decorative coatings imitating brickwork. They can only be distinguished from real bricks at close range.
Flexible bricks are made of quartz sand with the addition of polymer additives. The sand acts as a mineral filler and gives the finished products strength. The polymer components are binding agents that make an elastic coating out of the work mixture.
As additional ingredients, appropriate coloring pigments are added to the composition. "Miracle Brick" is available in the form of individual tiles of different sizes and in the form of large solid mats with a thickness of 4/8mm. The mats are made of fiberglass, onto which the tiles are then glued.
Advantages of the material:
1. High indicators of mechanical strength.
2. Resistance to abrasion.
3. Low weight. Allows finishing lightweight partitions with little load-bearing capacity.
4. High moisture resistance.
5. Maintains original color for a long time - even under regular/permanent exposure to UV light.
6. Temperature resistance. Products retain their physical properties in a wide temperature range. Minimum number of freezing cycles - 200.
7. The possibility of finishing curvilinear bases. Due to the good elasticity of tiles of flexible type is suitable for decorating various arched elements, non-standard niches, etc.
8. Ease of installation. Tiles/mats are installed with an adhesive method. If necessary, the material is very easy to fit in place - it is easily cut with scissors.
9. Practicality. Highly durable water-resistant coatings can be subjected to all types of dry and wet cleaning. Usually, decorative "bricks" are cleaned with a common water and soap solution with a sponge or hard brush.
10. Great aesthetic potential. On the market there are dozens of types of flexible tiles in color / shade. The most popular are products that imitate red, gray, yellow and terra cotta bricks. Often different in color/hue tiles are combined. This allows you to create original interiors.
Area of application
Flexible bricks are used for external cladding of buildings for various purposes, most often in the following finishing works:
- cladding of facades and walls of stone, concrete, brick (not for grouting) structures;
- decoration of open balconies / loggias;
- restoration of dilapidated brick, concrete, cinder block, etc. walls and fences;
- cladding of the foundation projecting above the ground;
- Decorating door and window openings (soffits, niches, corners);
- facade decoration on the sheet insulation (polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam).
The material is also in demand for the repair / renovation of residential, commercial and public buildings. In residential apartments under the brick is usually finished one of the walls in the living room, dining room or bedroom. Very often you can find a "brick" decoration of fireplace areas and open doorways of arched type.
In kitchens, it can be used to decorate the dining area or make a flexible tile apron in the work area. In hallways and passageways plastic coating is used as an alternative to wall panels of wood and wood-plastic composites.
In offices and public institutions such tiles decorate halls, waiting rooms, lobbies, reception areas, etc.
Features of installation
The working base must be properly prepared. First, it must be even. If necessary, the walls are locally spackled or completely pulled with plaster. The presence of minor defects - small cracks, pits, chips, etc. is allowed. - All this is leveled by a layer of glue.
The second requirement is durability. You can try to bring surfaces that are too shabby and crumbling back to life with deep-penetrating primers and specialized bonding compounds. If these means can not properly strengthen the walls, then to finish the latter it is better to choose the frame method, or even think about the overhaul and rebuilding of the object. The best bases for installation of flexible bricks are concrete and planes plastered with cement-based solutions.
As a glue, many craftsmen trimmers recommend using Cerezit CM 11/SM 115 mixtures or their analogues. For four parts of these mixtures add 1 part of the usual PVA glue. The working solution is thoroughly mixed with water to medium-viscous consistency. The adhesive is evenly distributed on the wall and stretched by means of a toothed trowel. Then the tile or flexible module is applied to the substrate and gently pressed down. Remove the mortar that has come out of the joints with a silicone/rubber trowel. Completely finished modules can also be glued with acrylic adhesive.
When installing the modules on each subsequent sheet of paper, you must cut the mesh that protrudes along the edge of the mounting side, and only then attach the cloth to the wall. It is aligned and gently pressed into the adhesive solution. As a rule, the width of the seams between the sheets must be exactly the same as between the individual tiles glued to the mesh sheets.
Gluing is carried out in the direction from top to bottom. This is done to minimize the contamination of the quartz-polymer products. Glue that has got on the tile is immediately wiped off with a damp rag or sponge.
Has its own nuances and finishing curved elements. They are advisable to face piece flexible brick - it is not only more convenient, but also avoids overspending material. Most often it is necessary to decorate arched structures and columns. The glue is applied in small areas (2-4 tiles), so that it does not have time to dry out.
Wall tiling is best done at temperatures above 20°C (preferably at 25°C and above). In cooler rooms, the finishing material is pre-heated. A construction hair dryer will work well for this purpose. If it is not available, you can heat with a household convector or fan heater. Heated tiles bend much better.