Travertine is a stone which has been around for many centuries and has been used both in construction and as decoration in building. You may not realize this but the Roman Coliseum was actually constructed almost entirely of travertine stone. The largest quarry for this rock in the known world was located only 60 miles from downtown Rome so it was easy to transport. In the present day, the majority of the travertine which is used in the US is sold in the form of pre-cut tiles or pavers for the garden.

Travertine is actually a sedimentary rock which is formed at the bottom of hot mineral pools. As water travels through the ground it picks up minerals along with the heat from the hot rocks. When the water reaches the surface it forms in pools and then evaporates. As the water goes away it leaves the minerals on the bottom of the pool. After eons these pools are covered with dirt and rock and then usually thrust under ground by tectonic forces. The heat and pressure transforms the sediment into a stone which is then uncovered and quarried.

This is the same process that forms marble, a much harder stone, except that the marble spends longer under ground and is acted upon by higher temperatures and pressures. This causes the marble to be much denser and heavier than travertine.

This fact makes these tiles very well suited for wall tiles. The sedimentary process causes voids and air pockets which mean the tiles are light and easier to hold with adhesive. This works great for walls but it causes a problem as a kitchen worktop. The small holes can be easily contaminated with liquids and bits of food which can harbor germs. For this reason, when travertine is used as a worktop covering it is filled. This means the tile is no longer considered natural but it still looks very stunning.

Travertine is also very popular as stepping stones and as walkways in gardens and yards. The natural tones of the tiles and pavers match the surrounding vegetation very nicely. Since they are earth tones it is very easy to match the tiles to any landscaping.

Many people also choose these tiles in entry ways and in bathrooms. In fact, these are the tiles which would be chosen if you were trying to copy a Roman Bath in the home. They can be placed on the wall, the floor, or even the entire shower stall could be covered with them.

If you are thinking about installing any form of Travertine tile in your kitchen, or any part of the house for that matter, you will be very happy with the authentic Roman feel. This material is known as the stone that built Rome, even though today everyone assumes it was marble. If you are ready for more information or to get started then visit The Travertine Tile Store.

Deciding what kind of rock to use in your landscaping project can be a difficult task. You have to take into account a number of things such as color, shape, natural patterns, breakability, and how the stone will withstand natural weathering and erosion. When it comes to deciding on a paver stone, flagstone is a perfect type of pavement for any landscaping project. Flagstone is a natural, generic type of stone, used as building material and landscaping pavement.

Flagstone is a type of sedimentary rock, composed of feldspar, quartz, and small amounts of other rocks, compressed below the earth’s surface. It can be mined in quarries in many different locations. It is an abundant rock form, so it’s relatively cheap compared to other types of stone. Humans have been using flagstone as construction material for centuries. It can be seen, for example, in medieval European architecture, such as castles, bridges, and other sturdy buildings.

Today, people use flagstone more as a paving material in landscaping projects. It works great for winding pathways, or for an outdoor patio, or even around a backyard swimming pool. Flagstone is hard enough to withstand breaking from general wear and tear, but is easy to break with the right tools. If you are a do-it-yourself person, or maybe you want to save the cost of hiring a landscaper, flagstone is easy enough to handle by anyone.

Let’s say, for example, you want to create a flagstone patio in your backyard. The first thing to do is to call a stone supplier company and give them the measurements of the area to be paved so they can calculate how much flagstone you will need. You can buy it pre-cut in the size and shape you would like to work with, to save yourself the stone-cutter process.

Once you pick up the stone, or have it delivered to your home, you need to prepare the area. Then you are ready to start laying the stones down, so get creative with the pattern and design you make with the flagstone. This is a very general overview of the process, so it’s a good idea to do some research into the specific preparation procedure and process for laying the stones. If it seems like too daunting a task to do yourself or you don’t have time, then call a landscaping company and hire them to get the job done right.

Outdoor landscaping often plays an important role in selling a house. When the yard surrounding your house looks well-maintained and the pavement looks clean and stylish, it can assist in raising the value of your house on the market. If you are looking to sell your house, you can probably count on asking more when you have a well-landscaped yard. This is a good reason to consider natural stone in your landscaping projects. Even if you are not looking to sell your house anytime soon, you and your family can enjoy the beauty until the time comes.

Rock Stone & Sand Yard is your source for Fairfax VA pavers. We also supply natural stone and mulch. When you’re in Fairfax or Alexandria check us out.

Granite is without a doubt the hardest and most durable natural stone used in the building industry. It’s time defying characteristics and natural beauty, unaffected by erosion or pollution, make it the material of choice in many important buildings throughout the world. It’s especially ideal for kitchen counter surfaces, as well as bathroom counter surfaces. Here are some steps to the process of getting new counter tops installed in the home.

1. Choose Your Stone – There is a massive variety of natural stone. We recommend working with a Certified Interior Designer, but the best thing to do is visit the showroom of stone company, and take pictures or samples to physically match with other elements of your space.

2. Choose Your Edge Detail – The front edge detail of the working surface is very important to the overall look of the kitchen. Cabinetry door style neds to be considered when choosing this detail. For instance, a Shaker style door would look best with a square edge. A double edge makes more of a statement than a single edge and our manufacturing process creates an almost unperceivable joint between the two stone pieces. The substructure can then be fully plywood lined to add strength to the counter unit.

3. Choose Your Cutouts – Top mount or bottom mount? Cut outs are where the sink(s) go.

4. Seal Your Granite – Do it immediately. A good stone company will offer a few suggestions for sealing products depending on the kind of stone you have.

5. Maintain Your Stone – Granite can stain, but it doesn’t have to. Clean up oily spills with water and a mild soap rinse.

Enjoy your newly enhanced kitchen or bathroom. Besides being beautiful, granite is also a great way to increase the value of your home.

Vesta Marble & Granite specializes in marble and granite fabrication, installation, and sales. We are based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and provide our expertise on granite and marble kitchen counter tops, bathroom counter tops, fireplaces and vanities, custom granite furniture, quartz engineered stone, and the variety of other marble and granite products available to enhance your residence or office. Visit us at http://www.vestamarble.com

Brick pavers are used to dress up landscapes all over the world. They can be the perfect way to add a little definition to outside spaces. They are ideal for some many outdoor projects. They are durable and easy to install. Many folks use them as a point of interest in their landscaping endeavors.

These pavers are not only beautiful but they are very functional. They can be used to make driveways pop; walkways stand out and generally bring interest to any area that needs it.

The Driveway

Having a great driveway in front of your home really can increase the value of your home, by increasing the curb appeal of the home. Using brick pavers to line your driveway or to completely create your driveway is an excellent way of adding some curb appeal to your home.

Installing the pavers is simple but a bit of hard work. Installation will require that the ground is level. This can be achieved in several ways, the easiest way is to have a sand base that has been tamped down using an earth tamper, and if an earth tamper is not available a walk behind steam roller will do the job nicely.

Brick pavers do not have to be mortared down they can simply be laid and have a thin layer of sand poured over them to fill the spaces in between the pavers. It is actually cheaper to install the pavers this way.

There are several designs that can be used to lay the pavers. A favored design that looks rather elegant is the herringbone design.

Sidewalk

Brick pavers can be used to make a great sidewalk. The process is the same as building a driveway, of course on a much smaller scale. The process is very simple and actually can be completed in one day if there are at least two people involved in the process.

Types

There are several different color choices and shape choices when it comes to these pavers. The favorite type is the square shaped or rectangular shaped brick pavers. The range of colors is from brick red to cream colored.

These pavers can be chosen to match the color of the home.

Costs

The cost will vary, depending on whether they are new or reclaimed bricks. You can expect to pay anywhere from less than a dollar per paver to over three dollars per paver depending on how thick the paver is and color, texture of the brick.

Brick pavers are one of the simplest ways to give the outside of your home a little flair. Whether you have a brick house or one made of another material, you are sure to find some use for attractive pavers.

Why, because the end use consumer is getting a better deal. The final cost of installing natural stone on personal residence or commercial building is the cost of both the stone and the labor combined. That cost equation has pushed the market from installing full bed depth natural stone in years gone by, to the majority of the market being the installation of natural stone thin veneer.

The big picture is this: the cost of labor has come down for installing “thin veneer” stone products as the knowledge and familiarity has risen on how to do it. Labor, in most markets around the United States, is a greater portion of the overall cost of installation than the actual stone product. Full bed stone products normally cost less than most real stone thin veneer products, and they are normally sold by the ton or pound. On average, most full bed products will yield 30-45 square feet per ton of coverage. You’ll have to make a cost conversion for what you paid per ton to how much it is costing you per square foot [i.e. If you paid $350 per ton for the stone, and it yields 40 sq. ft. per ton, your cost for the stone only, is $8.75 per sq. ft.]. Real Stone thin veneer is normally sold by the square foot for “flats,” and by the linear foot for “corners.” In most cases the cost per sq. ft. or linear foot may be a bit higher than the converted cost of full bed product. This is logical as the cost of the thin veneer is the cost of the full bed stone plus the labor to convert it into thin veneer. However, for the consumer, the savings is in the installation labor. We have surveyed many markets around the USA as we cover a wide area of distribution. It would be a fair statement for me to say that the cost of labor to install real stone thin veneer is, at a minimum, (only 1/2) as expensive as the cost to install full bed real stone. In many markets that differential may be as much as 80%; in other words, the cost of installing natural stone thin veneer may be equal to paying only 20% of the cost of installing full bed natural stone in that market. The more expensive the labor in your market, the more true this is.

You’ll have to do your own due diligence about finding the right mason for your job and estimating how much labor will cost you. However, no matter how much homework you do, I can almost guarantee the final cost of your project will always be less costly installing real stone thin veneer than real stone full bed material.

Many communities with higher standards of building requirements may require natural stone versus “fake” or man-made stone products. Natural Stone thin veneer will meet almost any discriminating body, and will save the owner of the project money. With a high quality natural stone thin veneer, and a decent mason installer, no-one will ever be able to tell the difference between a full bed versus thin veneer job.

Natural stone thin veneer is is the real deal. It is just fabricated REAL STONE, either in a “processing plant,” or occasionally “on the job.” Unlike fake (aka “cultured,” or “manufactured”) stone, which is made of concrete, plaster and paint products – real stone “thin veneer” is a sawn off portion of the real version of the full stone (100% made by nature). It has all the properties of the full bed stone; including its hardness, color and natural beauty. It will not fade or deteriorate like the man made imitations. If fabricated in a high quality environment, the “processor” will normally saw off the the front and rear “rise” of the natural ledgestone. Picture taking a brick shaped piece of a full size stone and sawing off the front and back “faces” to yield a natural face, and natural surface top, bottom and ends. The normal specification is for the stone to have a new thickness of approximately 1″ – 1 3/8″ and a maximum weight of under 15 lbs per square foot. Natural looking “corners” are achieved the same way – however more waste is involved if the product is high enough quality to be sawn to have all natural ends. Again, imagine a brick shaped piece of natural ledge stone, look down at it from a top view, and imagine cutting one “L” shape corner out of it. The rest of the piece is scrap if it is to have all natural exposed surfaces.

At our company, as a quarrier of real stone, and also a fabricator of natural stone thin veneer, we don’t really care which product is being sold – but the reality is that the consumer has pushed the market towards natural stone thin veneer because the total job cost is less expensive doing it that way. It all makes perfect sense, dollars and cents!

As a final thought, I will say that the cheapest installer may not be the one you are looking for. Ultimately, the final look of your job comes down to the guy or crew that is doing the installation and you need to evaluate your desired outcome with your budget. Just like you may not choose the most expensive nor the least expensive stone, you may not want to choose the most expensive nor least expensive installer. It is very unlikely a non-professional could successfully install full bed natural stone. However, it is possible that an average “handy-man” can install real stone thin veneer, and may really enjoy the process and reap great satisfaction.

Best of luck with your project!

Michael Coleman is the National Sales Manager and one of the principals of Stone Direct. The Thin Veneer Store has been designed as a place for the general public, home owners, contractors, and builders, to purchase real stone thin veneer directly from the source. Our parent company, Stone Direct International, LLC has been supplying stoneyards and building material companies for over a decade. Our main business model has not changed and we will continue to protect our valued dealers. However, we realize that there are a lot of consumers in the USA and Canada, and possibly beyond, that we do not reach with our current dealer network. The internet has certainly changed the reach of conventional marketing. There may be some individual people, that inquire because of this website, that we will have to decline to sell to directly due to a conflict with our loyalty to dealers. However, if you are serious about your project with natural stone thin veneer, and your job is at least 500 sq. feet and/or linear feet, we encourage you to inquire through e-mail or phone.

Michael Coleman
National Sales Manager
http://www.thinveneerstore.com
sales@thinveneerstore.com

If you have an old masonry brick wall that needs to be demolished there are certain steps that should be followed to insure a safe and clean demolition. In this post where I am going to give a general overview of how to demolish a brick wall, this isn’t exactly how it must be done but it does give you a pretty good idea of what needs to be done, just use a little common sense as you attempt to complete this project.

You first need to organize your demolition equipment. You are going to need a scaffolding, dumpster or dump truck, large tarps to cover the grounds work area, small hammer drill, partner saw, wheelbarrow, hammer, chisel, gloves, dust mask respirator and eye protection. It is also a good idea to wear long work jeans and a long sleeve work shirt to help protect yourself.

Try to position your dumpster or dump truck as close to the work area as possible, there is no sense in having to handle all the debris twice if you don’t have to. Spread your tarps out below the work area to help reduce the debris field when it comes time to clean up. Start by making a series long vertical cuts about 2 to 3 foot apart with your partner saw from the top of the wall to the bottom as close as you can get down to. If it is an old masonry wall you may be able to skip this step if the mortar joints are weak.

Next you will want to get out your hammer drill. Be sure it is set to vibrate only and use a small wedge tip on the end of it. In this case the small bits generally work better that large ones when taking apart masonry structures. Go to very to course of the wall to begin, never start at the bottom. With you bit attack the bottom of the brick rite where the bottom of the brick meets the mortar, pull the trigger and after a few seconds the brick should pop loose, grab the brick and throw it in the dumpster and continue along one course at a time.

You should avoid trying to take multiple courses at once unless you are skilled in demolition work. Improper demolition can result in a collapse of the entire masonry structure which would not be good especially if you are standing under it, odds are you will suffer serious injury or death. If you notice the wall starting to buckle while you are demolishing it you may need to stop and shore up the wall with bracing until that section of wall is down. As you tear down the wall you should come across wall ties every few feet that may require a claw hammer or a metal cutting blade to remove them.

Finally clean up your work area, there will be a lot of debris so hopefully you put your tarps down well so cleanup will be much easier. If you are planning to replace your brick wall with another masonry structure be sure that the footer is totally cleaned off and all mortar is chiseled off as well, it will make installing your new brick wall much simpler. If you don’t feel that you can tackle this project you should hire a qualified mason contractor or a demolition specialist.

Professional Mason Contractor
Matt Marksbury
Brick Wall Demolition
How to Demolish A Brick Wall

If you have an old masonry brick wall that needs to be demolished there are certain steps that should be followed to insure a safe and clean demolition. In this post where I am going to give a general overview of how to demolish a brick wall, this isn’t exactly how it must be done but it does give you a pretty good idea of what needs to be done, just use a little common sense as you attempt to complete this project.

You first need to organize your demolition equipment. You are going to need a scaffolding, dumpster or dump truck, large tarps to cover the grounds work area, small hammer drill, partner saw, wheelbarrow, hammer, chisel, gloves, dust mask respirator and eye protection. It is also a good idea to wear long work jeans and a long sleeve work shirt to help protect yourself.

Try to position your dumpster or dump truck as close to the work area as possible, there is no sense in having to handle all the debris twice if you don’t have to. Spread your tarps out below the work area to help reduce the debris field when it comes time to clean up. Start by making a series long vertical cuts about 2 to 3 foot apart with your partner saw from the top of the wall to the bottom as close as you can get down to. If it is an old masonry wall you may be able to skip this step if the mortar joints are weak.

Next you will want to get out your hammer drill. Be sure it is set to vibrate only and use a small wedge tip on the end of it. In this case the small bits generally work better that large ones when taking apart masonry structures. Go to very to course of the wall to begin, never start at the bottom. With you bit attack the bottom of the brick rite where the bottom of the brick meets the mortar, pull the trigger and after a few seconds the brick should pop loose, grab the brick and throw it in the dumpster and continue along one course at a time.

You should avoid trying to take multiple courses at once unless you are skilled in demolition work. Improper demolition can result in a collapse of the entire masonry structure which would not be good especially if you are standing under it, odds are you will suffer serious injury or death. If you notice the wall starting to buckle while you are demolishing it you may need to stop and shore up the wall with bracing until that section of wall is down. As you tear down the wall you should come across wall ties every few feet that may require a claw hammer or a metal cutting blade to remove them.

Finally clean up your work area, there will be a lot of debris so hopefully you put your tarps down well so cleanup will be much easier. If you are planning to replace your brick wall with another masonry structure be sure that the footer is totally cleaned off and all mortar is chiseled off as well, it will make installing your new brick wall much simpler. If you don’t feel that you can tackle this project you should hire a qualified mason contractor or a demolition specialist.

Professional Mason Contractor
Matt Marksbury
Brick Wall Demolition
How to Demolish A Brick Wall

Granite is a beautiful material to use for your kitchen and bathroom countertops. Many people, however, underestimate just how difficult granite is to install once it is purchased. Many homeowners believe that this is a project that they can take on themselves. If you have experience installing granite countertops, then perhaps you can take on this task. If, however, you are like most homeowners with no experience in this area, you should use a professional to ensure that it is installed properly.

One of the first reasons that you should hire a professional to install your granite counter tops is that everything has to be perfectly in place in order for the counter top to fit correctly. Unlike other types of countertops that can be placed on top of your space and glued into place, granite is very heavy and requires additional support. Professionals will install rebar and other supports to ensure that the granite doesn’t break because of the weight. These supports have to be completely level or else the granite will be unstable. The proper supports to be used are determined based on the weight and thickness of the granite slab. These are best chosen by a builder rather than a laymen.

Another reason you should use a professional to install your granite countertops is the expense involved. When you are talking about a piece of stone that costs around a thousand dollars, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. The slightest miscalculation can lead to costly mistakes. When you hire a professional for installation, they assume any costs that occur from a mistake. It is better to have that type of protection and pay a bit more for installation than it is to do it yourself and have to eat the entire cost of the granite should you make a mistake.

Granite is a stone that will last a lifetime once it is installed. It is beautiful and won’t ever go out of style. With the high price of granite, you should always use a professional to ensure that it is installed correctly and will last the way that it should.

For more than 15 years Onis Stone has combined knowledge, personal service, and creative design to professionally install granite, marble, travertine and limestone.

Natural stone has always been an integral part of building structures. It has a strong participation in the history of architecture. Ever since then it is ruling the tile market. Their natural charm and magnificence never failed to capture eye balls and still they are a brilliant way of decorating home. Their demand in market has never seen bad days. Demand of Natural tile has increased further more due to the introduction of several competent tile manufacturing companies. With the participation of so many companies in the competition has made it easier to find variety in tiles.

There are varieties of natural stone like, Granite, Limestone, Slate, Porcelain etc. Each of them takes millions of years to form. They are formed under extreme pressure and temperature. After remaining in such condition for years we get them as a very beautiful stone to decorate our house. Granite has a unique gorgeous look that suites any commercial areas, like offices, multiplexes, malls etc. These Natural stone tiles encompass a look that fits exactly in to any commercial area. However, they are also preferred for living rooms where lovely ambience is required.

Similarly, natural stone tile Limestone and Slate are favored for bathrooms and kitchen area. This is due to the fact that these tiles are non-slippery as well as water-proof, making them ideal for wet areas. Moreover, Slate is thermal resistant which means it can be ideally used on the walls near burner area. But, above all Porcelain is a very suitable tile for your home. Porcelain is a type of Ceramic tile but better than Ceramic. As compared to Ceramic these tiles are much stronger due to their hard surface and dense structure. Also, there are endless designs and color combination available.

Their creative designs can be used anywhere including bathroom walls, kitchen walls, kitchen backsplash etc. So choices are infinite, all you need is to select a tile design that can suite your taste and your home interior. Unlike Ceramic, Porcelain tiles can be also used on floors as they are strong floor material. Moreover, they last long with their original charm. Using your own creative mind by combining different tiles together to get fresh designs can bring you a satisfactory interior.

Often, border tiles are taken of different designs or install totally contrast designed tile in the middle of the plain tiled wall to bring out opulent style in your home. Natural stone tiles are costlier but posses elegance that any other tile material can ever posses.

About the Author:-

Jason Colling is a renowned writer who has written articles on various interior designing techniques related to floor decor. His articles focus on various uses of laura ashley erin tiles, laura ashley wiston tiles and natural stone.

Wars and broken romances have one thing in common – collateral damage! The love affair between saltwater pool owners and natural stone may suffer the same fate if a bit of common sense isn’t applied.

Salt can do nasty stuff to stone! The gnarled and heavily etched rock surfaces on the headlands of any Sydney surfing beach is testament to the power of salt, wind and wave action. Look very closely and you will discover an unassailable truth – some sandstone is amazingly resilient to nature’s wildest forces while other types succumb horribly.

Stone survival on any coastline is very Darwinian – the strong survive and the weak disappear. The performance of stone paving material varies in the same way. Poor quality material doesn’t last. This is especially so around saltwater pools. Traditionally chlorinated pools pose little risk to natural stone.

Salt can cause devastating damage to just about any building material whether it is metal, concrete or stone. Some stone is quite resistant to salt attack – a property that can be determined quite easily by laboratory testing. Some stone suppliers invest heavily in testing their stone to ensure that the product used is fit for the intended purpose. Businesses that provide this information deserve praise and are worthy of support, because too much poor quality stone is being sold by too many shoddy operators.

Salt water pools and sea spray in coastal areas can threaten some stone surfaces. Damage ranges from pitting and flaking through to delamination. Sealing will reduce the movement of salt laden moisture into the stone sub surface where most of the damage occurs. Regularly hosing down wet areas around a pool is the best prevention of all. Increasingly though, concerns about saving water or forgetfulness expose the stone to risk.

Sometimes salt damage occurs because of poor sub-surface drainage around the pool. Many soils are quite saline especially in the subsoil. After rain, soluble salts may rise to the surface permeating the stone from the under-surface. As the stone dries the salt forms crystals that expand in the tiny pores of the stone causing physical damage to the structure of the stone. In these cases salt damage to the stone is usually incorrectly attributed to the pool.

It is vital that stone is laid on properly drained surfaces (substrates) preferably with a waterproof membrane. This will eliminate the threat from below.

Sometimes damage to the stone has been caused by applying an inappropriate sealant. This comes as the biggest shock of all to homeowners because they think they have done the right thing by sealing. It is arguably better not to seal stone exposed to salt than to apply a surface sealer.

Surface sealers can trap soluble salts under the bonded surface layer. Once dry, the crystallised salt can exert such force to the upper layer of stone that it delaminates and flakes off.

If stone tiles are used around salt water pools, only penetrating sealers should be considered as they allow moisture if any exists, to escape from below the sealant film in the form of vapour. This doesn’t happen with surface sealants.

Stone that is laid around the edges of the pool and for two or three layers back from the pool edge should be sealed on all six sides to prevent salt penetration. Adhesives should be used uniformly with no air pockets and grout joints should achieve a 100% coverage so that moisture carrying soluble salt has no chance of penetrating the stone.

Bellstone is a specialist supplier of premium quality natural stone tiles, pavers & roofing slate to architects, landscape architects, builders, renovators and retailers. Our products are independently tested for quality & durability. For more information or to view our products, visit Outdoor Pavers