Archive for the ‘Stones & Bricks’ Category
Using Travertine Tiles For the Mediterranean Feel no comments
If you are thinking about adding a Mediterranean look and feel to your home then the tiles to consider are Travertine. Most people are under the mistaken belief that marble was the stone of choice for building but that is just not true. Marble was used for temples and columns but the majority of the stone work was done with travertine as the largest quarry in the world at that time was located about 60 miles away from Ancient Rome. In fact, the Roman Coliseum is the largest building in the world comprised of mostly travertine stone.
Travertine tiles are actually applied to a variety of uses in the home. Travertine bathrooms are becoming very popular in which the entire shower along with the vanity top and floors are all done in different hues of this versatile stone. Travertine is a sedimentary rock which means it is porous unlike marble which is a metamorphous rock. Due to this fact, the travertine must be sealed when used in a water rich environment such as a bathroom or kitchen. It also must be sealed when utilized as a floor tile to guard against staining and to give long life.
One of the positives of travertine is it is so easy to work with. Since it is less dense than marble it is much easier to apply to a wall and takes less support while the cement is drying. It also can be easily cut because it is not one of the harder stones. If you plan to bull nose the edges be sure to watch out for any filler that has been added. Often times large voids need to have a filling material applied and this can chip out when cutting. Other than that, this is a very good tile for accents, trim, and walls and floors. It is also very popular in the garden as accents and pavers.
If you are not familiar with travertine tiles you owe it to yourself to see how beautiful and versatile they are. Visit us at the Travertine Tile Store and find out for yourself what a classic Roman tile is.
What’s So Great About Flagstone? no comments
This is a question that has been asked about so many other products that have become household names in a very short time. If you had ever seen flagstone while driving around various neighborhoods, you would not forget what is so special about this product. The vast range of colors and hues and tints that flagstone offers is the first wonder of this stone. Another is the varied shapes and forms and sizes that flagstone offers which gives it its great versatility and a must-have on the sketch pad of every garden designer or landscape artist around town.
Flagstone can be used to lay walkways, garden paths, garden borders and railings, architectural details or focal points which draws the eye to a particular area of the garden. It is also widely used in the building and installation of trellises and gazebos, outdoor kitchens and cabanas, entrance columns and supports for iron decor which welcomes your guests and friends as they make their way through the entrance of your front yard or patio. If you would like to continue this attractive and rustic look and incorporate flagstone on the outside of your home, try using flagstone on the sides of your home instead of the usual boring siding which is less attractive and less durable, especially in the event of strong wind or hurricane storms. If you have ever tried power washing siding, this can sometimes prove too severe and actually cause damage.
Flagstone can also be used to cover the outside of your chimney and exterior of your home as a dynamic looking trim to accentuate the rustic look of your house. Don’t forget the areas where you need to fence as flagstone can do that too. Care to take flagstone right into the interior of your home? Great! The possibilities are endless there too. The beauty of a flagstone fireplace is a joy to behold. Continue that thought right through to the walls of your rustic family room or t.v. den. If you want a warm and cozy kitchen where you can lose yourself cooking up culinary delights for your family, then look no further because flagstone can create this look that you are pining to have.
If you are redecorating or revamping a house, whether it be a ‘fixer-upper’ or a renovation of your own, think of creative ways to incorporate flagstone such as re-wrapping your current columns with flagstone or encasing your low benches or window seats with this stone. If you truly want a knockout of a rustic look, try laying flagstone in your backyard with a scattered or random look, incorporating grass or other ground cover of your choice instead of using your typical square concrete or cement tiles. Just let your eyes carry you along the other paths in your garden and you will soon imagine other applications for this amazing stone.
Remember that no rules apply when it comes to using your imagination to satisfy the different cravings you have to improve the look and feel of your home. Let your creative juices flow and try your hand at new projects at home using flagstone.
I personally have years of experience working with flagstone. A speculate of mine is installing flagstone patios and walkways. You can discover all my tips and techniques in an easy to follow step by step picture guide that will take you by the hand as I show you How To Install Flagstone.
If you plan on laying a flagstone patio or walkway then my site “How To Flagstone” will help you understand exactly how a professional stone mason installs a dry laid patio.
Limestone – A Sedimentary Marvel no comments
Limestone is a sedimentary rock that comes in a large composition of mineral calcite. This stone also contains considerable amounts of silica in the form of chert or flint, certain amounts of clay, silt and sand. The main source of the calcite in limestone is organisms found in the sea. These organisms give out shells that settle out of the water in a coral reef.
Speleothems are produced with this process. You would be surprised to hear that limestone makes up about ten percent of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks.
Limestone is used for several purposes. One of the most popular uses of limestone is in architecture. You can find the use of this material in several landmarks around the world such as in North America and Europe. You must have heard of famous buildings in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. These were constructed with limestone. Hence, the nicknames of these buildings is common – ‘Limestone City’.
This stone is widely available and very easy to cut into blocks and carved. Limestone possesses longevity and has the potential to withstand harsh environment. The material is very heavy and this makes it a difficult stone for constructing tall buildings. It was not very popular in earlier days due to its cost.
Limestone gained popularity in the early 20th and the late 19th centuries. You would find several train stations, banks and other structures from that era made from limestone.
Indiana, in the United States has been an excellent source of high quality quarried limestone. This variety is known as Indiana limestone. Several eminent buildings in London are made from Portland limestone.
If you study about the middle ages, you will come to know that limestone has always been an ideal choice for building block. The reason is that this stone possesses durability and sturdiness. Several churches and castles in Europe are made of limestone. Beer stone was a popular type of limestone for medieval buildings in southern part of England.
Limestone is reactive to acid solutions. Several limestone statues and building surfaces have been damaged due to acid rain caused by this reaction. Limestone should only be cleaned with a neutral or mild alkaline based cleaner.
Here are some of the most common uses of limestone:
a) Limestone is used in the manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime.
b) Cement and mortar.
c) Crushed limestone can be used as aggregate (solid base for roads).
d) Limestone is widely used in glass making and toothpaste preparation.
e) Pulverized limestone makes a good soil conditions. It works towards neutralizing acidic soil conditions.
f) Landscape construction and cement manufacture are most common uses of limestone.
Limestone does not require any maintenance. The stone is cheap and very effective. The material is widely quarried for roadbeds, building and landscape construction and cement manufacturer. Limestone is an ideal choice for flooring and building blocks due to its simple structure. It consists of subtle patterning and comes in plate and neutral colors. These features make this stone a good choice for kitchen flooring.
We, at BBM Impex are dedicated to represent the nation’s treasure of natural stone. visit Limestone supplier & exporter.
I am freelance writer, I have written on many fields that are under the sun. I have passion to play with words. Accuracy, clarity and impact are the hallmarks of my work.
I am not a “Shakespeare”, and don’t have ability to convert imagination and thoughts into words, If I have to define myself in a few words, I would say I am a copywriter, I have good command over research, expertise to explore extensively and ability to prove that. I can write on any subject, from beauty to intellect, food to travel, paradise to Hades, flowers to nuclear bombs, rainbow to Tsunami, pen to sword, Britney sphere to Halen Keller, Tumors to Health and fitness, celibacy to Seduction. You can also find some of my articles at Freelance SEO Copywriter and Article Ghost Writer
Installing Pebble Stone – Your Problem Is Solved no comments
Pebble stone is a natural surface stone and tends to provide the best option to customers when it comes to enhance interior décor. These stones are widely found in Indonesia. Here, they are hand picked.
Once you decide on using pebble stones to you interior décor, you need to follow certain instructions related to installation. Remember that these stones can be utilized in several types of installation. The stones are apt for both commercial as well as residential applications. Residential installations include pools, pool decks, patios, fountains, landscaping, fountains, water features, kitchen backsplashes, flooring, powder room floors, shower floors, bath and powder room floors, entryway, fire places and barbeque areas. Commercial applications include the following:
a) Flooring
b) Feature walls
c) Bar surfaces
d) Walkways
e) Restaurants
f) Medical facilities
g) Public parks
h) Corporate offices
Here are some guidelines you need to follow when installing pebble tile. The materials required include the following:
a) 3/8″ notched trowel
b) Thin set mortar
c) Stone sealer or stone impregnator
d) Sanded grout
e) Stiff bristled brush
f) Damp sponge
Make sure that the area of application is flat, clean and force of any possible contaminants. You need to use reinforced waterproof membrane. You should at least have a minimum fall of two inches when pitching a floor to a drain.
Here are some important steps you need to follow when installing pebble stone:
Surface preparation:
This is the most significant step towards the installation of pebble stone. All substrates must be fixed firmly. They should also be extremely clean, dry and free of any foreign particles. The deflection should not exceed more than 1/360th of the span for floors as well as walls. You should give at least twenty eight days for the concrete substrates and the mortar in bricks to cure. Roughening of the painted surfaces is important. You should use sand paper or wire brush for this purpose. Do not use water based paints for tiling. Before over tiling already tiled surfaces, you should firmly fix and roughen them. Use reinforced waterproof membranes for wet surfaces.
a) First of all, you need to apply thin set mortar to the area you decide to install with trowel. Do not use more than 3 SF at a time.
b) Now place the tiles on mortar in interlocking pattern and tap down into place lightly.
c) Always seal the tile with stone impregnator. You can also apply color and shine enhancers if required.
d) Let the impregnator dry completely and naturally. Leave it overnight.
e) Now apply a sanded grout on 2×2 ft. sections at a time until the entire area is covered.
f) Allow the area to dry for at least thirty minutes.
g) You must use a stiff bristled brush to remove excess grout.
h) You need to sponge off grout until you get the desired look.
i) Seal tiles for the last time once the grout dries completely.
You can expect successful pebble stone tile installation via following the guidelines mentioned above.
We, at BBM Impex are dedicated to represent the nation’s treasure of natural stone. visit Pebble supplier & exporter.
I am freelance writer, I have written on many fields that are under the sun. I have passion to play with words. Accuracy, clarity and impact are the hallmarks of my work.
I am not a “Shakespeare”, and don’t have ability to convert imagination and thoughts into words, If I have to define myself in a few words, I would say I am a copywriter, I have good command over research, expertise to explore extensively and ability to prove that. I can write on any subject, from beauty to intellect, food to travel, paradise to Hades, flowers to nuclear bombs, rainbow to Tsunami, pen to sword, Britney sphere to Halen Keller, Tumors to Health and fitness, celibacy to Seduction. You can also find some of my articles at Freelance SEO Copywriter and Article Ghost Writer
Sandstone – All About This Wonderful Stone no comments
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock that consists of grains between 1/16 millimeters and 2 mm in size. This is the reason that sandstone does not signify any specific mineral. When we talk about scientific composition, sandstone is made up of quartz. It also consists of some other minerals such as clays, hematite, feldspar, ilmenite and mica. All these minerals add color and character to the quartz matrix. Sandstones with large amounts of impurities are generally categorized into wacke or graywacke.
Sandstone originates from the space where sand is laid down and buried. This usually happens offshore. However, you can also find desert dunes and beaches leaving sandstone beds. You would not see sandstone containing good amount of fossils due to the unfavorable environment for preservation. The stone is available in warm colors and very durable.
Quartz grains in sandstone are mixed together by a mixture of silica, calcium carbonate or iron oxide. The presence of iron minerals makes this stone filled with tan and brown bands.
When deeply buried, this stone becomes mobile due to the burial pressure and higher temperatures. The grains stick together and the sandstones turn into metamorphic rocks.
Sandstone can be defined as an arenaceous sedimentary rock that is made up of quartz and feldspar. The stones vary in color and are available in a variety of colors such as white, grey, red and yellow.
Sandstone is very soft and easy to work with. This makes it very good choice for building and paving material. Clastic in nature, these stones are opposed to organic such as chalk or coal. These are a result of cemented grains or some other mono-minerallic crystals under pressure.
The sedimentation pressure grains out of river, lake or sea helps in the formation of sandstone. If you want to analyze the characteristics of sandstone, you should pay equal attention to the environment of deposition.
The main environments of deposition can be easily split between terrestrial and sea groupings. Here are some of the typical groupings available under this category.
a) Terrestrial environments:
Rivers and Lakes
b) Sea environments:
Turbidites, shoreface sands and details
There are several types of sandstones available for consumer use. These can be divided into the following groups:
a) Arkosic sandstones:
These possess a high amount of feldspar. The amount of feldspar here is about less than 25% of the stone.
b) Quartzose sandstones:
These sandstones possess a higher amount of quartz inside them. The best example of these sandstones is quartzite that has less than 90% of quartz content.
c) Argillaceous sandstones:
This category is known for its significant fine grained element. One of the best examples of this sandstone is greywacke.
We, at BBM Impex are dedicated to represent the nation’s treasure of natural stone. visit Sandstone supplier & exporter.
I am freelance writer, I have written on many fields that are under the sun. I have passion to play with words. Accuracy, clarity and impact are the hallmarks of my work.
I am not a “Shakespeare”, and don’t have ability to convert imagination and thoughts into words, If I have to define myself in a few words, I would say I am a copywriter, I have good command over research, expertise to explore extensively and ability to prove that. I can write on any subject, from beauty to intellect, food to travel, paradise to Hades, flowers to nuclear bombs, rainbow to Tsunami, pen to sword, Britney sphere to Halen Keller, Tumors to Health and fitness, celibacy to Seduction. You can also find some of my articles at Freelance SEO Copywriter and Article Ghost Writer