Popular Forms of Stone For Building and Stone Masonry

The stone masonry industry regularly use various kinds of natural and artificial stone. Choosing the right stone for the right application is important.

Here are some several types of natural stone, found in the three, main geographical rock types:

Igneous Igneous rock is formed by the cooling of magma or lava and could or may not involve crystallization characteristics. Natural, igneous stone types include Granite which is among the hardest stone around and requires special stonemason ways to work with. It is generally used by masons for its durability and strength in countertops, kerbstones and flooring.

Other igneous rock types are the softer Pumice and Scoria to the more harder Obsidian and Basalt stone which are used in stone masonry for groundwork and building blocks.

Metamorphic Metamorphic rock is rock which includes undergone transformation from a preexisting rock type, involving extreme pressures and temperatures over extended periods of time, leading to profound chemical and physical 'metamorphism'.

Marble is really a typical and popular metamorphic rock which has, by tradition, been carved into statues, and for facing Renaissance stonework. There are  Dry Stone Walling Pickering  of marble differentiated by their colour, petographic type and other factors. Some typically common types are the white or blue-grey Carrara marble quarried in Carrara, Italy. Marble is used by stonemasons mainly for it's decorative characteristics in flooring, tiling and in fireplaces.

Another popular metamorphic rock is Slate. Its hardness and granularity offers a sharpness which is popular for memorials and inscriptions. Its layered form enables masons to split it into thin plates and use it as a roofing material.

Sedimentary Sedimentary rock is formed in water from the sedimentation of other rock, calcium deposits and organic particles. Again, a long process and application of heat and pressure to create strata layers into a structure called bedding. Within this bedding you may even find fossil fuels and ores.

Common Sedimentary rock are limestone. Frequently used types of limestone include Yorkstone, Sydney and Bath and Portland stone which almost all of the City of Bath is manufactured out of. Kentish Ragstone is another famous limestone from Kent utilized by Kent stonemasons of days gone by. Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and Kent's Castles such as Leeds Castle are famous stoneworks made from Kent Ragstone by Kent masons.

Travertine is also a popular limestone which is used for its soft aesthetic looks. It really is frequently used as a cladding, in flooring, walls and in bathrooms