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Stone Work Tips
When having work done on your home that involves stone, it can be an expensive
and time consuming task. Here are a few things to keep in
mind when starting a stone
project:
- Stone work is usually done by a mason. Stone, as a material, is less common and not as
readily available as other materials such as brick. It can both
take longer
to acquire your materials and cost more money than other alternatives.
- There are many cheaper alternatives to actual stone, most commonly
being other mixtures that look like stone. These mixtures are usually cheaper and offer more
options in style, colors and flexibility.
- When doing a project such as a patio that involves laying the stone on the flat,
there can be hidden costs that come from having to level and even out
the ground first.
- Stone has a very long life expectancy and thus adds to its value. Stone's longevity
is also why it is imperative to find a qualified stone work contractor. If
the workmanship is poor you could be dealing with a long
term mistake.
- Stone work is an ancient practice, and generally works best with the older
techniques and practices. Problems today can arise when mixing such practices
with modern building techniques. Be sure to talk this over with the
contractor, understand the process.
- Sealing is very important when working with stone, as water can cause
cracks and damage to stone. If properly sealed this won't be an issue.
Contractors that do this may also provide the following services:
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Creative Concrete Stamping
By John Morris
Stamping concrete is a great way for you to imitate the look and fee of authentic stone, brick, or pavement without having to spend as much. There are rubber patterns that create the impression of natural stone for this purpose. There are also ready-made patterns for such materials such as brick and cobblestone, however sometimes they can look artificial. One way to avoid this is to create your own patterns to be used in stamping concrete. If you can learn this you will soon find your inventory stock filled with varied patters that can be used for your various concrete stamping projects.
1. Be Innovative
You may even use design ideas you find around your home. For example, you could use an Indonesian batik design block. As long as it can make an impression on wet cement, and does not stick to the finished product, it will do. In good design, there are no limits to the imagination. So look around your area, you might even find an appealing pattern somewhere in your own home! You could consider looking at your garage, your attic, or even your uncle�s vacation gifts for potential stamp impressions.
2. Stamping
Commercial stamping produces great imitations. Sometimes, however, stampers are just overkill. You can bring out the beauty of concrete by being discreet at times with your stamping. You could use stamps that litter around your home, a batik woodblock or even a part of an auto transmission. Anything can be used to stamp the concrete as long it doesn�t stick and ruin the finished surface. It also has to be durable. A commercial stamp is perfect for improving a plain slab on concrete. You could also use this type of stamp if you desire a professional, standard looking concrete stamping.
3. Creative Stamping
Creating your own stamp tool is can be innovative and fun. You could even use a salvaged part from an old ceiling to create decorative stamp! When stamping on concrete, make sure you understand the risks this procedure entails. Commercial concrete stamps are designed to work well, and are engineered to be as easy to use as possible. They often leave a clean impression. If you were to use your own stamps made of everyday stamp-worthy items, remember that there is a risk that the concrete could be ruined. Commercial stamps are designed to consistently pull free from the concrete; this may not be the case with home-made ones.
- Even slabs with a deep-cut pattern must be jointed so that cracking can be controlled
- Divide the stamped concrete by using sawed joints
- Order correctly slumped concrete
- Lay out stamps before the concrete arrives
- Do as little hand tooling as possible
- Order proper amounts of concrete
Concrete stamping is neither for the inexperienced nor the faint of heart. For those who would like to learn this do-it-yourself art, learning concrete stamping is possible. For the hobbyists, masons, and even for those who just wish to make their homes better, this will truly be a worthwhile undertaking.
For more great concrete stamping related articles and resources check out http://www.the-concrete-site.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Morris
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Building Retaining Wall Without Mortar
By William Dittman
Do you want to add beauty and value to your home or business with a stone retaining wall? Yes it is so that a experienced stone wall builder can surely build the perfect stone wall - and it will last forever. But the installation of a stone wall can be performed by the adventurous do-it-yourselfer with relative ease and great success.
First you have to determine the length of the wall (in feet) and the height of the wall (in feet). If the wall is no higher than 4 feet high, you will be able to use stones about 1 foot wide. That will make the the retaining wall about 1 foot thick . If wall goes over 4 feet high you should contact engineer.
Let's start building our retaining wall
Dig a trench about 6-inches deep and about a 12" wide along the base of the proposed location of retaining wall. Fill it with crushed stone as a base. With the dry stack retaining wall you get away without building a elaborate footing system.
Sort your stone by sizes so you can easily find the size stone you are looking for. (This make installation much faster and less frustrating searching for that perfect stone). Exp. 6" pieces, 5" pieces, 4" pieces etc. Keep the attractive stones for the top row of retaining wall.
Place the largest stone in the trench, end to end. Lay all your stones flat as they would lie naturally on the ground. Make sure stone is below trench line so it wont slide.
Now, as you begin to stack the wall, working from one end to the other, you must remember to slope it back toward the high ground or batter the wall. This is accomplished by simply standing your level on end and measuring to the face of the wall.
As you build you retaining wall try to avoid continuous horizontal and vertical joints by breaking them up with larger and smaller stones. Place stones so they fit tightly together for strength and a nice appearance. Fill in the area behind your wall with dirt and compact it as you go. (Not clay) Every now and then , turn a long stone into the hillside to act as an anchor stone. This will help the stability of the retaining wall. Finally almost finished. Remember those nice pieces we saved for the top of the retaining wall we can add them now.
Take your time. The final results will be very much worth the effort in the apperance of your property.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS NEEDED
1). Sledge Hammer
2). Tape Measure
3). 4' Level
4). Shovel & Rake
5). String Line
6). Crushed Stone
7). Select your stone
How to calculate amount of stone
Let's say we are going to build a wall 100 foot long X 3 foot high X 1 foot thick
Here is our formula:
100' X 3' X 1' = 300 Cubit Foot (CF)
The stone weight will weigh an average of 100 pounds per cubic foot.
300cf X 100 pounds/cf = 15 tons
Make sure you buy good quality stone material, all stone is not good quality.
Good luck with your retaining wall project.
Bill Dittman owner of Custom Landscape & Irrigation
Contact Bill @ http://www.customlandscapeandirrigation.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Dittman