Flock coating: what is it, features, advantages

Recent years with finishing works as decorative coating flock is widely used. Many have seen what this material looks like in the interior, but often confused with traditional decorative plaster. In today's review, HouseChief experts will tell you what a flock finish is, its features and advantages, as well as the application technology.

Read in the article

1 Flock coating: what is it
2 A variety of decorative flakes
3 Advantages and disadvantages of flock coating
4 Flock technology
- 4.1 First step: applying glue
- 4.2 Second stage: flocking
- 4.3 Stage three: protective and decorative topcoat
5 For which interiors is flock coating suitable?
6 Care features

Flock coating: what is it

Flocken, translated from German, means snowflake. In construction, this material is used to create a multi-layer decorative wall covering indoors. It consists of a dry mixture of acrylic particles (chips, flakes) of different colors, sizes, configurations, which have a reflective effect.

Flock chips can be phosphorescent, pearlescent, metallized, glitter and holographic. This allows for an original and unique finish. By means of a flock, which has the shape of "striped shells", a polygon, round, shapeless or "thin straw", you can create beautiful and unusual textures.

Variety of shapes allows you to create interesting textures

Flock plaster consists of several layers:

Base. It is a slow drying acrylic base.
Decorative. Chips of different colors, sizes and configurations.
Finishing. This is a satin or acrylic matt varnish finish.

In addition to decorating wall surfaces, flock is used to decorate doorways, columns, ceilings, cornices, window sills and even self-leveling floors.

Flock is used even when creating self-leveling floors, which makes them more beautiful and original.

A variety of decorative flakes

Flock plaster, first of all, is divided according to its composition. In one case, it consists of three separate components: acrylic base, flakes and varnish. The second option is simpler and faster to work, since the composition contains a flock and a protective component, which are mixed and ready to be applied to the surface with a roller. The latter option is much simpler, but the appearance and quality of the finish will suffer.

It seems that this is marble chips, but in fact it is flock plaster

Flock coating differs by other criteria, in particular:

the configuration of the chips - oval, polygon, straw, round, scaly;
monochromatic - the composition includes 3-4 shades, one of which is dominant;
monochrome - flakes are painted in 1-2 colors (most often, it is black or white);
the diameter of the scales is 1-15 mm. For the decoration of spacious rooms, you can use flock of any size at the same time. This will make the design more interesting. IN small rooms it is better to use a finish made of small particles;
as an additional decoration, foil particles, glitters or flakes with a holographic or fluorescent effect can be included in the composition.

With the help of flock, you can create a beautiful and original wall covering

This finishing material may vary in thickness and transparency of the coating. A technology has been developed, thanks to which the main color of the wall surface can shine through the decorative layer. Such a variety opens up a wide field of action for designers, and thanks to the combination of compositions, you can create an original and unique interior. The range of flocks is quite large, which allows you to choose a finish for each specific case.

Advantages and disadvantages of flock coating

Flock is popular not only as an original material for interior decoration. In addition to its rich color palette, it has many more practical advantages, namely:

Easy to apply and dries quickly.
Lack of connecting seams, as in wallpaper, tiles or panels.
Excellent aesthetic appearance, original textures and textures. Perfectly imitates natural leather, suede, velvet and velor.
Large selection of colors.
It does not absorb odors, moisture or condensation, making it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms.
Masks minor wall surface defects.
Provides additional warmth and soundproofing.
Dry material consumption is approximately 150-200 g / m².
Lack of odors. The material is approved for use in educational, medical and preschool institutions.
The finish is highly resistant to mechanical stress, household chemicals, temperature and humidity extremes, as well as to ultraviolet light.
Easy to care for.
Environmental safety and fire resistance.
Can be applied to any prepared surface.
Wide range of chip sizes.

As you can see, the decorative flock coating has a lot of advantages, but it would be unfair not to mention the disadvantages of this type of finish. But they are, albeit in small quantities. In particular, these are:

higher material cost compared to other types of finishes;
the complexity of application, since certain experience with the material and special equipment is required;
multi-stage installation of finishing;
the application of the material must be done fairly quickly;
the protective lacquer coating does not allow the walls to "breathe"; therefore, regular ventilation of the premises is necessary.

Flock application requires special equipment

Flock technology

The creation of a flock cover requires some preparation. Some argue that walls may not need to be leveled before applying decorative plaster. However, if you want to get a high-quality and durable coating, then it is recommended to remove the old finish, correct significant defects and treat surfaces with a deep penetration primer for better adhesion.

The walls must be cleaned of dust and dried, and it is better to lay paper or construction film on the floor. This will allow dropped chips to be collected and reused, thus reducing material waste.

Before applying flock plaster, the surface of the walls must be well prepared

First step: applying glue

Before proceeding to coating the walls with adhesive, it is advisable to cool the room. This is to slow down the drying of the glue. It is better to divide the surface of the walls into small sectors using masking tape. After that, you need to apply the adhesive with a medium-bristled roller or brush (broom). This must be done as quickly as possible so that the glue does not have time to dry, otherwise the finish will not stick to the wall. Therefore, it is better to do the work together: one applies the adhesive, and the second - flocks.

It is best to apply the glue with a roller.

Second stage: flocking

The second stage of creating a flock coating is spraying dry flakes onto a wall moistened with an adhesive. For this, a special pneumatic gun with a reservoir for flocks and a compressor are used. The procedure for applying dry mix is similar to painting walls with a spray gun. The optimum distance between the gun nozzle and the wall to be treated should be about 450-500 mm.

Application of flocks should be done in slow circular motions from top to bottom. If the section of the wall has dried, then it is once again coated with adhesive and a finishing material is applied. The scattered flakes are collected and reused. After the finish is completely dry, which is about 10-12 hours, the wall is sanded with a stiff brush. This is done to remove loose flocks.

When applying flocks to the surface, it is imperative to adhere to the technology

On a note! In the course of work, you need to carefully monitor the adhesion of flocks on a particular section of the wall. If the particles fly off and fall on the floor in large quantities, this means that there are already enough of them in this place. Therefore, it is necessary to move on to the next section. When the flakes crumble and a “bald patch” is formed, it means that the adhesive composition is already dry, and it needs to be applied locally with a brush.

Stage three: protective and decorative topcoat

After the flocks are applied to the wall and completely dry, you can proceed to creating a protective and decorative layer. Gloss or matt acrylic varnish is applied to the dried flock coating with a brush or a medium-bristled paint roller. To increase the strength, after the first layer has dried, the surface can be varnished again. After 2-3 hours, the varnish will dry, and the flocks will be firmly fixed on the wall, and the coating itself will acquire all its positive performance characteristics, which were listed earlier.

After varnishing, the surface acquires its high quality characteristics

For which interiors is flock coating suitable?

Modern manufacturers of building and finishing materials offer ready-made mixtures of flocks, however, if you wish, you can create an original combination of several varieties. For decoration of apartments and country cottages, give preference to cereals in calm colors.

Bright colors are suitable for the living room, and one wall can be made more saturated, and therefore accent. When decorating a bedroom, use light, calm shades, and niches can be decorated in contrast. It will be interesting to look at a monochrome black and white flock scale, which is suitable for decorating the interiors of apartments in modern styles and will be harmoniously combined with gray and white furnishings.

Flock plaster - a new word in finishing works PHOTO: deco02.ru

Flock plaster - a new word in finishing works PHOTO: cdn.inmyroom.ru

Flock plaster - a new word in finishing works PHOTO: d1gc6ba1r4599p.cloudfront.net

Decorative flock finish with glitter and fluorescent chips is an excellent solution for interior decoration of bars, cafes and clubs. The flickering of the scales will look spectacular under the fluorescent lighting of the dance areas.

Care features

At the final stage, 1-2 decorative and protective layers of acrylic-based varnish are applied to the flock coating. In the first case, the surface is rough, and the fabric can cling to the protruding edges of the scales. It is best to vacuum such a coating. If the finish is lacquered twice, then the surface of the walls is smooth. It can be washed with a damp cloth using household chemicals, all dirt can be removed quite easily.

Flock decorative trim is durable enough and can last for many years. This is a great option for those who have the word repair causing shivers throughout their body. Rich color palette will allow you to decorate the interior in both bright and calm pastel colors. The material is perfect for a bedroom, living room, children's room or office space.

In conclusion, we suggest watching a video material with a master class on applying flocks.

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