Building with Limestone

For many hundreds of years, an extensive amount of stone have been quarried from all over the world from beds formed millions of years ago. Some types of natural stone are of a higher quality to others, especially when being considered as a material for construction. When it comes to appearance, workability and structural integrity, limestone often is a superior material among architects, builders and owners.

Limestone is sedimentary, composed of calcium carbonate or calcium and magnesium, or a combination of these. With natural characteristics such as, iron spots, fossils and shell formations, calcite streaks or spots, pit holes, open texture streaks, honeycomb formations, and others, limestone can have a varied look and surface finish, lending even more versatility as a construction material.

Produced by millions of years of heat and pressure, limestone varies in hardness and is commonly found in colours including different shades of black, grey, cream and orange. When recrystalized, limestone becomes marble — another natural stone popular with building projects that normally costs more than limestone and is renowned for having a more polished, prestigious finish. But it is limestone that is often selected as an exterior commercial or residential construction material for focal points of grand — and not so grand — structures. Its virtually maintenance-free characteristic is a huge selling point for many builders.

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Colouring agents found in some construction materials have a tendency to fade over time, whereas limestone, with no colouring agents and strength enough to be used without reinforcement rods, does not. "Another benefit of real stone such as Limestone is that it weathers naturally and enhances the appearance of the material. In spite of limestone being cost effective and easily sourced, some people choose to purchase instead any number of cheaper, manmade cast products on the market manufactured to mimic limestone.

Limestone does not have a tendency to split and can be processed into a wide range of shapes and sizes. So it can be sawed, planed, turned on a lathe or hand worked to match the requirements of demanding architectural designs, states the NSC's Web site. Limestone has proven its use from simple treads and pavers to landscaping structures and bridges, to extravagant cathedrals many times over.

Visit www.stoneandporcelain.com for our full range of Limesone tiles. 

Marble for Swimming pool edges.

We could say ‘that marble was and still is the symbol of luxury and resistance in time’. Whatever rock the creator selected, the result was more or less the same. The Greek classic culture remains fadelessly written on the marble of Mount Penteli, the culture of the Cyclades on the white marble of Paros island, the Eygptians on beige and yellow hard limestone, the Chinese and Inkas in Peru on granites. Strength in manufacture, prestige in work, duration and resistance to time, love for nature and environmentally friendly.

Perhaps there weren’t swimming pools as we know them nowadays, but the use of marble was very widespread in Roman baths, as it was later in the Turkish bathrooms. Marble used on the edge of the swimming pool for its decoration, is very old. Even today there are still swimming-pools of 20, 30 or more years that had their edges elaborately decorated with marble.

The most experienced and oldest swimming pool professionals agree that the two basic elements that make a swimming-pool unforgettable are the cleanliness of its water and type of its edge. The form of a swimming-pool is particularly important when viewed from above. A well designed pool may add a deal to the rural residence or hotel but makes little difference to the one that enjoys swimming in it, as he cannot have a complete picture of its form as a swimmer! The internal walls of a swimming-pool are constructed in tiles, tessera, liner or dyed cement, the finish makes little difference when the pool is filled with water, diffraction blunts any difference and unifies the aesthetic result to a large extent. Although aesthetics play a crucial part in the choice of edge a further four considerations come into play during design in order to avoid future problems, anti-slip, resistance to stains, resistance to frost and resistance to erosion.

Regarding anti-slip, marble edges are by the safest choice, especially when in combination with finishings including sandblast, blow, ageing, acid effect and flaming, giving the desirable key finish that surpasses cement and many kinds of ceramic edge.

Ceramic edges do not easily stain while cement and the unprotected and unsealed edge made from natural rock can be subjected to stains even if, in time each rock, just as a lively organism can protect itself and remove every foreign thing from itself.  

Natural Stone Paving

Natural stone paving is highly sought after material for exterior patios and driveways. Real stone paving offers more character and authenticity than its man made counterparts and if purchased from the right source, should not be any more expensive. The main three materials used to produce stone paving are sandstone, limestone and slate.

When purchasing paving, as well as considering different colours and materials it is also important to consider which sizes you would like. There are normally between four and seven different sizes for each type of paving and some people prefer to use one size throughout the area whilst others may go for a mixed, random pattern made up of three, four, five, six or even seven different sizes. Also some paving is cut to metric measurement (e.g. 300 x 300) where as some quarries still cut to imperial measurements (e.g. 275 x 275).

The depth of most exterior paving normally varies by 10mm. The most suitable depth is between 25mm and 35mm. In recent times a large quantity of paving has come into the UK with a depth a 0f 15mm to 25mm; this is due to the fact that at this smaller depth more square metres can fit into each crate and container. This paving may be cheaper to purchase but is much less durable and hard wearing than material at the standard depth and when used on driveways will eventually start to crack.

If you are considering using natural stone or any type of paving product on your driveway you should be aware that recently passed legislation dictates that planning permission is required in areas where flooding is a possibility. 

 

Sandstone – As one of the most popular materials for stone paving, sandstone paving comes predominantly in dark brown and beige tones and light yellow and sandy coloured tones. Sandstone paving can be supplied with both a riven surface (rough, textured, natural finish) and honed surface (sawn and perfectly flat finish). Sandstone paving is produced in the UK but due to labour costs it is much more cost effective to import from India, when using sandstone paving in residential areas. The two most common Indian types are raj green and fossil mint, although they are commonly renamed when arriving in the UK.

 

Limestone – Another material which is predominantly imported from India when required in exterior paving form. Limestone is available in different tones of grey, blue, black and brown. Limestone paving can be supplied with both a riven surface (rough, textured, natural finish) the most popular types of Limestone paving are the kotah limestones.

 

Slate – Slate is a common material in the UK and although welsh slate is commonly used for roofing and landscaping most slate paving originates from India, China and Brazil. The most common paving colours for slate are black and dark grey but it is also available in green and some metallic-esque finishes such as ocean, copper and salmon pink. Slate is usually supplied with a riven texture and is somewhat more costly when a honed finish is required. View Stone & Porcelain's great range of sandstone paving - www.stoneandporcelain.com

Granite radon scare

There have been some articles appearing in the mainstream US press regarding granite countertops and radon. Radon is a radioactive gas which is known to cause lung cancer. When purchasing a house it always worth having it checked for radon, as if the property was built on ground which is predominantly granite then it may emit elevated levels of radon which could damage your health. Recent reports in the US have suggested that the level of radon present in granite countertops could have a long term effect on a user’s health, this is completely FALSE!

 

I have worked with many forms of granite, slabs, tiles, chippings, rocks etc and will continue to do so whilst ever I am operating within the natural stone industry, If I do ever contract lung cancer then I am 100% confident this will be down to the Philip Morris company and the 20 a day of there product I consume, rather than Granite!  It is interesting to note that reports coming out of the industry suggest that the research done into granite countertops and radon were funded by some of the largest quartz composite companies in the world. Quartz being completely radon free and Granite’s main competitor. 

Laying Tiles Hints and Tips.

Check your stone tiles are sealed properly – You can do this by pouring an egg cup full of water onto the floor, it should form a small pool on the surface, leave it for about ten minutes. When you go back to the pool it should still be there, if the water has absorbed into the stone leaving a dark stain patch then the stone requires more sealant. You can check your wall tiles by throwing a mug full of water at the surface, the water should trickle down the surface like rain drops on a window pain.

 

 Kitchen tiles, what comes first the units or the tiles? – When laying tiles into a new kitchen area you will need to consider whether you wish to lay the tiles or install the units first. This will be dictated by your timescale and what’s easiest and most efficient for your builder. We recommend tiling the whole of the floor before installing the units, this way appliances are easier to take in or out if they need to be replaced or repaired. This also means that if you want to change your kitchen further down the line you won’t have to retile your floor.

 

Cleaning grout – At the end of the laying process you may need to clean excess grout from the surface, to do this use grout haze and latex film remover. Never clean up grout with any kind of acidic solution. This will remove your sealant.

 

Laying Slate – If you are laying slate tiles it is a very good idea to go through them and group them together by thickness and give them a quick wipe-down before you start laying.

If anybody has any other handy hints and tips, please leave a comment. View more advice on laying natural stone and porcelain tiles here - http://www.stoneandporcelain.com/laying_advice.php?cat=Laying%20Guide

Greek Marbles And Ancient Quarries

Following on from my origins of marble piece here's a little info on Greek Marble -

The greek marble types are well known all over the world since they have been associated with the masterpieces of sculpture and architecture of ancient Greece, with unique and exceptional works of art, that through the centuries have always been the focus of world attention and praise. The Greek sculptors and architects had discovered that stone and marble were the building materials with the exceptional beauty that with their natural grace could convert the lifeless constructions into masterpieces of art.

The Venus of Milos, Hermes of Praxitelis, Victory of Samothrace, but also the Parthenon, the Erechtheum, the Propylaea of Acropolis of Athens are only a few representative samples of expression of the ancient spirit upon the unrivalled Greek marble.

Marble quarrying in Greece started several centuries ago. Since the Medium Neolithic era (about 5000 b.C.) we have marble female idols, whilst later the series of the famous Cycladic idols followed. In the 6th b.C., marble was used in combination with porous stone for the construction of several monuments such as the Zeus in Olympia, as well as the temple Apollo in Delphi, with the marble of Paros in the façade and the porous stone for the rest of the construction.

In the 5th and 6th b.C., marble had wide uses. The quarries on Cyclades islands offered plentiful raw material. In Paros the white homogenous marble was quarried and easy to carve. The marble was known to ancient people as Paria or Parios lithos or Lychnitis, because its excavation was made in underground galleries under the light of small lamps (‘Lychnaria’). This type of marble was used in several masterpieces of sculpture, such as Hermes of Praxitelis and Venus of Milos etc.

Slate.

I found this interesting article on Slate today -

Slate is found extensively, throughout the British Isles and has, for centuries, been a major source of building stone. Historically, and, in common with other stones, it was first used in and around the immediate areas of availability.The term slate is often used to describe any rock that can be easily split into thin sheets, principally for roofing purposes. True slate is defined by the presence of a ‘slaty’ cleavage; this allows the slate to be split at almost any point through the stone parallel to the cleavage plane. Most true slates are metamorphosed sediments, often formerly mudstones; however, some British “slates” are derived from volcanic ash sequences and are not true slates in the strict geological sense. AppearanceThe major UK sources of slate, with their distinctive colours, are the Lake District blue/grey, light green, olive green and silver grey, North Wales blue, grey, blue-black and red, and Cornwall - grey.
Slate is easily split (“riven”) into thin sections, giving a natural finish. Other finishes include sawn, sanded, fine rubbed, flame textured, bush hammered and water jet. ApplicationsFrom the very early, basic applications, British Slate is now used for very wide and diverse purposes. Modern quarrying and machine processes allow prime blocks to be sawn or split into large slabs and a variety of thicknesses. Current products include: roofing, cladding, cills, copings, flooring & paving, treads, plaques & memorials, worktops & fireplaces.Slate is typically a very durable construction material and rarely exhibits visible degradation, even when placed under extreme atmospheric conditions for many years. For flooring purposes U.K. slate is unlikely to delaminate or exhibit efflorescence.
High flexural strength and typically very low porosity makes slate eminently suitable for flooring purposes and it requires little maintenance. Caution should be exercised when choosing material marketed as slate as some may not be suitable for flooring. If any doubt exists about the material being considered, specialist advice should be sought. Very thin, split, natural riven sections are used for roofing and the same methods produce thicker material for flooring and cladding. Slateis readily available in sawn, fine rubbed and other finishes wuch as sand-blasted and flame textured.Performance British Slate has a proven record of durability and being supplied fit for its intended purposes. This is readily seen on countless buildings in the UK and many areas of the world. Such examples of installation are witness to the ability of slate to withstand the rigours of extreme atmospheric conditions. Slate is extremely stable and will not degrade, warp or twist. Quality Assurance, management systems are widely used throughout the industry.