Marble chips in landscape design: popular uses

Advantages and disadvantages

Marble chips were appreciated by the ancient Greeks, who preferred to build from marble, and used numerous construction waste to improve their gardens. Stone chips have not lost their relevance in modern landscape design due to the following performance qualities:

• Strength and durability. Marble has low porosity and, as a result, low water absorption (no more than 1%). Therefore, the material tolerates frost (as well as high temperatures) well, does not crack or collapse.
• Unlike granite, marble is not radioactive, so it has no restrictions on its use. The absence of harmful emissions makes it environmentally friendly.

Composition by the fence Source inni.info

• Construction and gardening stores have a large selection of shades of marble chips, which allows you to create a unique landscape design. A variety of colors and sizes makes it possible to experiment with design.
• The crumbs are easy to transport - they are sold prepackaged, in bags and buckets.
• The material is easy to work with: no special skills or special tools are needed. If you are tired of the old design, it is easy to remove the crumbs and lay out a new one.
• Marble backfill is used not only as a decorative material. It is a good drainage: it allows excess water to pass through, protects the soil from drying out, and prevents weeds from growing. It can also be used as mulch.

Rocky garden between two paths Source le-park.com
Marble chips have several significant disadvantages:

• Quite a high price. It’s one thing if you need material to decorate an aquarium. When it is necessary to decorate a large area on a personal plot or in a garden, the bill goes to the cubes, plus delivery charges.
• The material retains its attractive appearance without changing color, but compositions with crumbs require periodic maintenance.
• If you plan to use marble mulch as mulch, make sure it is suitable for all the plants you have growing.

Picturesque corner Source pinimg.com

Classification of marble chips depending on the size of the fraction

In modern construction, design and arts and crafts, the use of marble chips has not lost its relevance. Stone processing plants produce chips from 0 to 20 mm without color separation:

• marble flour (dust) - 160 microns...2 mm;
• crumbs (sand) - 2...8 mm;
• crushed stone (gravel) - 15...20 mm.

Marble chips can be of different sizes, each fraction is divided in increments of 0.5 mm, and the material is marketed with the following markings:

• 0.2-0.5 mm;
• 0.5-1 mm;
• 1.0-1.5 mm;
• 1.5-2.0 mm;
• 2.0-2.5 mm;
• 2.5-3.0 mm.

Characteristics: color and size

Marble chips are a by-product of crushing and subsequent sorting of marble. It is obtained directly from marble quarries; Depending on the method, a distinction is made between crushed and tumbled (processed with filler) crumbs. For laying marble chips in the landscape, raw materials of various fractions (sizes) are used; There is the following size range:

• Marble crushed stone. It is divided into coarse (with an average grain size of 20-70 mm), medium (10-20 mm) and fine (5 to 10 mm). Medium crushed stone is used in landscape design to design paths, small crushed stone is suitable for decorative purposes. If you plan to fill your driveway with crushed stone, it is better to choose coarse crushed stone.
• Marble chips (marble rice). Material with a grain size of 2.5-5 mm is used for decorative purposes.

Design with a floral pattern Source comfortoria.ru
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscape work of any complexity

• Smaller fractions: screenings (up to 5 mm), flour (up to 2.5 mm) and dust are not used in garden design.

Natural marble contains impurities that determine its tone and color of the chips. In landscape design, natural shades are considered universal; they are suitable for decorating any corner of a personal or garden plot.

Popular varieties are white, gray, white-blue, white-gray and white-yellow. The super white crumb stands out separately.

Manufacturers offer material dyed with permanent dyes. It can have any, most unexpected shade (for example, blue, cherry or lilac), which allows you to create unusual compositions with ornaments

Flowerbed with two-color filling Source 2gis.com

Features of using the material

The applied properties of natural stone are valued for their environmental safety, resistance to temperature changes, and low water absorption. The strength and durability of marble make it a unique material.

Marble chips are used to prepare mixtures for:

• decorative plaster;
• cement;
• mosaic floors;
• decorative bricks, tiles, tiles.

Adding various fractions to solutions allows you to achieve the desired texture of the finished coating. Its service life, if installed correctly, can be measured in decades. An additional advantage is the aesthetic appearance and ease of maintenance.

Marble flour and sand are components of the final wall coating mixture known as Venetian plaster. The recipe for mixing lime and marble dust was invented in Ancient Rome, but it began to be actively used during the Renaissance in Venice.

Traditionally, marble chips with a fraction of up to 2.5 mm are used for the production of ceramics and landscape elements. Pots, borders, flowerpots, sculptural compositions with the inclusion of stone acquire additional strength. In the interior, window sills, arches, table tops, and panels are made using this technology.

Crushed marble absorbs metal salts from water, so the crumbs are added to sand filters. They are used for hard water saturated with iron and manganese compounds.

Application

Stone chips in landscape design help not only decorate, but also improve the area. Natural raw materials are used for a wide range of works in landscapes of any style.

For paths and platforms

Using marble chips, you can get a smooth, uniform surface that will look neat even under intense load. Dirty material can be easily restored to its original appearance by simply rinsing with water.

If you have a sufficient budget, you can use marble chips to lay a recreation area, playground or yard. For backfilling, you can use gravel of one color, or create a composition (pattern) using two or three shades. The operation of a site with such a coating is no different from a normal one. A barbecue is installed on it, garden furniture and containers with flowers are placed.

In the backyard Source comfortoria.ru

The design of garden paths opens up a wide field for imagination. The following techniques are used to decorate them:

• A path with blurred boundaries. To achieve the impression of a natural setting, plants along the edge of the canvas are planted so that they cover the edge, slightly extending onto the path. For a similar effect, ground cover, creeping plants, and cereals are suitable. The result will be especially impressive if the shape of the path is slightly curved.

A picturesque corner of the garden Source blogspot.com

Qualities and advantages of marble chips

Marble chips, like marble itself, are an environmentally friendly material with high strength, non-flammable and resistant to many aggressive chemicals, durable, highly decorative and a wide range of colors. Unlike many types of artificial materials and coatings, marble chips are harmless to human health and can be used in the decoration of medical and children's institutions, and in food production.

Like all materials of limestone origin, marble is spark-proof; marble chips are used to cover the floors of explosive industries.

Compositions with marble chips are applied in a thin layer, so they have little weight and consumption.

How to style

In order for the decorative layer to retain its attractiveness, it is important to lay the material correctly. Before laying, it is necessary to prepare the base, for which the following activities are carried out:

• The selected plot of land is cleared of weeds.
• Remove the top, fertile layer of soil, approximately 10 cm.
• The base is compacted, then a layer of fine crushed stone (not decorative) with sand is poured to ensure water drainage.

Path and rock garden Source paysagiste-lyon.fr

• Geotextiles are laid on the gravel. This is an important step that should not be abandoned. Geotextiles will act comprehensively: they will strengthen the soil, prevent water from accumulating, and prevent weeds from germinating.
• If you are preparing the base for a walkway or flowerbed, install fencing to help maintain the shape. The edging can be stone, brick, plastic, wood, galvanized steel.
• Marble chips are poured onto the prepared area; the surface is leveled with a rake. The layer should be slightly lower (0.5-1 cm) than the surrounding surface.

Decorating a walkway from marble chips Source priroda-kamen.ru

Products made from marble chips

In the production of products for which cast marble is used, crumbs are one of the main components. Products made from marble chips are used in fire and explosive areas because... they do not generate sparks during operation.

Thanks to its qualities:

• easy polishing and excellent grinding,
• rich color palette,
• environmental cleanliness,
• and efficiency

The material is used in many sectors of construction. It has a unique ability to be combined with other building materials. Resistance to frost allows this material to be used both in interior and exterior decoration without thinking about temperature changes and precipitation, snow or rain.

For facade finishing, white material is most often used. The use of such materials makes it possible to refine the exterior of the building and improve the landscape of the area.

Marble chips are needed for:

• surface finishing
• production of gray cement
• water filtration

Briefly about the main thing

Marble chips are essentially a by-product of marble extraction, which is widely used in landscape design. The material is quite varied. Raw materials of different fractions and different colors are available for sale; they all give the landscape a natural, harmonious look.

Thanks to the physical properties of marble, stone filling is strong and durable, does not fade in the sun and does not collapse after a frosty winter. Marble chips are usually used to form paths and platforms; they are used to decorate flower beds and rock gardens, and to mulch plantings. The material should be laid on a prepared base, preferably reinforced with a layer of geotextile.

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Extraction of marble and production of marble chips

What is marble? It is a crystalline-grained rock that is formed under pressure from limestone or dolomite.

Today, marble is considered one of the most noble stones, which is used both for decoration and for creating various elements from it.

Pure marble is always white, it is also considered the best, but in addition, marble formed under the influence of various impurities is also mined; today pink, yellow, brown, red, etc. are known. Such stones have a heterogeneous color: they are covered with veins, in them You can distinguish individual crystals and other natural patterns.

In Russia, marble mining is carried out by several companies. To date, deposits have been developed in different regions of the country, the largest of which are located in the Urals. Marble of different colors is mined in different regions: white marble is mined only in the Koelkinskoye and Aidyrlinskoye deposits; gray marble is found in the Polevskoye, Mramorskoye and Ufaleyskoye deposits. Yellow marble is mined in the Pochinsky and Oktyabrsky quarries, black marble is mined at the Pershin deposit, and pink marble is mined at the Nizhny Tagil deposit.

All this marble is mined and processed as solid stones, and the production of marble chips is carried out. It must be said that the production of marble is practically waste-free, since the residues after processing the stones are used to make marble flour, chips or crushed stone. The production technology of the so-called “living stone” involves crushing solid rubble first into crushed stone, and then the crushed stone itself is crushed into crumbs with fractions of different sizes. In addition to crushing itself, the production of marble chips also includes the process of dust removal (when the crumb fractions are removed from the dust formed as a result of crushing), as well as the stage of removing impurities that may be contained in marble rubble. The technology for producing crumbs is quite simple, but it allows you to obtain high-quality mineral material of various types, and not only in color.

Features of applying marble mixture

Before applying any finishing coats, the substrate must be carefully prepared to ensure proper adhesion of the two surfaces. The preparatory stage when using marble plaster is carried out in different ways, which depends on the parameters of the crumb.

• A mixture based on small and medium-sized fragments of marble is applied to a well-prepared base with a perfectly flat plane. To do this, the surface is leveled using fine-grained putty and, after drying, sanded with a trowel mesh.

Properties of micromarble

The qualities of the filler obtained from marble can be called exclusive. He:

• quite durable (3 units on the Mohs scale. For comparison, chalk - 2, talc - 1);
• practically does not contain unnecessary impurities - its composition is mainly calcite (99.5%) and very few foreign substances - oxides of various metals;
• almost non-porous;
• refracts rays perfectly;
• tolerates UV radiation well;
• likes to dissolve in acids (mineral);
• features perfect whiteness.

How to prepare marble flooring

recipes for homemade plaster . This is dictated by the ingenuity of craftsmen who skillfully combine different materials to obtain an exclusive finish. The easiest way involves combining the following ingredients:

• 3 parts of marble chips of the desired size and color;

• 1 part of cement (the grade must be chosen not lower than M-400 or M-500);

• water (added to the dry mixture until the consistency of a thick paste is obtained).

Sometimes, when finishing internal surfaces in a home, cement is replaced with slaked lime. If installation is carried out in rooms with high humidity levels, then it is better to make the composition on a cement base.

Areas of application of marble flour

Microcalcites of various fractions, as fillers for paper, linoleum, paints and varnishes, plastic and rubber products and other products, have been used for quite a long time. Therefore, the main areas of application of micromarble are production:

• paint and varnish products (high optical properties: whiteness and refraction and low chemical activity allow us to obtain high-quality products that are resistant to acidic environments and atmospheric influences; relative hardness and high strength make microcalcite an indispensable filler in the manufacture of materials for road markings and marking coatings). Calcium carbonate for paint and varnish products
• dry construction mixtures (sealants, putties, grouts and other finishing materials). Brands of ground marble for dry construction mixtures
• household chemicals (cleaning powders, cleaning products, toothpastes, shoe care pastes, etc.). Brands of raw materials for cleaning powders
• paper products (marble microcalcite plays the role of a bleacher, a substitute for more expensive fibers and paints, and a deoxidizing agent). Calcium carbonate grades for paper products
• drilling fluids . Micromarble for drilling fluids
• plastics (ground marble plays the role of a filler and dye, is used in the production of polyolefins, polyester fibers (crimplene, lavsan, etc.) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)). Microcalcite for plastic production
• glass containers and fiberglass (the material is rich in calcium, which is necessary for glass production);
• rubber products (tires, gaskets, etc.);
• building materials (linoleum, siding, plastic pipes, etc.)