Natural Stone Definitions
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Calcarenite
Limestone composed predominantly of cemented sand-size grains of the mineral calcite (more rarely aragonite), usually as fragments of shells or other skeletal structures. Some calcarenites contain oolites (small, spherical grains of calcium carbonate that resemble fish eggs) and may be termed oolitic limestone. Calcareous sandstones, in which the calcium carbonate is present chiefly as a bonding material, are not included in this category.
Calcareous
Refers to substances containing or composed of calcium carbonate.
Calcite
A common rock-forming mineral. The chief constituent of limestone and most marble.
Calcite Limestone
Limestone containing not more than five percent of magnesium carbonate.
Calcite Marble
A crystalline variety of limestone containing not more than five percent of magnesium carbonate.
Calcite Streaks
White or milky streaks occurring in stone. It is a joint plane usually wider than a glass seam which has been recemented by deposition of calcite in the crack. It is structurally sound.
Calibration
Within the stone industry, the process in which stone slabs or units are abraded to achieve a more precise thickness tolerance (±1mm) than what would normally be produced by standard sawing techniques. The term is most frequently used in the production of stone tile, which must have limited thickness variation to allow installation using thin-set adhesive. The term gauge is essentially synonymous, although it is more commonly used to describe less precise techniques.
Canopy
A sheltering roof, as over a niche or a doorway.
Cantera
A volcanic, quartz-based stone with qualities similar to adoquin, but not as dense. Quarried in Mexico.
Cantilever
A structural member supported at only one end. The term is loosely used, although not technically correct, to describe an overhang.
Cap or Capital
The culminating stone at the top of a column or pilaster, often richly carved.
Carbonic Acid
A weak acid with the formula H2CO3. It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water.
Carve
To shape a solid material such as stone by precisely cutting it with a tool.
Carved Finish
A carved finish is created by carving a pattern onto a stone surface. The pattern can be almost any design that lends itself to carving. A carved finish surface generally has no fixed pitching height. Carved patterns can be random or geometric, often used for backdrop panels, wall panels, and column surrounds. Overall surface roughness can vary from rough (1/4-2″) to very rough (>2”), depending on the process, although the surface of individual carve strokes can be smooth (1/64-1/16”). Grooved is a special instance of a carved finish. While carving can be done by machines, hand-carved finishes are generally considered to be more attractive.
Caulk
To seal a joint with an elastomeric, adhesive compound.
Cavity Vent
An opening in joints of stone veneer to allow the passage of air and moisture from inside the wall cavity to the exterior. The vents may be weep holes, plastic tubing, or wicks.
Cavity Wall
A masonry wall built with a continuous cavity between the outer masonry, typically brick or stone, and the inner wall, typically concrete block or frame construction. The cavity is vented to reduce the amount of condensate that will collect in the space and is wept to provide an evacuation path for any moisture that collects within the space.
Cement Putty or Butter
Chamfer
A flat treatment, produced by either grinding or cutting, to eliminate the sharp edge where two surfaces meet.
Chat Sawn Finish
A rough, gang-sawn finish produced by sawing with coarse abrasives.
Chert
Hard, dense sedimentary rock composed of interlocking quartz crystals and possibly amorphous silica (opal). Synonymous with “flint.”
Chiseled Edge
The rustic, aged appearance produced by mechanically chipping the stone edge.
Chiseled Finish
Chiseling creates a random surface, somewhat like the texture of linen. Surface roughness can vary from smooth (1/64-1/16”) to very rough (>2”), depending on the process. In addition to random, other chiseling patterns include rockfaced, pillowed, <a ” href=”https://www.stonecurators.com/resources/surface/#Pineapple”>pineapple and point stalk. Chiseling can be used to achieve various looks, including linear, modern or artistic. While chiseling can be machine-aided, hand-chiseled finishes are generally more attractive.
Cladding
Exterior veneer stone covering. Non-load bearing stone veneer used as the facing material in exterior wall construction.
Clast
An individual grain or constituent of sedimentary rock.
Cleavage
The ability of a rock mass to break along natural surfaces; a surface of natural parting.
Cleavage Plane
Plane or planes along which a stone may likely break or delaminate.
Cleft Finish
Rough-surfaced stones such as slates or sandstones that are cleaved or separated along a natural seam are referred to as natural cleft.
Closer (British)
- In equidimensional stone masonry, a stone trimmed to non-uniform length to close a course next to a quoin or other end unit.
- A stone course running from one window sill to another (a variety of string course).
CNC Machine
A computer numeric controlled, multiaxis, vertical spindle machine designed to use rotating milling and profiling tools to produce shapes, cut-outs, holes, finishes, and various other operations in stone that are otherwise accomplished by more labor-intensive techniques.
Cobblestone
A dimensional stone large enough for use in paving. A term commonly used to describe paving blocks, usually granite, and generally cut or cleft to approximately rectangular prisms.
- Sawn Side Up (European) Cobblestone: Sliced cobblestones can be installed sawn side up, which produces a surface that can be walked on easily with high-heeled shoes. Sawn side, thin cut cobblestones are often used for indoor flooring installations.
- Full Bed – Half Bed – Thin Cut (European) Cobblestone: European cobblestones are sometimes sliced in half or cut thin for a more cost-effective installation.
- Worn Side Up Cobblestone: The most widely used method of installing reclaimed cobblestone is worn side up. The original worn surface, the top of the stone, is installed above the ground. This type of installation produces the historical signature worn look of the old world reclaimed cobble.
- Wide Side Up (Domestic) Cobblestone: This is an alternative installation where the cobblestone is turned on its side to cover more area and therefore becomes more cost-effective. In this case, the worn top is hidden on its side.
Colonnade
A range of columns supporting an entablature or one side of a roof.
Color Enhancer/Sealer
A product that is designed to enrich, brighten and enhance the color and/or character of the stone. Stone enhancers are more frequently used on honed or textured surfaces where the stone color and/or character are muted by the finish. Enhancers are also used to match the color of an exposed slab edge to that of a resin-treated slab face.
Column
A vertical support, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and capital.
Compressive Strength (ASTM C170)
Conglomerate
A coarse-grained sedimentary rock, with clast grains larger than 2 mm.
Construction (cold) Joint
The joint between two separate placements of concrete.
Contractor, Stone
Company or person that erects and installs fabricated dimensional stone.
Control Joint
A partial depth joint that is either formed or sawed in concrete to control the location and frequency of shrinkage cracking.
Conveyor
A general term, often used interchangeably with belt conveyor, but applicable to all conveyor types including pans, screws, buckets, pneumatics, radial stackers and others.
Coping
A stone used as a cap on freestanding walls.
Coquina
Limestone composed predominantly of shells or fragments of shells loosely cemented by calcite. Coquina is coarse-textured and has a high porosity. The term is applied principally to a very porous rock quarried in Florida.
Corbel
A projection or bracket extending from the face of a wall to support an element above it.
Core
The cylindrical mass of stone that results from drilling a hole in stone with a hollow core bit, oftentimes is used as a sampling technique in quarries.
Core Bit
A hollow cylindrical drilling tool that bores a hole by abrading only the perimeter of the core, utilizing less abrasive than a bit that would abrade the entire diameter of the hole.
Core Sampling
A drilling process by which a section of rock is taken for the purposes of testing and evaluation.
Cornerstone
A ceremonial stone at an exterior corner of a building, generally engraved with pertinent information about the building’s construction, including the date. Also used to describe a masonry stone unit erected at an exterior corner from which lines can be strung to control the linear position of subsequent stone units.
Cornice
Any projecting ornamental molding that crowns or finishes the top of a building or wall.
Course
A horizontal range of stone units the length of a wall.
Coursed Veneer
A veneer achieved by using stones of the same or approximately the same height with stones that achieve that height in multiple courses. Some horizontal joints run the entire length of the veneered area. Vertical joints are constantly broken so that no two joints will be over one another.
Cove Base
Cove Molding
A concave molding, typically found at the sloped or arched junction of a wall and ceiling.
Crack
A man-made break, split, fracture, separation, cleavage, or elongated narrow opening, visible without magnification to the human eye and extending from the surface into the stone, which must extend through the grain or matrix of the stone.
Cramp
A U-shaped metal anchor used to hold two adjacent units of stone together.
Cross-bedding
The arrangement of laminations of strata transverse or oblique to the main planes of stratification.
Cross-cut
The process of cutting the initial block of stone parallel to the natural bedding plane. The effect is a mottled or cloud-like appearance. Synonymous with fleuri cut, although the term cross cut is most often used when describing travertine materials.
Crowfoot
Cubic Stone
Dimensional units more than 2 inches thick e.g…, cubic limestone, cubic marble.
Cultured Marble
An artificial, man-made product somewhat resembling marble.
Cultured Stone
An artificial, man-made product somewhat resembling natural stone.
Cup Wheel
Shop tool used to remove large amounts of material from the edge of a stone. These can be used to aid in the creation of edge profiles and larger radii.
Curbing
Stone, generally in cubic forms, bordering streets, walks, etc. Sometimes spelled “kerbing.”
- First-generation Curbing: From 1860 or older. Generally, someone worked the stone by hand to a specific specification. It has a chunkier, more irregular shape.
- Second-generation Curbing: Less handwork, but some.
- Third-generation Curbing: Mechanically made, with precise saw blocks and large splitters. The end product is more uniform and true.
- Curb Steps: Old reclaimed curb repurposed as steps.
- Split Bottom Riser: The split bottom of first or second generation curb used as the riser for a step.
- Textured Top Curb: First generation curb made by hand and with hand tools.
- Textured Top Riser: The top of first generation curb that was hand-tooled to create a textured surface.
Cure Time
The time required for a chemical reaction (polymerization or hydration) to be completed in a sealant, concrete, mortar, or another construction element until the finished visual and performance attributes are developed.
Curtain Wall
A non-bearing exterior stone cladding supported by an anchoring system. Used to protect a building from the elements.
Cushion
A resilient pad placed between adjoining stone units and other materials to absorb or distribute loads.
Cutting Stock
A word used to describe slabs of various size, finish, and thickness, used in fabrication borders, sills, stools, treads, risers, copings, hearths, mantels, and other unique purpose stones.
Cut Stone
Currently, stone that has been fabricated to a finished size and configuration and ready to be installed. Historically, the term “cut stone” was used to describe limestone products.
Cycle Time
Time for a machine to complete one cycle, i.e., load, haul, dump, return.
