Stone
This category covers suppliers of building stone rather than the masons who work it: quarries, stone merchants and companies producing dressed and sawn material for repair and new work. Matching stone for a historic repair is not simply a question of colour. Bed height, grain, porosity, weathering behaviour and how the stone behaves alongside the existing material all matter, and a visually similar stone that is harder or less permeable than the original will accelerate decay in the wall around it. Suppliers used to conservation work will help identify and match.
What this category covers
- Limestone, sandstone, granite and slate for building work
- Matching stone for repair and indent work on historic walls
- Blocks, ashlar, sawn and dressed stone to schedule
- Paving, setts, kerbs and landscape stone
- Advice on bedding, porosity and weathering compatibility
Bakers of Danbury Ltd
Bakers of Danbury is a privately owned building contractor established in 1878 ...
Bullen Conservation Ltd
Bullen Conservation is a building conservation contractor founded in 2003 and based ...
Burrows Davies Limited
STONEMASONS: Burrows Davies Limited carries out high quality masonry, conservation and restoration ...
C & D Restoration Ltd
STONE RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION: C&D Restoration’s professional management team and specialist craftsmen ...
Cliveden Conservation Workshop Ltd
SCULPTURE, STONE AND MATERIALS ANALYSIS / SCULPTURE, STONE AND BRICK SERVICES / ...
Collins & Curtis Masonry Ltd
BUILDING CONTRACTORS: Dedicated master craftsmen combine traditional methods with new techniques to ...
Matching stone for a historic repair
Identify the original before you shop. Petrographic analysis, or an assessment by a geologist or experienced supplier, establishes what the existing stone actually is. Many historic buildings used stone from quarries that closed long ago, so the aim is a compatible match rather than an identical one.
Compatibility matters more than colour. A replacement that is denser or less permeable than the surrounding stone concentrates moisture and salts in the older material and causes it to decay faster. Softer and slightly more permeable is generally the safer error.
Specify the bed. Stone should normally be laid on its natural bed, as it lay in the quarry, and face-bedded stone delaminates in sheets. For cills, copings and voussoirs the correct orientation differs, and the schedule should say so explicitly.
Allow for lead time and seasoning. Quarrying, sawing and dressing to a schedule take time, freshly quarried stone carries quarry sap and is best worked before it hardens, and colour settles with weathering. Order early and expect new stone to look conspicuous for the first few years.
Questions to ask
How do I find out what stone my building is made of?
A geologist or experienced supplier can usually identify it from a sample, and petrographic analysis gives a definitive answer. Local geological memoirs and nearby buildings of the same date also help, since historic stone was generally sourced within a short distance.
What if the original quarry has closed?
This is common. The aim then is a compatible substitute, chosen for similar porosity, strength and weathering behaviour rather than appearance alone. Suppliers experienced in conservation keep records of which current stones match which historic sources.
Why does new stone look so different from the old?
Freshly quarried and dressed stone has not weathered, and the surrounding stone carries decades or centuries of soiling and patina. The difference reduces over time. Artificially toning new stone is generally discouraged, as it tends to age badly.
All 8 businesses listed under Stone
- Aldis & May Ltd Suffolk
- Bakers of Danbury Ltd Essex
- Bullen Conservation Ltd Lancashire
- Burrows Davies Limited York
- C & D Restoration Ltd Kent
- Cliveden Conservation Workshop Ltd Berkshire
- Coe Stone Ltd Pembrokeshire
- Collins & Curtis Masonry Ltd Suffolk
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.