Stone Fire Pits: Increase Your Relaxation Value

There are certain wonderful smells that define summer and good times. Camp fires and roasted marshmallows have to be on the top of that list. There is something almost magical about sitting around a crackling fire with friends and family on a cool summer night. Now many homeowners are increasing the value of their homes and improving the relaxation potential of their backyards with permanent fire pits. Now a backyard in Rhode Island can be as warm and inviting as a New York campground, but you don't have to burn gas to get there.

Concrete and stone fire pits have inspired artists and designers. There are dozens of different styles to consider for almost any landscape. You'll want to check on local fire codes for regulations - then let your imagination soar.

There are many designs and materials to consider. Let's take a look at some of your choices

Shape - Although the round concrete campfire may be the most popular, don't limit yourself. They can be round, square or rectangular. The long, flat fire hearth design creates an organic feel that blends with other landscape elements.

Size - The size of your outdoor fireplace can include the pit itself, the ledge around the fire area, and the ground area around the stone structure. Do you want this area to be intimate or a social center?

If you are planning on having a wide edge, don't build it too high. If you plan to put up your feet, keep the edge low enough to optimize circulation in the legs. This will prevent your legs from getting drowsy and overheated.

Placement - A fire adds charm to almost any setting, but some locations can also create drama and extra visual dimensions. A fire pit at the edge of a pool or lake will be reflected on the water's surface and create dramatic effects. Consider placing the fire near other landscape elements such as a pond or water fall to enhance existing features.

Water and Fire - If you are in search of a landscape centerpiece, consider combining water and fire with a fountain fire pit.

Materials - As you page through magazines or surf the web, you'll discover many different looks for these concrete campfires achieved by using various materials. Stone masons are stone experts, so use their expertise to choose the best combination of stone for your project.

The base of the pit may be prepared with sand and gravel then filled with concrete. Square sandstone or other stone bricks may build up the walls or a smooth even basin can be built with concrete.

You can change the color and intensity of the flame by adding different material into the pit. Lava rock will create a yellow hot flame. Crushed glass on the other hand will produce a cooler blue flame. Ask your stonemason about the advantages of incorporating a metal fire bowl or stainless steel ring into the design.

Don't forget the ground around the fire pit. You can go for a natural or patterned design using gravel or patio stones.

Reinvent Mosaic Love With Mosaic Tiles

So you love mosaics? Mosaics have a very crafty appeal to them. It is the basically an art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of a particular material. Mosaics can be made out of stone, glass, and every other material. Mosaics have for years been used as a part of decorative art and have been ingrained as a formidable part of interior decoration. There are places where they are even used for spiritual and cultural purposes. Pick up any era from the Romans to the Turks and you will see how rampant the usage of mosaics was and still is at this time.

Mosaics are usually made out of small pieces that when amalgamated and placed together form a certain pattern or picture. Now for all those who love mosaics there are many varieties to choose from. Usually mosaic tiles are made out of ceramic which are cut of different colours and then mounted on a mesh of plastic to form the different sizes. There usually are a lot of cera developers who develop these ceramic mosaic tiles for the large tile companies. Now you would wonder why does this happen? Well, because making these tiles takes a lot of time and human power. It's a pure man-power thing and you require a lot of labourers to do it so people prefer outsourcing to the small developers to do the initial work.

With mosaic tiles you can decorate your walls, ceiling, and floor with a symmetrical or non-symmetrical pattern all to your liking. You can add your own creativity and sense of decoration in your personal space. Mix colours, mix sizes and form any pattern that you feel you want in a particular space. It can also reflect on your mood, your personality, your liking etc. Mosaics are one of the best ways of lending your own personal touch to the house. Like you choose what will stay at your place, what furnishings would adorn your space, the same way you could choose whatever pattern and colour you want your space to have and reflect.

These hap-hazard mosaics are available in different colours and different sizes to suit everyone's choice. There are standard sizes though like such as 3cmx3cm, 6cmx6cm etc. These mosaic tiles are also made from the porcelain material. These tiles are being made of almost every material like the ceramic, porcelain, glass, marble, granite, basalt, limestone and more. There are a whole lot of varieties to choose to from.

Significant Features and Uses of Black Stone Tiles

Black stone tiles is considered the ultimate choice for homes, commercial centers and offices as it is both elegant and sophisticated. These stone tiles are seen in most of the contemporary homes as it exudes an aura of opulence and beauty. It is considered to be the ideal choice for beautifying any area in your home including kitchen countertops, bathrooms, dinning rooms, kitchen floors, walls and living rooms. It is known to give a new tone to your rooms and improve the decor of your home.

Features of Black Stone Tiles

These are among the most widely used tiles in most of the places today. As it is hard in texture, it has a number of advantages compared to the other tiles. These tiles are available in different varieties including various shapes and sizes. It is available in round, square, hexagonal and triangle shapes to suit individual purposes. Most of these tiles are customized according to the needs of the consumers. There are many uses of these stone tiles and some of the most significant uses are mentioned below.

Some Significant Uses

Flooring purposes: These are mostly used for flooring purposes as it is tensile and durable in comparison to the other flooring options. It can be used for both indoor and outdoor flooring purposes. A large number of people prefer to use these stone tiles as it requires less amount of maintenance. So it is often used in areas of high traffic such as kitchen floors, commercial centers, hospitals and restaurants. Moreover, it is easy to clean these kinds of tiles as it seldom retains any type of scratch or dirt.

Walls: It can also be used for decorating walls. There is quite an array of attractive varieties of wall tiles in black color. Today most of the people prefer to use these wall tiles as it radiates an elegant appearance. Moreover, both the online and the offline markets are flooded with a variety of tiles of different shades and patterns to suit different types of homes and commercial centers. These tiles are also used on the walls of bathrooms and kitchens as it adds a touch of style and opulence to the rooms.

Kitchens: Most of the home-makers prefer to use black tiles in kitchens too. Different varieties of tiles in varying designs and patterns have compelled millions of consumers to choose these on kitchen floors and walls. These are also used on countertops in some homes.

Outdoors: These stone tiles are also used for outdoor flooring purposes. It is often used in areas around swimming pools and lawns as a popular flooring design. With a plethora of designs and patterns available in most of the online stores, buying the best variety is not difficult any more.

Black stone tiles are a perfect blend of contemporary style and natural texture which is both durable and chic. With its incomparable versatility, it is considered to be the best material used in homes and offices.

Stone Counter Tops That Create Atmosphere

There is much talk today with concrete products that last a lifetime, have less harmful effects to the environment and is a way to stay green in your remodeling project. While concrete is a good source of material for longevity there are limits to what it can do. If you are looking to update your kitchen and have been introduced to new green products on the market for counter tops, consider using manufactured stone. Made out of stone but much lighter, the quartz-bound process uses resin, pigments and other types of filler then heated to a tough durable slab. Stone is beautiful and natural but also expensive to have installed.

Cultured stone is in the class of cast polymers. By using the precise blend of polyester resin, fillers, catalyst and pigments, a desired texture can be created with chemical reaction and curing. Molds are used to shape the mass and bonding guarantees a hard strong material. Workers trim, polish, grind and inspect each piece then coat with a clear gel to further the durability. Inlays can be done to produce a unique style and enhance the counter top area.

Manufactured stone or engineered stone counter tops are a natural composite of 93% quartz and 7% binder and filler. Unlike marble type compositions, you will not find the distinct designs of swirls in the material as left by marble. You also won't find any pits associated with stone because the quartz is ground down to a powder while also containing bits and pieces for a strong surface. Molds are used to create an entire counter top or sections that can be sealed together with very little minimal seam visibility. Some manufacturers offer an antibacterial agent that is included in the composition process.

You can have your counter top designed with pigments of color to mimic marble or any other type of style you like. The colors and designs of counter tops made with manufactured stone are endless. Glass or mirror chips, mother of pearl, colored veins or larger pieces of quartz that adds depth and clarity are all ways that companies come up with endless possibilities to a stylish counter top. The surface can be polished to a deep shine or honed for a matte look. Colors vary from white, pastels and even the deepest reds or blacks.

Matching pieces can be used as back splashes, inlays in cabinets, or perhaps a desktop. Manufactured stone has many forms that it can take in addition to counter tops that are beautiful and solid. Pieces can be cut to any shape, like rectangular, curved or oval. Visit different companies and discuss your ideas for the perfect natural kitchen. You may have to visit a few manufacturers in order to find just the right artistic style that you are thinking of but anything is possible with manufactured stone. Stay green but with the flexibility of being creative.

How to Get Your House Exterior Rendered

The external walls of all buildings are by far the most important part of the structure.

The roof of course has to be THE most important part of a house because if there was not a roof on the house, the occupants would get very wet!

A big problem with dwellings of all types in northern Europe is the fact that the outside of the property has to be kept in good condition at all times, and in the current recession, the average person cannot generally afford to spend what little money they have, on essential tasks such as repairs and, occasionally, painting and rendering the exterior.

The weather attacks houses all year round.

The walls of houses generally come under constant pressure from the elements and they are guilt in a certain way to repel them, however over time this resistance to the weather is degraded and problems start to appear which usually require some form of expense.

The walls of a house, even if they have something like paint or pebbledash, are buffeted by winds and soaked by the heavy rains at certain points in the year, and even the summer, with the hot sun, can bring its own problems.

The effects of the weather against the walls of houses

When cold weather arrives with the addition of the typical British rain, if houses do not have a good "sound" covering of render and/or a protective wall coating, then the rain water will soak into the house walls and cause more problems.

This is a process that is very similar to a sponge.

A normal sponge that is used in the bath or shower has billions of tiny holes, and they of course soak up the water we use for washing. If the external walls of a house are not generally in good condition and/or freshly painted, the wall itself will soak up water, via billions of tiny holes, and this is called osmosis.

The water will stay inside the walls, waiting for the temperature to plummet towards zero, and when it does, the moisture trapped inside the wall will freeze.

This is the same as when water is put into something like the ice cube tray in a freezer, and after it has frozen, the water expands and that is what happens in walls that need rendering repairs.

This is because as the water expands, the render or pebbledash gets "pushed away" from the bricks and that enables more water to come in, and then ultimately damp will occur in the house

A damp house will need urgent repair.

If damp starts to penetrate through a render coating and inside a house, black mould spots and wet patches can appear inside the rooms. The mould spots are often black or green, but the dangerous part is the fact that they release spores into the atmosphere inside the house, and although they cannot be seen, the spores are inhaled by the occupants and become stuck in the lining of the throat and lungs. In bad cases, this can cause breathing problems and disease.

The solution to damp?

Most surveyors will suggest that if you have damp in the house you should call a rendering contractor or an exterior wall coating company, and there are loads in the UK who can help with this problem of mould.

Typically their work involves identifying the source of the water ingress, curing it, and then repairing or replacing the external render or pebbledash coating.

Render must not be left bare though, because it needs extra protection to stop it cracking again, and causing mould to re-appear, so the application of a spray applied external wall coating, or a waterproof render, would be the best approach, giving a weatherproof finish that in most cases, require little or no maintenance for a very long time.

Advantages of Using Cement Bricks

CEMENT BRICKS

Cement bricks are generally seven and ten MPa strength and are used in all applications such as:

• Residential housing

• Walls where the wall will be plastered

• Small DIY jobs,

• Where it is unlikely that anyone will see the wall.

Advantages of using cement bricks

Using cementbricks to build your house or to extend your house is the smart way to go. Because of their strength, they last a long time. With every building built with it is likely to last longer than other buildings.

The advantages are:

• They last longer

• They are extremely strong

• You can custom colour cement bricks

• More affordable

It allows you to build with ease, and they can be made according to your liking and size. General Size: 220mm x 100mm x 70mm Weight: 2.3kgs Quantity per pallet: 500 Strength: 7 MPa and 10MPa

It takes about 5-7days to create and mould a cement brick, with the right hydraulic pressure and vibration. The cement never stops curing so thus is constantly increasing in strength.

CLAY BRICKS - (Stock, Semi Face & Face bricks) Standard Clay stock bricks are classed by NFP or NFX.

NFP stands for non-facing plaster which basically means it is a wall or building that is going to be plastered. NFX stands for Non facing extra. This means that you could use this as a semi face and it is not required to be plastered.

Ithas very low water absorption and are known for their consistency in quality and shape. These clay bricks exceed the minimum specifications of standards authorities will respect the brick strength,water absorption,efflorescence and dimensional stability to be.

General Size: 220mm x 100mm x 70mm Efflorescene: Nil to slight Water absorption: 10.9% Strength: 14MPa - 41.1MPa

Advantages of using clay bricks

Clay bricks provide a good solid foundation when you are building. They come in handy, for any building project, whether you are extending your house or building a new one. Clay bricks are very reliable, and are used,loved and come highly recommended by most builders. The reason why builders use clay bricks, is because of the great advantages. These are the advantages:

• Fire resistant

• Low carbon footprint

• Claybricks are very strong

& reliable

• Highly affordable

In general, your project will determine whether you will be using face, semi-face or cement bricks. If you want the more affordable option, you will need to plaster the wall with the face/ semi-face bricks being more expensive.

The Value Of Using Man Made Stone Veneer

Architecturally engineered stone veneer provides the crafted finish at a fraction of the cost of natural stone material. The speed of construction is greatly increased because pre-engineered techniques provide material to the job site that requires no extra time for cutting and fitting the stones for proper fit. The cultured, or man made stone, is a very dependable product. Colors are mixed evenly and this prevents fade or color change due to heating and cooling cycles.

Many producers have developed man made material from recycled materials. The waste from stone quarries and brick recycling are pulverized, heated and dried then mixed with the required colorant. The liquid mixture is then poured into molds and cast into shapes that can be set together for a stunning wall finish. Your builder and building materials provider have the resources to design and deliver stone veneer for any size job.

If your project is a remodel, manufactured stone can save thousands of dollars because it can be placed on any structurally sound wall. It has the ability to change the appearance of a cinder block wall and give it the look of custom stone work. Many times, by using fabricated stone, large amounts of costly and time consuming labor are greatly reduced, not to mention the frustration factor.

Pre-cast stone veneer has the same heat and cold values of natural material. No sacrifice is made for using cultured materials. Large jobs such as resurfacing wall sections of a hundred feet or more in length can be done for thousands of dollars less than any other wall finishing process. If you have a commercial situation this is the answer to that problem.

Products are available in any stone material design and finish that occurs in nature. The selection in color closely rivals their natural cousins. Shipping and handling is more efficient because waste is reduced. Any time a pre-designed system can be used in any part of the project the owner would be well-advised to investigate the options. Most applications for man made stone are designed to work in conjunction with other wall construction and finish techniques, and provide an overall project that when completed will give a lifetime of service and value.

Owners of older homes that require an indoor project material will be rewarded by using brick and fabricated stone in the desired style selection. When new counter tops are being installed, brick veneer can be used instead of granite or marble for the back splash and side finishing material to give the appearance of a solid brick construction. This motif has all the ambiance and charm that a cozy kitchen generates when the materials come together for a comfortable and serviceable surface.

Though stone veneer is not designed for structural uses, it is sturdy enough to take the every day use and abuse that today's growing families can dish out. Any time a project can be done using a man made stone or brick veneer the outcome will be successful and add beauty and charm to the home or office for a life time.

Marble Floor - Fine Blend Of Beauty And Strength

Much has been written and said on marble floor tiles but still people are crazy to know more about these slabs. It is a gift of nature to the mankind. It is a very beautiful stone and everyone wants to have this stone on his home floors and walls. The demand for these pieces is increasing day by day and the good thing is earth has enough stone stored under its crust for people. This stone is unearthed in quarries and from there it is sent to the factories where it is cut to make square and rectangular pieces that can be installed on every surface.

White majestic marble floor pieces are very popular because they can give a royal look to the place it is installed upon. Milky white stone looks attractive but it stains easily and for this reason it is used selectively on the areas less prone to stains and spills. Any can buy and install white stone slabs but everyone can't maintain white stone pieces. If you are considering remodelling your home with white slabs then you need to be cautious about their maintenance. Ideally you should use white slabs selectively over the very important nooks and corners in your home.

It is not that these pieces are available only in majestic white color but there are many colors to choose from in these slabs. You can select cool colors, vibrant colors and also multicolor mosaic pieces. When installing these slabs, make sure that they are properly grouted. Grouting fills the gap left between slabs when installing them on a surface. If you can use your creativity then you can produce great designs with the help of light colored slabs and colored grout. It is the most cost effective way to renovate your home.

Marble floor tiles are porous in nature but polishing fills all the holes and make these slabs water proof forever. When shopping for stone pieces, you should look for polished slabs only. If you can shop online then you can buy quality polished pieces and also save some money. Online stone and slabs dealers offer tempting discounts on stone pieces. To see the varieties of marble pieces available in the market, just become online and track some reliable stone and tiles stores. Online stores are said to retain all the varieties of slabs. You can see their pictures and also read about their strength and weakness.

The Need of Locksmiths and Locksmith Services

When you lose your house's keys or lock yourself in somewhere, you can be saved only by a locksmith. Best local locksmith services are available across various cities. One can even find details of local locksmiths online or in the yellow pages or from trusted references. Local-locksmith services include upgrading old locks, changing them, installing special locks.This emergency locksmith service helps you out in getting your lock and key problems fixed in no time.

Here are some of the things regarding locksmiths and their services:

• To tackle problems with complicated modern as well as traditional locks, trained and certified locksmiths can be availed.

• Locksmiths save us from burglars and thefts. During emergency situations like broken locks or key losses, locks must be replaced or mended at the earliest. In such cases, an emergency locksmith is the only person who can restore security.

• Our services are diverse. Installations of new locks and changing or repairing of locks are other works for which locksmiths are employed.

• Further, locksmiths are also skilled key-makers. Other locksmith services include upgrading old locks, changing them, installing special locks, security and alarm systems, security cameras and installing vehicle locks.

• Commercial local locksmith services mostly in demand are installation of access control systems, alarm systems, file cabinet locks, making of copy key, master re-keying, install of high security locks and other security equipments.

• Locksmiths are skilled workmen. Locksmiths, who are certified, licensed and experienced, possess the know-how to tackle problems with all sorts of locks available today.

• We are relied upon for timely advice on lock and key security problems, such as, how a jammed key can be taken out from a particular lock or how a faulty lock can be mended easily. • Locksmiths can also give genuine suggestions on the kind of security systems which should be installed.

• We are easy to find in the country. Popular local locksmith services are available across various cities. One can even find details of local locksmiths online or in the yellow pages or from trusted references.

For a person, the safety of his family, property, belongings and business are serious concerns. To ensure that everything is in place and all is secure, one cannot do without the services of a skilful locksmith. By professionalism locksmith services are available 24x7 today. Be it day or night, wherever you are, you can easily find and appoint local locksmiths, skilled locksmiths to safely solve your lock and security problems.

Bluestone Pavers - When Quality Meets Beauty

Pavers make a great surrounding even if you have a small space around your house. Be it your garden or simply path ways, pavers can significantly add value to its beauty. Whereas pavers can create such a wonder, it is essential to choose the right material for it. A natural stone like bluestone can be an interesting paving material to have if you want naturally stunning home. Bluestone is a quarried product and is available in several colors and patterns. The color and pattern of a bluestone is determined with the depth of stone from where it is extracted. The stone extracted from deeper are more unique in quality and color.

The biggest advantage of bluestone is that it is enough alone to create magical impact anywhere it is used. You don't need any supporting stone to enhance its beauty. However, it is not just its beauty that attracts bigger section of homeowners, but there are many practical advantages that make it the most sought after material. One of them is its effortless installation that helps to reduce time and cost consumed in the process. Its availability in multiple shapes and sizes is another advantage. These are also suitable for those who are in budget constraints and looking for some cheaper option. It costs very less if compared with other options. Toughness and longevity are other additional contributions to its benefits. Its toughness and longevity come from the high density feature it bears. This feature also makes it capable to withstand harsh and unfriendly weather conditions including freeze-thaw cycles.

Bluestone has other advantages as well that make it suitable for different applications. For instance, its rough natural texture provides safety to any place when used for flooring purposes, especially around pool areas where floor remains wet and requires grip while walking. Still it is necessary that sealing is done properly for higher degree of safety. Installing bluestone pavers are an ideal choice for pool area, particularly to overcome safety issues.

Apart from pool area there are many more applications where bluestone pavers can work well. For instance, garden paths, stepping stones, walkways, sidewalks, backyard features etc. Bluestone pavers are most suited outdoors you can ever have. Whereas their great strength and rough textures make them ideal for many applications, its mesmerizing beauty in different colors is sure to captivate you and your guests. Find the best paving material for your home at cheaper price online.

Insulating a Slipform Stone House

There can be no question that insulation should be of primary importance when considering new house construction. Slipform stone houses are no exception to this rule. Helen and Scott Nearing, early proponents of this stone building technique, claimed that their New England homes were comfortable year-round without much thought given to insulation - indeed, their first slipform home was built right into a Vermont cliff-face, and made use of bare ledge as one wall. While the thermal mass of the earth itself surely served to maintain house temperatures above freezing, by modern standards, there can be no doubt that this uninsulated stone house would make for a chilly winter. Insulation is key to efficiency, and there are a number of ways to insulate a slipform stone structure.

Stud Wall and fiberglass batting

One common approach to the question of insulation in stone and concrete structures is the construction of a standard framed stud wall against the interior wall. This framed wall is then insulated in the traditional manner, using fiberglass batting insulation between the studs. While this approach works fine, and brings the comfort of familiarity to many builders, the construction of the stud wall is wasteful, and the studs themselves present the opportunity for thermal bridging, significantly reducing the overall insulation of the house.

Rigid Insulation

Rigid insulation offers a number of opportunities when it comes to insulating slipform stone homes. Rigid insulation, correctly installed, allows for no thermal bridging and creates a tight envelope inside the house. There are a number of techniques for building this type of insulation right into the walls themselves, either by laying the insulation inside the forms as you build, or replacing the interior forms entirely with nailbase - rigid insulation mated with OSB, plywood, or even sheetrock on one side.

Adding rigid insulation after the walls are standing can present a challenge to the typical owner/builder. The biggest hurdle here is figuring out how to secure the insulation to the stone/concrete wall. One of the best ways to do this is using furring strips - narrow boards attached to the wall, into which screws can be driven. A powder-actuated nail gun, or ramset can be used to attach the furring strips to the wall. Another approach is to embed the furring strips into the concrete itself as you build the walls. The downside to this approach is that the furring strips will degrade and rot away over the decades, leaving gaps in the wall and weakening the overall structure. Fully removing the furring strips and replacing them could be a challenge.

Spray-on Insulation

This nifty product could be used to spray a seamless layer of insulating foam directly onto the interior of the slipform wall. The insulation would then be cut, sanded, or squashed flat before a finish layer of sheetrock is applied. Both of the above approaches present difficulties when it comes to hanging anything on the walls, as there are no interior studs for screwing or nailing into. Strategically placed furring strips could be used for this purpose.

There are any number of other conventional and unconventional approaches that you might pursue in insulating your slipform stone masonry structure, but these three options are both simple to implement and proven in many homes over a number of years. Whatever you decide, it's very important to ensure that your slipform stone house is snug and well insulated.

Choosing Masonry Contractors: What to Look For in a Masonry Company

Choosing the right professional contractors for a masonry project is difficult, particularly if the homeowner is not fully knowledgeable on brickwork. Homeowners should research and find a contractor that will do a good job at a reasonable cost who are well versed in the type of project being proposed. The importance of going with the right masonry contractor lies in the fact that masonry should be used as a compliment to a homes décor because it gives a homeowner a chance to make a house differentiate from the rest within a neighborhood. Because, there are so many choices of size, colors, and textures to choose from to make any décor match the homeowners taste, it's extremely important to select the right contractor who will successfully help you in the project.

When looking to hire a masonry contractor, one of the first considerations any individual should make is to be sure that the scope of the project matches the scope of the contractors business. For example, some mason projects are very small, so it wouldn't be a good idea to hire a contractor who works only on big projects. So it is more or less matching the right skills with the right-sized project. First, look at the scope of the project, determine what needs to be done, and then consider the full breath of the potential masonry contractor's work to determine if they are fully capable of the task.

Also take into consideration the type of project involved. Some masonry companies exclusively do walls and house facades. Other only do chimneys. Make sure the contractor you hire has extensive experience in the type of project you want completed.

Make sure that the contractor picked has references and that they check out. Ask to see past projects that the contractor finished, and get the customer's opinion on the job performance. Additionally, make sure the contractors are properly insured for worker's compensation, property damage and personal liability. Any company who is unwilling or hesitant to provide this information should throw up red flags. Also, check with consumer ranking groups to ensure their masonry business is a good business to work with.

If the price quoted is adequate, then request a formal bid based on the same plans and specifications discussed. As you often hear, don't automatically go with the lowest bid because it may mean they do not have enough experience to do the job properly. Instead, go with the bid that makes the most sense between a combination of experience, cost, and time to complete the project.

Hiring a professional masonry contractor is much like hiring any skilled craftsman. One has to be sure of their experience and capability of completing a project. When you do find the perfect masonry company, however, it should become quite evident that they are superior both in terms of their work and relations with you as a customer.

The Practice of Stone Masonry

The practice of stone masonry has been around for a long time. The actual date of when the craft originated is unknown. Such famous results of the art of stone masonry can date back to the time of the ancient Egyptians and the pyramids. Since the dawn of civilization mankind has been creating works of art based on stone. From buildings to sculpture all these things have the same thing in common; they all come from the stone of the earth. Even today these materials are still used to create monumental constructs some of which still exist today.

The craft of stone masonry is broken down into six main categories. There are quarrymen who dig and crack rocks in two. They clear out quarries and mine sides of mountains. The second group are called sawyers; they cut blocks of stone into specified sizes for various uses and projects. Banker masons are the third group who cut stone into geometric shapes for all manner of designs. Using chamfers and tracery windows they can cut any shape from a stone. These are the elaborate stone carvings and columns you see on buildings. For thousands of years, banker masons have been carving rock into structures which are cut so precisely they can stand on their own as if they were a part of the floor they stand on.

The fourth group are called carvers; they mix both art and crafting as they carve stone and rock into plants, characters, animals and even abstract designs. This work takes incredible ability and talent, a carver is indeed considered one of the more skilled of any stonemason. Fixer masons are the fifth group. They serve one purpose, to affix stone work to buildings. They use lifting equipment and cramps and dowels as well as cements and epoxy resins to adhere to stone work to the buildings in general.

Finally, the sixth groups of masons are called memorial masons who carve one thing, gravestones. The modern stone mason goes through a long exhausting length of classes and apprenticeships. A stone mason is skilled in the art of working with all types of stone and working with a large number of various sculpting tools. It takes quite some time before someone can become an official stone mason and need to spend a good amount of time working under the guidance of a well experienced stone mason. However in the end, it is rather evident that a stone mason's education shows its worth in their skill and ability.

Installing Cultured Stones

Installing stone in your house or outside of your home can be a great way to decorate your space both inside and out. But natural stone can be very expensive to ship and install, preventing many of us from having this beautiful look in our homes. By using faux stone or cultured stone in your interior design, you can still have the look of stone, without the costs. Use this guide to installing cultured stone and you'll be sure to get the most out of your stone design.

Prep Work

Preparing the space to accept the stone is required before you begin. A scratch coat is required to accept stone to most surfaces. This is a simple layer of mortar that is roughed up to allow the stone and mortar to stick to the surface. Wire or fiberglass lathe needs to be attached to the space. Nail the lathe directly to any studs behind the wall. Nail it about every four inches along the studs to ensure it never comes off the wall of your kitchen or den design.

Next, mix some mortar to the consistency of pancake batter. This part is messy and tricky, but can be done. Use a trowel to spread the mortar onto the lathe so that the lathe is covered with about a ½ inch of mortar. Allow it to harden enough so that you can drag a sharp stick thought the mortar and leave a permanent scratch. Do this in one direction until the entire surface is scratched.

Layout

Once the scratch coat has hardened overnight, you can then cut and layout the cultured stone in front of the area you plan on installing. Stack the stone on the ground, just like it will set onto the wall. Cut pieces of stone with a wet tile saw as needed. Stack one row at a time in front of the space. Once you get a few rows done, you can then attach them one row at a time to the wall in your kitchen or bedroom design.

Back buttering and Installation

Each separate piece of cultured stone needs to be back buttered before it is applied to the wall. A large glob of mortar smeared onto the back of the stone is all it takes to get it to stick. Starting with the bottom row, back butter and stack the pieces of the cultured stone into place according to the layout you created on the floor. Stack one row on the wall, and then create another row on the ground. Ensure that no joints line up with the other rows and your stone is going to look real. Once complete, allow the stone to dry for a few hours, then using a stiff bristled brush, and wipe away any excess mortar from your stone kitchen, bedroom or bathroom design. Clean with a damp sponge and allow to dry overnight.