Marble is one of my favorites stones to work with. So I delved into the archives to produce a gallery of some my favorite marble works, Including flooring, counters, kitchens and walling.
Project Focus – Marble Projects
Solutions for sealing and cleaning.
For cleaning, maintaining, stain removal and re-sealing your material I recommend Italian manufacturers of stone consumables Akemi.
The Akemi range of products:
- Stone Cleaner – Slightly alkaline cleaning agent used for thoroughly removing building dirt. Removes coats of stone polish and wax, slight concrete films, oil and grease, soot and tar, the remains of synthetic paints as well as plaster on all natural and artificial stone such as Marble, Travertine, Terrazzo, Granite, Slate, Brick and Cotto slabs, tiles, fair faced concrete and fine stoneware.
- Stone Sealer – Satin finish – Sealer which contains solvents and high-grade acrylic resins. It is weather-resistant and non- yellowing. The colourless acrylic coating provides long-term protection and is water and dirt-resistant. It is used to seal porous and absorbent surfaces. Colours and structures appear more pronounced. On account of the sealed surface, the stone is easier to care for. Preferably used indoors. Also available in matt finish.
- Stain Repellent Nano Effect – Outstanding impregnation on the basis of high-quality, organic substances, food safe (tested by LGA Nuremberg). Beginning of protective effect (20°C): 10 – 20 min. Even stronger water-, grease and oil-repellent effect as Stain Repellent (see above) which already begins after some minutes and is fully effective after 2 – 3 hours. As a rule the colour of the stone remains unchanged. Special substances work against a laminar wetting through liquid drops. Ball-shaped liquid pearls which lie only selectively on top of the stone surface, run off the surface.
- Stone Impregnation – Penetrates deep into the stone, makes it water-repellent without impairing the vapour permeability. Protects facades from driving rain, causes water to pearl off and is dirt-repellent.
For more information – http://www.akemina.com
Contemporary Stone Tile Patterns
I found these unique marble tile patterns at an exhibition. They give a very striking and contemporary feel to a floor. I want to try these out with Galaxy Black and Ice Pearl natural slate Veneers as both flooring and wall cladding.
Introduction to Decorative Aggregates
Decorative aggregates
Working out the quantity needed when ordering decorative aggregates can be a little tricky. Too shallow and your not going to get that beautiful covering of coloured aggregate your after. Where as if you get it too deep and your going to be sinking in your driveway like at a pebble beach. So in order to give you a helping hand we are going to explain the ways in which we would calculate the depth of your pebbles and decorative aggregates.
The aggregate depth required does vary depending on the aggregate shape. “Decorative aggregates” is the term used for aggregates that are selected to look attractive. So within the decorative aggregates category on our website you will find all different types of aggregate. These include, metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary stones. When these materials are processed due to their different properties they break up in different ways. Most decorative aggregates are what we describe as “angular shape”. This is like a miniature boulder shape, being roughly spherical. However there are exceptions. The main one being slate aggregates. Slate generally breaks into flat and slim pieces.
Starting with our angular shaped decorative aggregates. Wadsworth Design generally supplies decorative aggregates in 14mm or 20mm. At Wadsworth Design we generally follow two rules. One for the smaller sizes 10mm and under, and one for the larger sized decorative aggregates; 14mm and upwards . For the smaller sizes in theory for a 10mm aggregate we would only need only a depth of around 15mm to put a complete visual covering over an area. However in practice the smaller decorative aggregates move around more under foot and when being driven on. So we would recommend a depth of about 3 times the decorative aggregate size to compensate for this movement. This means a depth of 30mm is required when using a 10mm decorative aggregate and a depth of 18mm for a 6mm decorative aggregate.
As a coverage we wouldn’t recommend going much deeper than this especially if the decorative aggregate of choice is a rounded gravel, eg. Our rounded pea gravel. This is because the rounded gravels don’t lock together as well as the angular aggregates. This results in the pea gravels moving around more. If you get these too deep it can result in your drive or garden pathway having a “pebble beach effect”, where you sink into the gravel and it gets in your shoes and all over.
If you require to increase the height of your drive then it should be done with larger aggregates first. Rather than using decorative aggregates. This can be done in layers, for example if you wanted the drive to raise 300mm and its just a low use driveway, the ground is relatively stable already then you could apply a 175mm layer of 40-75mm aggregate, then a 100mm layer of mot type 1 (compacted in two layers (ie 50mm laid then compacted, then another 50mm laid and compacted) and then finish off with the 25mm layer of the 10mmdecorative aggregate of choice.
Using a larger aggregate size such as 14mm and above you can get away with slightly less depth. Having a depth twice that of the aggregate size as a minimum would visually cover your area. However we would recommend using 2.5 times the aggregate size for the depth. This compensates for any undulations in the ground. So for a 14mm we would recommend a depth of 35mm
Now moving onto the slate aggregates. These are sized in 20mm or 40mm our most popular size being the 40mm decorative slate. Slate chippings tend to be very flat. Although they might be 40mm in one direction, there depth when laid down will usually be around 5mm. This means for slate coverage the depth needs to be much less. We would recommend a depth of around ¾ the size of the slate aggregate. So if you have a 40mm slate chipping then you would only need a coverage depth of around 30mm.
Obviously the above text refers to a perfect scenario where the area to be covered is level with no pot holes or undulations in the ground which is not always the case. If the area you intend to cover has undulations then you would have to make a decision over how bad the undulations are and whether or not you would need a bit more decorative aggregate than our above recommendations.
Overview Of Natural Stone Finishes
There are many different finishes available for the top surface of natural stone and slate. Outlined below are the most common options available.
POLISHED – A smooth, reflective finish. The polished stone finish brings out the rich colours of the stone and enhances natural pattern and veining.
SPLIT & DRESSED – This stone finish features a cleft stone face with smooth edges.
TUMBLED – This finish applies to marble tiles that are literally tumbled to create a weathered or distressed look. There is some texture as well as softening of edges on the finished tiles.
HONED – A smooth but non-reflective finish that brings out the natural colours and variations of the stone. Lighter in colour than polished.
MOSAIC – (polish, tumble) – Small stone pieces set as a mosaic on honeycomb panel.
BUSH-HAMMERED – A rough beaten stone finish with fractured texture.
FLAMED – Created using an extremely hot flame. The heat stresses the material causing crystals to pop out. A very rough texture best used for exterior purposes only. Excellent for exterior walkways. Flaming can only be done on granites.
LEATHERED – This finish adds texture to the surface. Additionally, it closes the pores (compared to honing) and retains the colour better than honing. While a leathered finish has a sheen to it, it is nowhere near as reflective as a polished surface.
BRUSHED – This term is sometimes used to refer to either a leather finish or a river washed finish. Unfortunately, this leads to ambiguity as there are distinct differences between leathered and river washed finishes.
SANDBLASTED – Lighter in colour than polished stone, sandblasted stone has a light sanded texture.
ANTIQUED – A style of finishes rather than a particular finish. Leathered, river washed, and tumbled finishes are all examples of an antiqued finish. A factory finish similar to a leathered finish is sometimes called an antiqued finish.
Project Focus – External Wall Cladding
Project: External wall cladding and internal flooring.
Materials: Red Multicolour 3cm thickness, polished. (origin India) / Jersualem Gold 3cm thickness, natural finish. (origin Palestine) / Crema Marfil 2cm thickness, polished. (origin Spain)
Specification: Mechanical fixing, large format tile sizes and detailed edge profiles.
Many types of natural stone can be used in external areas including Granite, Limestone and Slate. It is important to consider the technical data of any stone used before application. Internally it can be difficult to fix traditional stone tiles and slate and stone veneers can be a more practical and light weight wall cladding.
Introduction to Rockery Stone
Rockery Stone Introduction
Rockery stone utilizes natural stone in its most raw form and can play an integral role in a stunning landscape. But its not as simple as it looks. This post is to outline the key factors of producing a beautiful Rockery Stone area, courtesy of Wadsworth Design
Having grown up with a family business in quarrying, I have had quite a lot of experience landscaping large rockeries including those within the quarry for safety and more decorative projects for both my own house, my parent’s house, for family friends and customers. Over these projects I have gained much experience with choosing, positioning and finishing the rockeries. So to help you with your landscape projects I have written a few pages on how to go about building your rockery.
The benefits of rockeries
Rockeries are not just an attractive way of landscaping your garden but are also great for supporting banks, patios and providing more room in your garden by making level areas supported by the stones, transforming sloping gardens into flat, more usable spaces. Below shows a picture of my on going project of my own house which now has a lot more usable space due to the leveling of areas.
Building a rockery is also relatively simple, it can be as supportive if not more so than a wall, it costs a lot less and in my opinion looks a lot more attractive and unique.
Styling your Rockery
The style of your rockery depends very much on the materials you have to work with. Most of the stone we supply is newly dug from the quarries, hence giving very angular shapes. If you are lucky enough to have unearthed stones in your garden while doing building projects etc these are more likely to be a lot more random and rounded as more than likely they will have been deposited by glacial rivers thousands of years ago.
Both can provide stunning looks for your garden. Although the rounded ones often take a lot more work in positioning due to them needing seating with a lot more precision.
I often receive requests for weathered stone, to give a traditional look to the rockery. Wadsworth Design now does specific weathered rockery stone in the limestone and also often have stock of tufa and weathered sandstone. However if your stone isn’t weathered enough for your taste a way of speeding the process up is to cover the stone in horse manure for 2 – 3 weeks, this enhances the growth of algae on the stone and should give you that weathered look in no time. Most stables or farms will be happy to provide you with manure, some do charge a small amount for it but it’s usually only around a couple of pounds for a large sack.
If your taste is to keep the rockery shiny and new, and your after a more modern look, then the best way to keep this up is to jet wash the stone every 6 months or so. This way you inhibit the new growth of algae before it becomes older and has a much stronger grasp of the stone.
Rockeries look great if you spend some time with curving the lines to compliment the shape of your garden, and it’s surprising how easy this is to do. To get the lines perfect its best to set out some string, or even spray paint the lines so you can get a feel for how the stones will line up. This avoids laying the whole rockery to find when you sit in your living room you can see it’s really out of line with what you intended (I’m speaking from personal experience here!)
Choosing Your Rockery Stone
At Wadsworth Design we have a large range of beautiful rockery stone available to suit all types and styles of gardens. To choose your stone the key things that you want to bear in mind include:
- The type of stone already in your garden and used for your house. I.e. you may have a red brick house, for which Buff sandstone would compliment nicely or even our pink Granite, or you house might have a blue slate roof which would match the blue slate rockery.
- The Rock type in your surrounding area. Most places use the stone which is readily available to them, and to fit in with your surrounding areas you should look at what the walls and soil colours are like in your area.
- Traditonal combinations, For example the houses in our surrounding area in the peak district use cropped grey limestone walls, blue slate roofs and buff sandstone window surrounds and coins. The sandstone was used as it was much easier to cut for lintels and cills than the limestone. So combinations of sandstone steps with limestone rockery fit in well with our traditional houses. However In some of my own projects I have opted to contradict the traditional “easy route” and make the more complex shapes from limestone or slate and the simple rocks from sandstone. But it gives you another route of ideas to go down.
- Your taste. This is the the most important factor, a lot of our customers mix and match stone types as I will be doing in my own garden with blue slate and Grey limestone. Visitors are welcome to our site by appointment, where you can see for yourself colours and styles that work well together.
Positioning Larger Rockery stones
Once you’ve got your stone and know exactly where the rockery is going to go, you can commence work. You need to familiarise yourself with the shapes of the stones you have purchased. One fatal error is to go along choosing all the easy shapes to lay, to find you are left with only awkward shapes which are very hard to position to get them to look right with the rest of the perfectly laid rockery. You need to look at the shapes available to you and try to use the awkward shapes as you go along.
Always start from one point. If you start from both ends of the rockery, it is very hard to get the right sized stones to fit in the middle, whereas your finish point can have a slightly larger or smaller gap and no one will ever notice.
Preparation is the key part of any landscaping project and building a rockery is no exception. To me Rockeries look best when they are laid in an organised manner, so it is important you get the levels right. Start by working out where you want the base of the rockery to lie. It’s a good idea to have the base of the rockery approximately six inches or more below the level of the lawn, patio or area in front of the rockery.
This gives a much more professional and natural look rather than having the lower stones bedded above the lawn or patio.
So start by digging a trench for the stones about 6 inches deep and as wide as the stones you are going to be using. Don’t discard any of the materials you have dug out as you will need this material to back fill behind the rocks and to help position the stones. Once the trench is dug have a look at how tall you want the first level of the rockery to be.
Find a suitable sized stone to fill this space; you need the majority of the weight to sit at the back of the stone so that it leans back into the rockery rather than being unstable and falling forwards. Its stability can be increased by putting an inline in the trench so that the stone would fall backwards into the bank if it had a choice. The trench needs to be free from large stones and with a relatively level surface, or a rough surface that is the mirror image of the side of the stone that will be placed upon it. Clay is ideal for bedding as you can loosen it and once the stone is placed it will compact to suit the shape of the stone. If using a mini digger the stone can be pushed into place with the blade and then it can be adjusted to the right angle by using the bucket or again running into it with the blade. Once the stone is in place back fill behind the stone with any excess materials from the trench. Avoid back filling with any material that could decompose like tree roots, as in later years this could result in the stones moving.
Decide which is to be your next stone, then measure the side you want to face outwards. If it is shorter than the first, simply fill in your trench to get the top to the same height or vice versa if the stone is larger then dig your trench a bit deeper to compensate. I Feel the rockeries always look better the tighter you get the stones, although having said this once they have been planted if you do have a few larger gaps, no one will notice, the soil and plants are a bit like tile adhesive, it hides all the mistakes! And I can promise you the little floors in stone placing will only be noticed by you, as you’re the person who knew it was a little out of line when placed it. So now you can follow this procedure for the remaining first shelf of the rockery, but remember to think logically about which stones you are using. If one looks like its going to be much better for the next step up on your rockery then make the effort to save it for such a position.
Once your initial stones are in place you can start on the next shelf. Hopefully you will have used all the largest looking stones in the bottom, making it easier for you to position these ones, as now there not at ground level you have less room for maneuvering them.
top 5 Italian marbles
Italy is known across the world as being one of the best and prominent sources of high quality marbles, particularly white colours. So outlined below are the top 5 Italian marbles I have used in projects over the years.
- Carrara White – The most common of all the Italian white marbles and also the most cost effective, Carrara White comes in many grades with the quality and background shade dictated by the price paid for the blocks or slabs. Carrara White has a grey/white background shade usually accompanied by striking dark grey and black veins.
- Statuario – Quarried from the same mountains as Carrara White, Statuario is known for having a more white back ground colour and thicker less dense dark grey and black veining.
- Calacatta – Another classic Italian white marble Calacatta is one of more expensive options. Again there are several different types depending on the nature of the veining and pattern of the material. There is now a marble called New Calacatta which is actually quarried in North America and is slightly more cost effective than its Italian counterparts.
- Bottocino – Bottocino marble is a warm neutral light beige colour marble comparable in look and price to Crema Marfil from Spain.
- Palisandro Classico, Bronze and Nouvalato – Palisandro marbles either come in a blue / grey colour (Nouvalato) Or a light grey / brown shade (Classico), it is a high end marble with stunning movement and pattern in the stone. It is available in both vein cut and cross cut formats, the vein cut giving the material striking and strong veins running across the slabs.
If you require an independent expert to quality check material on your behalf you can contact info@globalstonespecialists.com / www.globalstonespecialists.com
UK Walling Stone – Facts and terms
This post is courtesy of Wadsworth Design
If you are starting to look for walling stone you will probably have come across many different terms which may seem alien to you. So here is a quick briefing about the terminology of walling stone.
Cropped Stone
“Cropped” is the term we use to describe a process where a rough stone is taken and put through a “Cropper” which is essentially a large guillotine made for stone. This splits the stone and creates a Flat face which we then use as the visible side of the stone when building with. An example of this is our cropped limestone walling stone.
Faced
Facing a stone is the term used for the process after the stone has been cropped. The stone mason goes round the edges with a hammer and knocks of the crisp edges created by the cropper. Which tidies up the appearance of the stone. This is a vital part of building in stone. Most walling stone is sold Cropped(not “cropped and faced”), meaning it needs “facing”. Where a builder has been employed that has little experience of working with natural stone and doesn’t know they have to face it can leave to buildings having a very poor finish.
Bed width
The bed width is the distance from the front of the stone to the back. Essentially the depth of the wall.
“Backing off”
This is the term used for when the stones bed is too deep and the builder has to chisel the back of the stone to get the bed size right. This is usually when a house wall is built with only one skin of block work and then a cavity between that and the stone wall.
Course
The “course” is the term used to describe the height of each of the stones within a wall relative to each other. For example A coursed wall would contain stones with all the same height.
Random Course
A random coursed wall is where the stones have a variety of heights. So the builder makes a pattern up from the stone available
Jumper
A “Jumper” is the word used to describe a large stone placed in a random coursed wall which “Jumps” two or more courses to give a new level to the course.
Coursed
A coursed wall is one which contains all the same heights of stone. The length can vary, but height of each stone remains constant throughout the wall. For example our Cropped and coursed Limestone building stone.
Roughly coursed
Roughly coursed walling stone is where each “individual course” of the wall remains the same height. But throughout the wall the each course can vary in height.
Coins
A Coin is when the building has special corner stones made, these are usually large stones cut very neatly in the same of differing materials. For example you often see Sandstone Coins on a house with cropped limestone walling stone as it is much easier to create perfect shapes in sandstone.
Dry stone walling
Dry stone walling is the term used for when mortar isn’t used to create the joins between the stones. The wall is effectively dry and relies upon the skilled builder placing the stones in a manor where the weight of the stones supports the wall itself.
Mortar
Mortar is the name commonly used to describe the “glue” between the Stones in a wall. It is usually made up of a mixture of sand, cement and water. Sometimes referred to as “Gobbo”
Lime Mortar
A Traditional mixture of lime, sand and water. Most buildings now use cement mortar, but where traditions are to be upheld such as in listed buildings lime mortar is still used.
For More help and information regarding all types of Landscaping Stone and UK Stone please visit – Wadsworth Design Advice Pages
An Alternative to traditional walling stone is the range of Lite Stone external stone sheets. Available in Black Basalt Buff and Red Sandstone colours they are ideal for any external application. You can view these here – Lite Stone Store
Stone and Slate Veneer Installation
Stone veneer sheets are much easier to install in comparison to traditional stone formats. They can be installed by many different types of tradesmen, decorators, carpenters, stone masons along with most DIY enthusiasts.
No specialist tools are required, just standard DIY and woodworking tools. It is not necessary to buy a special diamond tipped blade to cut the sheets although I would recommend this if you are looking to cut large quantities for a project.
Installing the material in most cases is look a cross between applying wall paper and fixing a tile depending on the application and what kind of look you are working to achieve.
The results can be amazing, check out our project gallery for some inspiration.
For more information please visit – Lite Stone
