance that increases the strength of tiles) - up to 1/100 of the weight of cement.
• Pure water - from a quarter to half the mass of cement.

All of the above materials are loaded into a concrete mixer and mixed. In addition, you can use a barrel and a construction mixer to prepare the solution. In this case, water with a plasticizer previously diluted in it is added last.

Mixing the solution

Check the readiness of the mixture with a trowel - the solution should flow, but not drip.

The volumes of the tile mortar are determined by the area of ​​the surface to be finished or by the number of tiles. The dimensions of one finished product are 20x20x4 cm, so the volume of one hand-made paving slab is 1600 cm3 or 1.6 liters. And to make one square meter we will need at least 40 liters of ready-made concrete.

Moreover, the solution should be prepared last, immediately before pouring the tiles. After all, homogeneity ready mixture remains for 10-15 minutes and filling should be completed during this time.

Pouring and subsequent processing of tiles

The process of manufacturing (pouring) paving slabs can be divided into five stages. At the first of them, the mold is prepared - its inner surface lubricate special composition, facilitating the extraction of the finished product. Moreover, such a composition can easily replace any oil - from sunflower to machine oil (including waste oil).

At the second stage, the solution is mixed, and it is better to place the mixing container or concrete mixer near the vibrating table. This will help reduce the time at the next stage, when the mixture of water, cement, sand, crushed stone and additives is transferred into the molds.

The third stage begins with the greased mold being placed on a vibrating table, covering at least 70 percent of its area. Otherwise, the manufacturing process will take a long time. Next, using a trowel or ladle, the solution is scooped out of the concrete mixer or container and poured into the mold. Moreover, during the pouring process the mass needs to be pierced. To do this, use a trowel, plunging the nose of the tool into the poured mold.

Some craftsmen advise putting a reinforcing mesh of steel wire with a diameter of up to 2 mm into the mold (before pouring). But if reinforcing fiber was used when mixing the solution, then you can refuse to use the mesh.

After filling the mold, a vibrating table is started, which will squeeze out all air bubbles from the mass and compact the filling. In this case, the mass in the mold may settle, therefore, as it shrinks, the master will have to add a little concrete to each cell and continue vibration processing.

The fourth stage is devoted to drying the products. I remove the molds from the table, place them on a flat surface and wrap them plastic film. In dry weather, they will have to be moistened, compensating for the moisture deficit in the hardening concrete. Moreover outside temperature at this time it should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, the strength of the product will be clearly insufficient. In addition, the drying area will have to be protected from direct sun rays and rain, so the best option in this case would be a horizontal platform under a canopy.

At the fifth stage, the product is removed from the mold. Before this, the tiles should lie in the film for at least a week. After removal, the products are stored under a canopy for another two weeks. However, the concrete casting gains 100 percent strength only on the thirtieth day. After this time, it can be used as a finishing material used to decorate areas in the yard and in local area, as well as paths in the garden.

The extraction itself involves the following steps: an old blanket is spread out on a flat surface, the form is turned upside down and gently tapped with a mallet. The dried tiles easily come out of their nests and fall onto a soft surface. Finally, the loose molds should be placed in the sun and dried during the day.

We assemble a homemade vibrating table - improvised means help save your budget

To make the frame of a homemade vibrating table, we will need 4 m of a corner with sides of 5 cm, 8 m of profile molding with sides of 25×25 millimeters, a 5 mm steel plate with a length and width of 1.2 meters.

We will use a sharpening machine as a vibration source to kitchen knives and other household edged weapons, on the shaft of which we will put a sharpening stone with a segment selected for half the radius. Moreover, four shock absorbers from a scooter will be used to enhance vibrations.

The actual production of a vibrating table begins with cutting blanks for assembling the base (frame). To do this you need to cut the corner into four meter racks. Next we cut eight meter sections profile pipe(four each for the top and bottom trim).

The next step is to assemble one segment of the frame. To do this, you need to take two corners and weld two meter sections of profile pipe between them. The first segment will be located flush with the end of the future legs (upper trim), and the second - at a distance of 20 centimeters from the free end. The second segment is assembled in exactly the same way. Then these segments are connected to each other by lower and upper crossbars, forming the frame of the vibrating table.

Next you need to prepare the countertop. To do this, a sharpening machine is secured in the center of a steel plate using screws or bolts inserted into pre-drilled holes. Then the plate is placed on the table frame (with the sharpening machine down) and the location of the legs is marked on it using chalk (to do this, you need to outline the angular joint in the area top harness). After this, a 5-centimeter section of pipe is welded in the marked place, forming cups for the springs. The internal diameter of the pipe should be 2-3 millimeters larger than the dimensions of the shock absorber.

At the next stage, you need to secure four shock absorbers from the scooter in the corners of the frame and put the tabletop on them, placing the upper coils of the spring in the support cups. In the finale on the shafts sharpening machine put on grinding wheels with the selected segments and fix the start button.

After the plug of the machine is connected to the socket, its shaft will begin to spin the cut circles, creating a vibration that will transfer to the tabletop and will be amplified by the springs (shock absorbers). The length of the latter can be selected based on the operating load, under which the tabletop cups should not touch the top frame of the frame.

How to tint cement?

A standard set of components for paving slabs allows you to obtain products with high strength characteristics and zero aesthetic advantages. To eliminate this distortion, you will need a cement dye that changes the color of the finished tile.

The dyeing process itself involves two approaches. The first is the addition of pigment to concrete at the stage of mixing the solution. The second is layer-by-layer filling, when 2/3 of the depth of the tile is made of gray mass, and the remaining volume is topped up with a colored composition.

Technically, they are implemented in approximately the same way - the pigment is dissolved in hot water, in a mass part equal to five percent of the total weight of the solution. Only in the first case do we need to paint all the concrete, and in the second - only a third of the composition. Accordingly, all the advantages and disadvantages of the first and second methods emerge from this.

The advantage of the first method is that the entire tile is painted evenly, so it will not change color as it wears. But a slab painted in this way loses its strength characteristics. In addition, a limited palette of colors can be applied to the gray mass. And painted slabs cost significantly more than regular (gray) products.

Casting in layers is a different matter. In this case, the high strength of the base is maintained and the homeowner saves money - only a third of the tile volume is painted. In addition, the colored part of the fill can be mixed using not gray, but white concrete, which can take on any color.

Make one like this facing material, like ceramic tiles, it is quite possible to do it yourself. Making ceramics at home can be done using plastic and silicone molds. They are sold in a fairly wide range in gardening and construction stores.

Modern housing cannot be imagined without tiled cladding. And ceramics, made and painted with your own hands, will become a real decoration in kitchens, bathrooms, and even as a decorative element in rooms. For those who are not afraid to do it themselves required amount ceramics, the technique of making such a coating at home comes to the rescue.

Decorative tiles can also be made to look like stone. Any type of natural stone can be imitated. Such material will resemble its natural analogue as realistically as possible. How to make tiles that imitate stone yourself? In the very simple version For this purpose, gypsum powder is used with the addition of fillers and dyes, which form a unique pattern for each finished product. But it won't be ceramics.

What is this article about?

Why you should make ceramics yourself

Artificial tiles decorative stone It could also be ceramic. Homemade tiles have advantages over finishing natural materials. The main advantage of decorative ceramics made to resemble stone is its cost, which is significantly lower than the cost of natural analogues. The components used in manufacturing make tiles lighter than natural material. For decorative finishing ceramics made to look like brick are perfect.

There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to how to make tiles for your needs. It can be decorated in any way you like. For example, the kitchen can be decorated ceramic finish depicting still lifes. You can “settle” in the bathroom sea ​​creatures, and in the nursery they will be in place fancy patterns or fairy tale motifs. Stone-like tiles will look great in the living room, hallway, and around doorways. This finishing material will perfectly complement the design wherever its use is appropriate.

Such a universal finishing material, made with your own hands, will not only enrich and diversify the interior, but will also provide significant cost savings. Despite the fact that homemade tiles are less durable than factory products, with proper care they can last for decades, delighting you with their original, absolutely unique design. These bases are enough for you to start making ceramics yourself to cover small sections of walls, paths, openings, etc.

How does homemade production differ from factory production?

Many people are accustomed to the idea that making tiles is only possible using complex technological equipment, which means that making your own tiles at home is unrealistic. But this is not true. Of course, when making ceramics yourself, the technology differs from the factory one.

Stages handmade tiles include:

1. Kneading clay.
2. Shaping.
3. Drying.
4. Firing in a special oven.
5. Applying glaze.
6. Re-firing.

How to make ceramic tiles in the right quantity? In domestic conditions, a sufficient number of forms will be required. The more molds are purchased, the faster the process of manufacturing the coating material will go. It is important to consider that it will take about 2 days to produce one tile. Dried tiles can be removed from the mold only after this period. Thus, the cycle of using the mold ensures that one product is obtained every 2 days.

How to choose clay

Do-it-yourself tiles cannot be made from just any clay. It is important to take into account the plasticity of the selected raw material, because to make quality tiles It won't work without this. Clay can be low-plasticity and plastic. It can also be called skinny and fat. To determine how plastic the clay is, just take a small piece, roll it into a sausage and stretch it. If it stretches well, this means that the raw material has sufficient plasticity.

To make tiles with your own hands, it is recommended to choose clay with an average plasticity index or not very “fat” raw materials. The best option there will be medium-plastic clay, which will make a fairly strong tile. During the firing process, such a tile will not “tear”. The clay must be damp. Before use, it must be allowed to rest in the bag, preventing the evaporation of water. The structure of unpacked clay contains pores with air, which reduces its plasticity and impairs its binding properties.

How to form tiles

Step-by-step instruction for making tiles yourself is not difficult. The production of ceramic tiles begins with molding:

1. The clay is placed in molds and compacted tightly. This must be done so that the edges of the form and the product coincide.
2. Excessive amounts of clay must be removed, otherwise decorative tiles Once dry it will have very sharp edges. If you try to fight them off, the tile may break.
3. Drying the clay should take as long as it takes for it to completely harden. This can be determined by a change in the color of the material: sufficiently dried clay will become significantly lighter, which will be a sign of evaporation of excess moisture from the tile. As soon as this happened, a semi-finished product called raw material was obtained.

Despite the fact that the raw material looks quite strong, it can crumble when tapped. At this stage, you can still change anything. It is enough just to throw the raw material into a container with wet clay so that it takes up water, softens and becomes suitable for use again.

The next step is firing, which changes all the physical properties of the clay and no alterations will be possible.

How is firing carried out?

If you plan to make floor tiles at home without glaze, then only one firing will be enough. If, after the first firing, it is planned to cover the plates with glaze, then a second firing stage will be required.

The facing tiles are fired at a temperature not exceeding 1000°C. The first firing is called biscuit firing. Its result will be a porous structure of the material, which will ensure absorption required quantity glaze in the second stage. This is how they basically make floor tiles with their own hands.

The second firing is carried out at a similar temperature, which will ensure that the glaze is baked sufficiently. When creating floor tiles with your own hands, it is better not to make glaze, as it is very slippery, which is unsafe, especially in the bathroom. Wall tiles are most often made with a glassy coating.

During the firing process, the tile shrinks. It can be significant. That is why tiles at home must be made with a quantitative reserve so that there is enough for tiling a certain surface. finished material. The number of spare parts can be determined by eye, because it will be difficult to make an exact calculation. In addition, it is necessary to provide for possible slaughter and cracking of products during the cladding process.

What to use for firing

Some skeptics argue that it is impossible to reach temperatures close to 1000°C in domestic conditions. But for the manufacture of ceramics, 900°C may well be sufficient. And this value can be provided by a muffle furnace.

For biscuit firing, the temperature should be from 850°C. It is then that the remaining moisture evaporates from the tile and it becomes finely porous, like a biscuit.

You can stop at this stage if the tiles are intended to be laid on the floor. After this firing, the tile becomes quite hard and strong. When creating wall tiles with your own hands, when you want to get a tile cladding with smooth surface simulating a natural stone or any drawing, additional processing will be required. Ceramics that have gone through one stage of firing without glaze are called terracotta. If it is necessary to obtain majolica, then a second firing of the ceramics will be required to form the glaze coating.

How to paint tiles

Making tiles is not everything. It must externally correspond to the intended design. To do this, you will need to master some additional decorating techniques so that the drawing you make with your own hands is unique.

How are patterned ceramics made?

One of the ways is painting on ceramics. This is a fairly simple method that allows you to give the tiles an original appearance. You can also use the decoupage technique to decorate the tiles.

Do-it-yourself tiles are rarely made without a pattern. You can paint your own made tiles using the decoupage technique. If you choose the right materials, you will get a fairly strong coating that will be able to withstand damage. These tiles will last a long time.

A step-by-step action plan consists of several steps. First of all, you need to choose a suitable napkin motif. What to choose from? For example, for the kitchen it could be a fruit basket, wine, or floral motifs, landscape, etc. Appearance hand-made tiles for painting, it will be better if the motif covers the entire surface.

If the napkins are multi-layered, then for decoupage you only need upper layer with an image. When wet, the napkins stretch, so it will be necessary to treat them using a certain method. The napkin should be laid out with the pattern facing up on a flat surface. After this, it should be coated with hairspray, covered with parchment and ironed with a warm iron. This procedure will allow the napkin to retain its shape.

How to apply a drawing

At the next stage, the prepared tiles are degreased with alcohol or detergent. The finished motif is then placed face down on a stationery file and held under a thin stream of water to wet it. After this, the excess water is drained and the napkin is straightened. Next, the file is placed on the tile. Take a soft cloth and smooth the surface with light pressure. The file is carefully removed, the napkin should remain on the surface of the tile.

If bubbles and folds have formed, they should be removed using a fan brush, moving from the center to the edges. It is important not to press too hard to avoid tearing the paper. After a few minutes, the napkin should be secured with PVA glue. To apply the glue, you should again use a fan brush. Finished work must sit until completely dry.

Next is taken aerosol can with car varnish and the tile surface is coated thin layer product, which must then dry completely. If during work the napkin accidentally tears, you can paint on the corresponding area with acrylic paints. The same can be done if a motive of insufficient size was used. In such a case, you can shade the transition from the drawing to the rest of the surface or paint a shadow in gray tones. After finishing the painting, the surface is also covered with a layer of varnish.

Colorful tiling for the kitchen or bathroom is ready.

The technology for producing paving slabs is quite simple. You can do it at home. To make paving slabs you will need fairly affordable equipment. Judge for yourself, the most expensive thing you will have to buy is a concrete mixer. You can make a vibration table yourself. You will have to buy molds for tiles, but today they are not as expensive as before. Good shape made of high-quality material can be purchased at a price of $1 per piece. The price of the form is determined by the quality of the material, the size and design style of the form itself. For fully equipped If you want to buy a pick-up shovel, a good metal bucket of 10 liters, a bucket that will be filled with ready-made tiles, rubber gloves for safe work. When you have a fully complete line for the production of paving slabs, you can purchase and deliver raw materials for production:

• cement grade not lower than A-Sh-400;
• plasticizer C-3;
• pigment dye;
• granite screening;
• lubricant for molds.

The production cycle itself can be divided into several stages:

• preparation of plastic forms;
• preparation of colored concrete;
• daily vibration casting process;
• excerpt;
• stripping and new preparation forms

Paving slabs are manufactured using a simple technological process

Preparing molds before manufacturing vibrocast products. Paving slabs are made using simple equipment:

• vibrating table;
• concrete mixer;
• forms.

Here detailed instructions for the production of concrete products by vibration casting. At the beginning of the production cycle, it is necessary to prepare molds for pouring. It is better to use plastic forms. The technology provides for nuances in the forming and demoulding of vibration-cast products. Before manufacturing, we lubricate the molds with a special lubricant for high-quality formwork. The lubricant also increases the service life of the molds up to 500 cycles or more. It is better to wash greased forms after stripping before the next pour. This is also very important. For beginners, it is better to purchase special lubricant. If desired, you can make the lubricant yourself. But here it is important to clearly guess the proportions. This is how you make lubricant for plastic molds. 50 grams of motor oil should be diluted in 1.5 liters of water. You need to shake this mixture very well and for a long time. Experiment very carefully with the proportions of the lubricant. It is important for you to choose the ideal balance of fat content. Too much grease will ruin your entire batch. After very greasy grease, you get shells in the tiles. These paving slabs look more like shell rock. Low fat content in the lubricant will not give the desired effect when stripping. After greasing the molds, you can prepare the concrete.

Preparation of components for the preparation of concrete. Before preparing the concrete mixture, you need to prepare the concrete mixer itself. Use a bucket of water to rinse the nutria concrete mixer. Be sure to pour out the water. The walls where the concrete will be mixed must be damp. To make paving slabs, you need to make half-wet concrete. Its strength and the duration of aging of products in molds depend on this. Wet walls will mix the concrete composition better and will prevent the concrete mixer from becoming heavily clogged with mortar deposits. Next, you should prepare a plasticizer and concrete dye. The plasticizer should be 0.5% of the amount of all components of the solution in dry form. For 40 liters of concrete you will need 200g. plasticizer. Under no circumstances should plasticizer be added in dry form. It must be cooked first. Dilute 200g. plasticizer in 1 liter of hot water 70-80 degrees Celsius. The water must be hot so that the plasticizer dissolves well. IN hot water From a measuring cup, crushing it well, add plasticizer powder in small portions. Precipitation should not be allowed; it must dissolve well. Next we prepare the concrete pigment dye. The percentage of dye should be at least 2% of all components in dry form. If you make high-quality paving slabs, you cannot skimp on dye. You should end up with a rich concrete color that will last for years. Pigment dye is quite expensive and many are trying to maintain production costs by saving on plasticizer costs. But this approach is unjustified. After a year or two, the tiles will lose their color. Two years after rain, wet tiles will look like new, but when dry, the color is almost invisible. To justify saving dye, it is better to use the technology of filling in two layers. Fill the molds halfway with colored concrete and immediately with colorless concrete. Such tiles will be even stronger. Only the intervals between filling layers should not exceed 20 minutes. This way you can save expensive dye by 2 times. Pre-dilute 800g of dye in a 3-liter jar of water at a temperature of 40-50 degrees. Mix thoroughly and add in small portions. Under no circumstances should precipitation be allowed in the dye. This sediment can damage your tiles. A small clump of dye residue in the face of the tile makes the sink. Thus, paving slabs may lose their presentation and strength due to poorly diluted dye. If the pigment dye is not diluted well, it will not impart the proper color to the tile.

Technological process for manufacturing vibrocast tiles. When our forms are greased, the plasticizer and pigment dye are diluted, the concrete mixer is moistened, we can hammer the concrete. The technology for manufacturing paving slabs has its own characteristics for preparing concrete. This is a low water composition. The strength of concrete products depends on the ratio of cement and water. One has only to add 30% more liquid and the concrete will lose its strength by 2 times. The tile mortar, as mentioned above, should be half wet (like wet soil). It may seem too dry to you, but once it hits the shaking table, it will seem too wet. This is the trick that awaits you in the process of making paving slabs. Therefore, we add less water than cement by 30% of the volume. 3 buckets of cement require 2 buckets of water, including plasticizer and dye. This kind of concrete is quite difficult to mix. To do this, you need to pre-moisten the concrete mixer. Well, now we turn on the concrete mixer and first of all pour in a measured portion of water without dye and plasticizer. Next, add a portion of cement and mix to form a homogeneous emulsion (popularly called milk). Then we add screenings and we already have a solution. Mix well and add the pre-diluted components: plasticizer and dye. And mix it all well until we get a beautifully colored homogeneous mass.

This recipe for semi-dry concrete is intended for vibration casting of thin-walled concrete products or for the production of cinder blocks on a homemade machine.

When we have the concrete ready, we fill out the forms and place them on the vibrating table. The number of molds on the table plays an important role in the intensity of vibration. The table springs should not be too overloaded or too loose. The vibration must be at a certain intensity. As soon as you place the forms with concrete on the table and turn on the vibrating table, the magic begins. Dry concrete begins to turn into liquid. Everything appears in the forms more space and you should fill them out again. It seems that the forms on the vibrating table already contain liquid concrete, but if you turn the form over, its contents do not fall out, but stick tightly to the edges of the form - which means you are doing everything correctly. The vibration duration should last approximately 4-5 minutes. With proper vibration, do not turn off the vibrating table until white foam appears on the concrete in the forms. This indicates that all the air has escaped from the concrete. Then remove the forms and take them to a room protected from sunlight. The tile dries literally within a day. In this it is helped by the low water content and plasticizer, which is included in the composition of the tiles. The plasticizer not only imparts elasticity during formation, but also effectively dries and enhances the strength of the concrete product. The next day you can do the stripping and you ready tiles. It needs to rest for 5 days before being sold. This will give it maximum strength. The forms must be washed after stripping, even though they have been greased. Concrete is so tenacious that it still leaves marks on plastic forms. You can't wash them off with plain water. It's better to use a lot of salt. Prepare a high concentration saline solution in advance. This makes cleaning much easier and faster. plastic molds for paving slabs.

Calculation of profitability in paving slab manufacturing technology

In order to produce 1 square meter of paving slabs we need:
One bucket of cement brand A-Sh-400 - price per bucket $1.5
Three buckets of screenings - price for three buckets is $0.4 (cost of screening for 4 tons with delivery = $32)
Plasticizer 200g. - price for 200g. $0.4 (price per bag of plasticizer 25 kg = $47).
Pigment dye 400g. (subject to two-layer filling of forms, color / colorless) - price 0.9 $ (30 kg bag = 62 $)
TOTAL: $1.5 + $0.4 + $0.4 + $0.9 = $3.2, and the cost of one square meter of colored paving slabs = $7.5.
Business profitability is 135%. The technology for producing paving slabs brings quite a significant income. Of course, a certain percentage of rejection is possible. But the defect of such material will always find its use on a construction site. With such profitability, it can be priced competitively under different conditions. For example, when ordering 1000 squares there is a 30% discount. Colorless paving slabs have the same level of profitability. But it's harder to sell. Colorless tiles can be offered to create budget patterns when laying. This way you can save money and decorate your tile flooring.

Equipment for the production of paving slabs and prices

To make paving slabs you need to buy equipment.

Name	Photo	Price
Concrete mixer.		The price depends on the volume in liters, on average $1.5 per liter. Concrete mixer 300 l. will cost $450. The larger the volume, the cheaper the price per 1 liter.
Vibrating table		You can do it yourself; it will cost you $180 maximum. A new one will cost from $500. I highly recommend making a vibration table with your own hands, there is nothing complicated there.
Molds for making paving slabs.		It is better to take forms from good thick-walled plastic. The cost of such forms starts from $1 per piece. For one square meter of rocky-shaped covering you will need 25 pieces. And for a “brick” shaped square you need to buy 50 molds. It all depends on the size of the tile.
Bucket. Shovel. Latex gloves.		Available to everyone.

To calculate payback periods, we need the following indicators: cost of equipment in dollars productivity square meters per day cost of production in dollars per 1 sq.m. profitability in percent (%).

It is better to start calculating the payback period of a business with performance indicators

Let's say we want to produce 40 sq.m. Rocky-shaped tiles per day. We will need a 300 liter concrete mixer (this will be approximately 6 pumps of mortar) costing $450. Homemade vibration table $180. Molds $1 * 25 pieces per square meter “Rocky” * 40 sq.m. = $1000. Bucket, shovel, rubber seals = $20. The total cost of purchasing equipment is $1000+$450+$180+$20=$1650. The selling price of forty square meters of the finished product will be 40 square meters. * $7.5 (price per 1 sq.m.) = $300. And the cost of tiles is 40 square meters. * $3.2 = $128. With an established sales market, the turnover balance (net profit) is $300 - $128 = $172 per day. It is important to note that the cost of production does not include the cost of wages to workers. The plan is designed for one person. This means you will need to prepare 1000 forms. Preparation may take up to 5 days. For this reason, your true balance per day will be $172 / 5 days = $34. Therefore, a fair payback period for equipment will be: $1650 (equipment purchase) / $34 (net profit) = 50 days. If you plan to work on weekends, then 50 days / 22 working days = 2.5 months.

Pros and cons of the paving slab manufacturing business

Overall the business looks very attractive. Pros of a business idea: The idea does not require specialized investments to start High percentage of profitability Simple technological process production Short payback period. Of the minuses it is worth noting. Business depends significantly on seasonality. The process of preparing forms is quite long and boring (all forms need to be washed off the concrete with salt water and treated with lubricant). Anyone can start this business. It can be made both the main and additional source of income. The production of vibrocast products can also be used for cost savings. For example, consider purchasing tiles for installation near your home as an alternative.

If you have a construction project underway, then you probably already have a concrete mixer. You will make the table yourself, but you need to buy the molds. In cases of defective products, they can be used for other purposes at a construction site. If you are a very cautious person and are not ready to take risks, then purchase a couple of forms and try your hand at a meager cost. I assure you, everything works out for you. Paving slabs are a popular product on the market building materials. This is a consumable item. This is the most practical covering for the yard. For example, asphalt releases toxic fumes when heated. Concrete cracks at sub-zero temperatures. The mobility of the tile covering allows you to freely replace worn areas. Believe in the product you are selling and people will buy it from you.