The Different Types of Natural Stone Masonry

Posted on: January 22, 2021

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Stone masonry is a broad term simply defined as having stone units bonded together with mortar. However, it isn't exactly as simple as that because there are many types of stone masonry. So if you plan to use stone masonry in your home, you need to know all about its different types. It can also give you ideas and expectations in the construction and masonry repair for your home in Tulsa, OK. And that’s what this blog is all about.

So let’s get started. 

Rubble Masonry

For this type of masonry, undressed or rudimentarily dressed stones are used. As one of the earliest forms of stone masonry, Rubble Masonry is mostly seen in ancient and even modern, rustic homes.

Random Rubble Masonry

This is the cheapest and the roughest form of stonewalling. Due to the stones not being uniform in size and shape, they must be arranged with great care to distribute the pressure and avoid long vertical joints.

Square Rubble Masonry

For this type, the face stones are roughly shaped in squares using hammers or chisel dressing. They can either be coursed or un-coursed. Meaning the horizontal joints are lined evenly throughout a structure. On the other hand, the stones with straight beds and sides are arranged in an irregular pattern to give a  better appearance.

Polygonal Rubble Masonry

If you prefer a bit of variety to your stone masonry, you might like this subtype of rubble masonry. For this, stones are hammer-dressed to resemble an irregular, multi-faceted shape with straight sides. 

Dry Rubble Masonry

In this type of rubble masonry, mortar is not used in the joints. This makes it the cheapest but requires more skills in terms of construction. Also, dry masonry is only done for non-load-bearing walls.

There are many other factors associated with rubble masonry, and if you want to know more, you can ask your local brick contractors in Tulsa, OK.

Ashlar Masonry

This is a more expensive form of natural stone masonry. It needs more work because the stones are dressed or cut to a uniform shape, size, and surface appearance. These stones are laid in either lime or cement mortar like a traditional brick structure.

Rough Tooled Ashlar Masonry

The exposed face is dressed by rough tooling; however, the beds and sides are finely chisel-dressed  to make them smooth and even.

Rock-faced Ashlar Masonry

This is also known as quarry-faced ashlar masonry. Although this method is quite similar to rough tooling, a chiseled strip spans every stone's perimeter. The rest of the stone's face is left the way it was found at the quarry.

Chamfered Ashlar Masonry

To add a certain degree of dimensionality to stone, the edges are chamfered at an angle of 45 degrees to a depth of 25 mm.

Fine Tooled Ashlar Masonry

For this type, each stone is cut in uniform size and shape that mirrors a rectangular prism. This can be said as one of the most beautiful types of ashlar masonry. However, it is simply too expensive and requires too much work.

If you are considering stone masonry for your home, you can ask the experts in this type of construction. Choose us at Brick 1 Masonry, and we will take care of the rest. We provide services for brickwork, masonry construction, masonry repair, and more in Tulsa.