BUILDING STONES

Sandstone
Lime stone
Shale stone
Slate stone
Marble
Granite
Basalt
Trap
Dolomites
Volcanic rock
Gabbro stones
Breccia
Serpentine
DRESSING OF STONES
The stones, after being quarried, are to be cut into suitable sizes and with suitable
surfaces. This process is known as the dressing of stones.

Seasoning of stone
A freshly cut stone carries some natural moisture known as quarry sap making it soft
and workable.

Dressing of stone should be done as early after quarrying as possible, since the quarry
sap reacts when exposed and makes them weather resistant, harder and compact.

It takes about 6-12 months for complete seasoning

Dressing of stones is carried out for the following purposes:

To get the desired appearance from stone work.

To make the transport from quarry easy and economical
To suit to the requirements of stone masonry
To take advantage of local men near quarry who are trained for such type of work
Classification of Dressing of stones:
1. Stroked
2. Tooled
3. Rick faced
4. Reticulated , etc.
Properties or characteristics of a good building stone:

1. Appearance: For face work it should have fine, compact texture; light-coloured stone
is preferred as dark colours are likely to fade out in due course of time.

2. Structure: Broken stone should not be dull in appearance and should have uniform
texture free from cavities, cracks and patches of loose or soft material.

3. Strength: Stone should be strong and durable to withstand the disintegrating action
of weather. Compressive strength of building stones in practice range between 60-
200 N/mm2.

4. Weight: It is an indication of the porosity and density. Depending upon the structure
its being used, heavy as well as light stones are used.

5. Hardness: this property is important for floors, pavements, etc. The hardness is
determined by the Mohs scale.

6. Toughness: The major of impact that a stone can withstand is defined as toughness.
The stones to be used should be tough when vibratory of moving loads are
anticipated.
Properties or characteristics of a good building stone:

7. Porosity and Absorption: Porosity depends on the mineral constituents, cooling time
and structural formation. A porous stone disintegrates as the absorbed water freezes,
expands and causes cracking.

8. Weathering: The resistance of stone against the wear and tear due to natural
agencies should be high.

9. Workability: Stone should be workable so that cutting, dressing and bringing it out in
required shape and size may not be uneconomical.

10. Fire Resistance: Stones should be free from minerals such as calcium carbonate,
oxides of iron, etc., having different coefficients of thermal expansions.

**Natural bed of stone is the original bed, plane or position occupied by a stone during its
formation in a sedimentary rock. When stones are placed in the structure it should be so
placed that the load line is at right angles to the natural bed.
DETERIORATION OF STONES
Following are the causes of decay of stones:

Alternate wetness and drying

Frost
Impurities in atmosphere
Living organisms
Movements of chemicals
Nature of mortar
Rain water
Temperature variations
Vegetation growth
Wind
ARTIFICIAL STONES/ Cast stones/reconstructed stones.
Where durable natural stone is not available at reasonable cost, artificial stones becomes the
choice.

Artificial stones is made with cement and natural aggregates of the crushed stone and sand
with desired surface finish.

Suitable coloring pigments can be added.

Advantage of artificial stones over natural stones:

can be moulded into the most intricate forms.
cast into any size, reinforced to have higher strength
economical & durable
Some of the artificial stones are:

1. Concrete Block: Used in the construction of piers or cast in moulds for window
sills,

2. Bituminous Stone: Granite and diorite are impregnated with prepared refined tar
to form bituminous stone and used for providing noise, wear and dust resistant
stone surface.

3. Artificial marble: Made from portland gypsum cement and sand.

4. Victoria stone: Are granite pieces with hardened surfaces by keeping immersed in
soda silicate for about 2 months.

5. Random stone: Prepared by mixing soda silicate with cement to provide

decorative flooring and is also known as chemical stones.

6. Garlic stone: Produced by moulding a mixture of iron slag and portland cement.
Used as flagstones, surface drains, etc.

7. Imperial stone: Finely crushed granite is washed carefully and mixed with
Portland cement. The mix is moulded in desired shape and then steam cured for 24
hrs and immersed in silicate tank for three days.
Advantages of Artificial stones
• Can be casted as per the architectural requirements. Any
shapes and sizes or features like grooves, can be obtained.
• Large concrete block are more economical than natural stone
blocks.
• Laying is more convenient than natural stones and needs less
supervision.
• More durable: less defect or cavity compared to natural
stones.
• Can be made where deposits of natural stones are not avilabe
as broken small stones can easily be transported.
USES OF STONES
Structure: For foundations, walls, columns, lintels, arches, roofs, damp proof course

Face-work: To give massive appearance. Eg: stone cladding

Paving: floorings of buildings, footpaths, etc

Basic material: Stone is disintegrated and converted to form basic material for cement
concrete, artificial stones, hollow blocks, etc.
Miscellaneous: Ballast for railways, flux in blast furnace, Blocks in the construction of
bridges, piers, abutments, retaining walls, light houses, dams, etc
STONES ARE GRADUALLY LOSING THEIR POPULARITY AS THE BUILDING
MATERIAL BECAUSE

The dressing of stones is tedious, laborious and time- consuming

The stones of desired strength and quality are not easily available at reasonable rates

RCC and steel have proved to be stronger, less bulky, more durable and more suitable for
present day construction of multistoried.

The structures constructed of stones cannot be rationally designed as in case of R.C.C

and steel structures
Thank You!