Why concrete boards?
Why have concrete slabs become so fashionable? This is due to the material itself, which is on the one hand raw and on the other hand very friendly and elegant. What is more, it is available with the possibility of assembly already at the stage of interior finishing. Easy assembly of concrete slabs and a reliable, concrete aesthetic effect make concrete slabs such a sought-after decorative material.
High quality decorative concrete slabs give a significant advantage over other types of architectural concrete.
Architectural concrete slabs are divided into two groups, depending on the method of obtaining a decorative surface:
Architectural formwork concrete
Formwork concrete is a type of concrete obtained at the stage of construction of rooms. When building tight, external retaining walls for pouring out concrete excavated material (formwork erection), it is necessary to remember that the shuttering boards should be new, covered with an appropriate adhesive preparation (separator). It causes easy and trouble-free stripping of the formwork after completion of the works. By using the shuttering method, a homogeneous decorative face should be obtained on the surface.
In fact, it is difficult to achieve a proper aesthetic appearance with a homogeneous finish. It is easy to make a mistake during application. The most common reason for unsatisfactory results in achieving the ideal architectural concrete obtained from formwork is improper weather conditions. Attention is also often drawn to: Inadequate concrete excavated material, inadequate separator and vibrations, interruptions in the delivery of excavated material to the formwork. It is also worth choosing a proven team of contractors, because lack of experience can also contribute to the achievement of undesirable effects.
This is a very nice, natural way to use architectural concrete, but in order for this to happen, we must be ready to accept the deficiencies and plan the decoration with architectural concrete as far as possible at the construction stage in the raw state.
Architectural concrete in mass
Decorations with the participation of concrete are visible in the arrangements of exclusive publications on interior design. More and more often it can be found in luxuriously finished houses, apartments and even studios, as well as in office or public utility spaces.
No wonder, therefore, that many manufacturers known from the production of various types of paints or plasters, offer to obtain the effect of decorative concrete by means of structures applied thinly.
This is a way to achieve the effect of architectural concrete in a better or less successful way. And in this case, the effect depends mainly on the skills of a professional who will perfectly reproduce the presentations from the film instruction. As the manufacturers themselves emphasize, structural masses are not real concrete, but imitations. Its aim is to effectively replace the real architectural concrete, both in the formwork and in the slabs. One should remember that the effect obtained is only an imitation and does not look exactly like on promotional materials.
Most investors most often avoid imitations and focus on what is real and natural. By the way, the producers of such imitations of decorative concrete refer to the myth of heavy concrete slabs. They cannot be installed on lightweight partition walls. Slabs made of original, natural but lightweight architectural concrete can be installed even on walls made of GK or OSB, using the standard CREATIVE-CONCRETE™ architectural concrete adhesive from Luxum®. It should also be noted that this type of mass is not LZO free and may contain a high concentration of harmful formaldehyde.
It is not surprising that good architects avoid using decorative concrete imitations with fillers, plasters or structural paints.
Architectural concrete – concrete slabs
Decorative concrete slabs are a good choice for walls, facades, fireplaces, floors, fences and small architecture.
Architectural concrete slabs are obtained by pouring specially prepared concrete ore into a suitable form and vibrating on a vibrating table. The task is to distribute the excavated material evenly in the form and to get rid of excess air and cavities that weaken the finished slabs.
Thanks to the architectural concrete slabs, a great and reliable decorative effect is achieved. Of course, when we decide to choose panels of the appropriate quality.
Artificial polypropylene or glass (zirconium) fibres are often added to the excavated material in order to improve the parameters of low-quality concrete excavated material. This is a solution that was wrongly derived from the production of high-strength ready-mixed concrete. There is a lot of decorative concrete slabs available on the market today, but they are usually of low quality. This does not guarantee an adequate final result and the necessary safety for concrete slabs.
Advantages of natural architectural concrete slabs
In order to eliminate the disadvantages of conventional artificial fibre concrete slabs, Luxum® has developed CREATIVE-CONCRETE™ lightweight concrete slabs from natural architectural concrete without harmful artificial fibres and without formaldehyde. It is the highest quality architectural concrete, safe for health, which is confirmed by the PZH certificate and CE certificate. Laboratory tests show that in fact the quality of these slabs is excellent and it is difficult to look for others with similar values.
Architectural concrete from Luxum® does not dust, does not yellow, is not susceptible to cracking. On the other hand, it has excellent aesthetic qualities. What is more, it is a concrete with a very attractive surface. Moreover, CREATIVE-CONCRETE™ concrete slabs have a pleasant surface to touch, with varying degrees of porosity, depending on the chosen structure (Smooth, Premium – medium porous, Industrial – strongly porous). They also have a high, fourth class abrasion resistance, frost resistance and fire resistance in the highest class A1.
Available in many sizes and 11 colours, it allows you to choose decorative concrete in a perfectly matched format and in your favourite colours. The offer includes not only classic shades of concrete grey, but also white, sandstone, anthracite, black. And even shades of rusty COR-TEN metal sheet and red brick.
Luxum® concrete slabs can be cut at any angle, cut and drill holes, milled inscriptions. You can also hang shelves or TV frames.
Natural concrete slabs are lightweight, even in the largest sizes, and can be wall-mounted with Luxum® Architectural Concrete Hybrid Adhesive. The concrete slabs can also be screwed onto using screws with decorative caps. The anchoring of the slabs with square decorative anchors between the expansion joints of the concrete slabs also looks great. Luxum also recommends the installation of concrete slabs on the façade using glued or anchored systems. Also in a ventilated system with the use of certified, invisible, stainless steel stone anchors.
CREATIVE-CONCRETE® concrete slabs are available for personal collection or delivery throughout the EU.
On request, Luxum® also provides an assembly service, which is carried out by professional, authorized assembly teams.
Installation, especially on glue, is not a problem for anyone who can lay tiles.
