Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to
appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit
or symbol, choose the '#' link.
A-FRAME: A wooden or metal rack constructed in the shape of
an "A" on which large stone slabs are shipped and stored.
ABATE: To cut away so as to leave parts in relief.
ABRASIVE FINISH: A flat non-reflective surface finish.
Recommended for exterior use.
ABRASIVE HARDNESS (Ha): Refers to the wearing qualities of
stone for floors, stair treads and similar uses subjected to abrasion by foot traffic.
ABRASION RESISTANCE: The property of a surface by which it
resists being worn away as a result of friction.
ABSORPTION: Percentage of moisture absorption by weight.
The process by which a liquid is taken into (soaked up by) another substance and held
there. The weight of water a brick unit absorbs, when immersed in either cold or boiling
water for a stated length of time, expressed as a percentage of weight of the dry unit.
ABUTMENT: The supporting wall or pier that receives the
thrust of an arch; a solid stone springer at the lowest point of an arch, vault or beam.
ACCELERATOR: A material used to speed the setting of
mortar, epoxy, and polyester resins.
ACRYLIC EMULSIONS: Clear water-based repellents which form
a film. The acrylic resins come from the polymerization of derivatives of acrylic acids,
including esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylonitrite, and their copolymers.
Acrylics resins vary from hard brittle solids, to fibrous elastomeric structures to
viscous liquids, depending on the monomer used and the method of polymerization.
ACRYLIC RESIN: See polyester resin.
ACRYLICS: Resins resulting from the polymerization of
derivatives of acrylic acids including esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid,
acrylonitrite, and their copolymers. They can be carried in a water or solvent solution
and they are film-forming materials.
ACTIVE SOLIDS: Ingredients of a coating composition which
are deposited following co-reaction or reaction with the substrate. Active solids are
usually measured as a weight percent of the total.
ADHERED: Stone veneer secured and supported by adhesion of an approved bonding material over an approved backing.
ADHESIVE, ORGANIC: See mastic.
ADMIXTURES: Chemical additives included in the mixing
batch for concrete manufacture or applied to the surface during the curing or setting
process of the concrete, which variously accelerate or retard the curing time, provide
coloring, waterproofing, tearing, special aggregate finishes fillers, etc…
ADOQUIN: A volcanic quartz-based stone containing a variety
of colored aggregates and pumice in a quartz matrix. Quarried in Mexico and available in
several colors.
AGATE: A variegated variety or quartz allowing colored
bands or other markings (clouded, moss-like, etc…).
AGGLOMERATE: A man-made product fabricated to look like
quarried stone. Usually composed of stone chips or fragments embedded in a matrix of
mortar or thermosetting resins.
AGGREGATE: Materials that are added to mortar or grout at
time of mixing to impart special properties to the mortar or grout; quantities of loose
fragments of rock or mineral.
ALABASTER: A fine grained, translucent variety of gypsum,
generally white in color. May be cut and carved easily with a knife or saw. The term is
often incorrectly applied to fine-grained marble.
ALTAR: A table form; the center of most liturgical places
of worship.
ALTAR RAIL: A railing across the chancel, or in front of
the altar.
ALTARSCREEN: See reredos.
ALTERATION: Any project involving change of, or
addition to, an existing building.
ALUMINA: Aluminum oxide.
ALUMINUM STEARATE: Complex salt or soap of aluminum and
stearic acid. Used as a flattering and antisettling agent for pigments in paint and
varnish, water repellents and cement additives.
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: Temperature of the surrounding
environment.
AMBO: One of the two pulpits or raised stands, usually
stone, used in Christian churches.
ANCHOR: Metal device for securing dimensional stone to
a structure or back-up walls.
ANCHORAGE: The means by which slabs are attached to a
self-supporting structure.
ANCHORS: Types for stone work:
Of Flat Stone: Strap, cramps, dovetails, dowel strap, and
dowel and two way anchors.
Corrugated: corrugated wall ties and dovetail anchors.
Round Stock: Rod cramp, rod anchor, eyebolt and dowel, flat
hook, wall tie and dowel, dowel and wire toggle bolts.
ANGLE IRON: A structural steel angle; used for lintels to
support masonry over openings, such as doors, windows or fireplaces.
ANHYDROUS: A hydrate which has given up all its previously
held water molecules.
ANORTHOSITE: An usually dark-colored igneous rock
consisting mostly or entirely of calcic plagioclase.
APEX: Top or peak of a pyramidal or conical form.
APEX STONE: Top stone of gable, spire, or pediment.
APRON: A trim piece under a projecting stone top, stool,
etc…
ARAGONITE: A translucent white mineral found in calcium
carbonate.
ARCADE: A range of arches with their supports; also, a
passageway, one side of which is a range of arches supporting a roof.
ARCH: A curved stone structure resting on supports at both
extremities used to sustain weight on bridge or roof on an open space. Or, a curved
compression structural member, spanning openings or recesses; also built flat.
Back arch: A concealed arch carrying the backing of a wall
where the exterior facing is carried by a lintel.
Jack arch: An arch having horizontal or nearly horizontal
upper and lower surfaces. Also called a flat or straight arch.
Minor arch: Arch with maximum span of six feet and a rise
to span with a ratio less than or equal to 0.15. Typically forms are jack arch, segmental arch, or multi-centered arch.
Relieving arch: An arch built over a lintel, flat arch, or
smaller arch to divert loads, thus relieving the lower member from excessive loading. Also known
as a discharging or safety arch.
Trimmer arch: An arch, usually a low rise arch of brick,
used for supporting a fireplace hearth.
ARCHITECT: One skilled in the design of buildings and
having technical knowledge of their construction.
ARCHITECTURE: The art and science of designing and
constructing buildings adapted to their purposes, one of which is beauty.
ARCHITRAVE: Member of an entablature resting on the
capitals of columns and supporting the frieze.
ARCUATED CONSTRUCTION: Stone masonry in compression, using
arch and vault.
AREA: The surface included within specific boundaries.
ARGILLITE: A compact metamorphic rock composed mainly of
clay or shale, and aluminum silicate minerals. Similar to slate in appearance and
splitting properties, but usually much harder.
ARKOSE, ARKOSIC SANDSTONE, FELDSPATHIC SANDSTONE: A
quartz-based containing 10% or more of elastic grains or feldspar.
AROMATIC SOLVENTS: Hydrocarbon solvents comprised of
organic compounds which contain an unsaturated ring of carbon atoms, including benzene,
naphthalene and their derivatives.
ARTIFICIAL MARBLE: A man-made product that may look like
natural quarried marble, sometimes composed of thermosetting resins as a matrix and
fillers.
ARTIFICIAL STONE: A substitute for dimension stone made by
casting selected aggregates and cement in molds.
ARRIS: The angle, corner, or edge produced by the meeting
of two surfaces; the edge of external angle. A natural or applied line on the stone from
which all the leveling and plumbing is measured.
ASHLAR: A flat faced surface generally square or rectangle
having sawed or dressed beds and joints. Or, rectangular blocks having sawed planed, or
rock-faced surface, contrasted with cut blocks which are accurately sized and surface
tooled. May be laid in courses.
Coursed ashlar: ashlar set to form continuous horizontal
joints.
Stacked ashlar: ashlar set to form continuous vertical
joints.
Random ashlar: ashlar set with stones of varying length and
height so that neither vertical nor horizontal joints are continuous.
ATRIUM: The open roofed entrance court of a building.
AXED: The surface finish produced by means of masonry axe
tool.
AXIS: An imaginary line in plan or elevation dividing
symmetrical parts.
BACK ARCH: A concealed arch carrying the back lug of
a wall where the exterior facing is carried by a lintel.
BACK FILLING: Rough masonry built behind a facing or
between two faces. Or, filling over the extrados of an arch; brickwork in spaces between
structural timbers, sometimes called brick nogging.
BACKING: The part of a veneer wall behind the exterior
facing which is designed to resist load.
BACKING ROD: A flexible and compressible type of closed
cell-foam polyethlene, butyl rubber, or open cell and closed cell polyurethane, rounded at
surface to contact sealant. It is installed at the bottom or rear of joint and often
described as a "filler strip".
BACK-UP WALL: That part of masonry or other type wall
behind the stone veneer, die, or facing.
BALUSTER: A miniature pillar or column supporting a rail
usually used in balustrades.
BALUSTRADE: A railing or parapet consisting of a handrail
and balusters, sometimes on a base member and sometimes interrupted by piers.
BANKER: A bench of timber or stone (may be a single block)
on which stone is worked.
BASALT: A dense textured (aphanitic) igneous rock
relatively high in iron and magnesia minerals and relatively low in silica, generally dark
gray to black, and feldspathic. A general term in contradistinction to felsite, a light
colored feldspathic and highly siliceous rock or similar texture and origin. The colors of
basalts are very dark green to black and often sold as granites, but unlike granites,
basalt contains little or no quartz or feldspars.
BASE: The bottom course of a stone wall, or the vertical
first member above grade of a finished floor. Or, in a classical column, it is the part
between the shaft and pedestal or paving.
BASE BLOCK: The squared block terminating a baseboard at
the opening.
BASE COURSE: The lowest course, or footing of a wall or
pier.
BASEBOARD: The skirting member at the junction of wall and
floor. See base.
BASKETWEAVE: A checkerboard pattern in paving.
BAS-RELIEF: Sculpture or carving with slight projection
from the background.
BAT: A piece of brick, usually half the size or smaller.
BATTED: Stone surface finish produced with parallel tool
marks.
BATTER: Recessing or sloping masonry back in successive
courses; the opposite of corbel.
BATTERED WALL: Inward slope from bottom to top of the face
of a wall. Or, a term used by bricklayers and carpenters to signify a wall, piece of
timber, or other materials, which do not stand upright; the opposite of corbel.
BATTING TOOL: A mason’s chisel several inches wide
used to dress stone to a striated surface.
BEAD: The shape of a sealant in a joint after application.
BEAD JOINT: A joint with a half-round or half spherical
section.
BEARING: A slot cut into the back of dimension stone to
allow entry of a supporting angle or clip.
BEARING CHECK: A slot cut into the back of dimension stone
to allow entry of a supporting angle or clip.
BED: The top or bottom of a joint, natural bedsurface of
stone parallel to its stratification.
BED: In granites and marbles a layer or sheet of the rock
mass that is horizontal, commonly curved and lenticular as developed by fractures.
Sometimes applied also to the surface of parting between the sheets. Or, in stratified
rocks the unit layer formed by sedimentation; of variable thickness and commonly tilted or
distorted by subsequent deformation; generally develops a rock cleavage, parting or
jointing along the planes of stratification.
BED JOINT: A horizontal joint between stones, usually
filled with mortar, lead, or sealant.
BEDDING PLANE: Horizontal plane of sedimentary stone in the
position of its original formation.
BELT COURSE: A continuous horizontal course of flat stones
place in line marking a division in the wall plane. Sometimes called band course, string
course, or sill course.
BENCH: Steps formed in quarry by removal of stone following
bed joints. Or, a long seat of cubic stone.
BENCH MARK: A datum point from which differences in level
are reckoned.
BERM: A bank of earth, such as the piled-up earth against a
stone wall.
BEVEL: The angle that one surface or line makes with
another, when they are not at right angles; a sloped surface contiguous with a vertical or
horizontal surface.
BIOTITE: A black, brown, or dark-green mica, a magnesium
iron silicate.
BIRD’S BEAK MOLDING: A drip mold found notably in the
cap of the pilaster of the Doric order.
BLACK GRANITE: Dark colored igneous rocks defined by
geologists as basalt, diabase, gabbro, diorite, and anorthosite, quarried as building
stone, building facings, and specialty purposes and identified as Black Granite when sold.
BLEED: Staining action caused by corrosive metals,
oil-based putties, mastics, caulking or sealing compounds.
BLENDS: Mixes of different generic raw materials to form a
water repellent.
BLENDING: Refers to the proper positioning of adjacent
veneer panels, or floor slabs, or tiles by their predominant color to achieve an overall
uniform pattern.
BLOCK: See Quarry Block.
BLOCKING: Internal members of wall furring or the like to
afford fastening and rigidity for the veneer. Or, to fill a space within a shipping truck
or container with fastened wood to prevent movement of stone.
BLUESTONE: A hard argillaceous metamorphic sandstone of
characteristic blue, gray and buff colors quarried in the states of New York and
Pennsylvania (historically quarried near the Hudson River, Appalachian Plateau).
BLUSHING: Film defect which appears as a milky opalescence
as a clear coating or paint film dries.
BOLLARD: A free-standing stone post or guard. Or, a stone
guard protecting a wall corner from damage by encroaching traffic.
BOND: Tying various parts of masonry wall by lapping units
on over another or by connecting with metal ties. Or, adhesion between mortar or grout and
masonry units or reinforcement. Or, patterns formed by exposed faces of units.
American bond: A bond in which every sixth course is a
header course and the intervening courses are stretcher courses.
Basket-weave bond: Module groups of brick laid at right
angles to those adjacent.
Dutch cross bond: A bond consisting of alternate courses of
stretchers and headers, with each stretcher centered on alternate headers in the
courses above and below. Also called English bond.
Flemish bond: A bond consisting of courses made up of
alternate stretchers and headers, with each header centered on a stretcher above and below.
Random bond: Masonry constructed without a regular pattern.
Running bond: A bond in which units in successive courses
are placed so they overlap. Placing vertical mortar joints centered over the unit below is
called a center or half bond, while lapping one-third of the way is called a third bond and one-fourth
of the way is called a quarter bond. Some building codes require at least a quarter bond to qualify as
running bond.
BOND BREAKER: Normally in tape form. Used to ensure
adhesion on both sides of the joint in joints of limited depth, and where a backing rod or
other joint filler is not practical.
BOND COAT: An adhesive material used between the back of
the stone tile or paver and the prepared surface.
BOND STONE: Used in varying percentages to anchor or bond
the stone veneer to the backing material. Bond stones are generally cut to twice the bed
thickness of the material being used. Or, stones projecting laterally into the backup wall
used to tie the wall together.
BOOK MATCHING: Veneer slabs cut and assembled so that one
slab will match the other in the horizontal direction, or in a vertical direction, but not
both. Slabs must have alternate faces finished in sequence as they are layered in the
quarry block.
BORDER: A flat stone used as an edging material, a border
stone is generally used to retain the field of the terrace or platform.
BORDER STONE: Usually a flat stone used as a edging
material. A border stone is generally used to retain the field of a terrace, platform, or
floor.
BOSSAGE: A rough stone placed in a wall and projecting from
it, that is left to be sculptured at a later time. Or, coursed stone ashlar with roughly
dressed or projecting face.
BOULDERING: Paving with cobblestones.
BOULDERS: Heavy, rough stones.
BREAK JOINTS: To arrange a course of stone so that its
vertical joints are not in line with those of the course just below.
BREATHING: The passing of moisture in gaseous form through
stone. Also called "vapor transmission." To a greater or lesser extent all stone
has this process occur.
BRECCIA: Marble or limestone in which angular fragments are
imbedded in a matrix of the same of another composition.
BRECCIATED MARBLE: Any marble composed of angular
fragments.
BRIDGE SAW: A saw that powers a circular diamond blade or
blades which travel on a metal rail (bridge), and rests on supports. It is used to
fabricate dimension stone slabs and cubic stone into square and rectangular pieces. Some
models can be used to fabricate profiles and miters.
BROACH: To drill or cut out material left between closely
spaced drill holes. Also, a mason’s sharp pointed chisel for dressing stone and a
type of chisel used for working narrow surfaces.
BROKEN FLAGSTONE: Irregularly shaped stones, generally
½" to 2 ½" thick. See flagstone..
BROWNSTONE: A sandstone of characteristic brown or
reddish-brown color that is due to a prominent amount of iron oxide as interstitial
material. Or, a term applied to ferruginous dark brown and reddish brown askosic
sandstones extensively used for construction in the U.S. during the 19th
century Stone for New York City’s noted "brownstone fronts" came from the
Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, southeastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
BRUSHED FINISH: Obtained by brushing the stone with a
course rotary-type wire brush.
BTU: British Thermal Unit; the amount of heat required to
raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at sea level, used as
the basic unit of definite heat generation and transmission.
BUFFABLE: Capable of improvement in gloss or general
appearance, or both, of a polish by a mechanical action.
BUGGED FINISH: A smooth finish produced by grinding with
power sanders.
BUILDING STONE: Natural rock of adequate quality to be
quarried and cut as dimension stone as it exists in nature.
BUILT-UP: Term indicating the assembly of pieces or layers
to complete a wall, etc…
BULL NOSE: Convex rounding of a stone member, such as a
stair tread. A convex, semicircular molding formed on the end of brick.
BUNDLE: A wooden framework in which large stone slabs are
packed for shipment.
BURNISH FINISH: See polished finish.
BUSH HAMMERED: A mechanical process which produces
textures surfaces. Textures vary from subtle to rough.
BUTTER/BUTTERING: To place mortar on a masonry unit with a
trowel.
BUTT CRACK: Once thought to be exclusive to the plumbing
trade, it is a visible sign of working with intense concentration and expertise.
BUTT JOINT: An external corner formed by the meeting of two
square-edged stones, either one overlapping the other.
BUTTERING: Placing mortar on stone on stone tile units with
a trowel before setting into position, to insure adhesion and to aid in leveling.
BUTTERBALL: A faulty method of installation which involves
the use of spots of mortar at corners and middle of stone tile.
BUTTRESS: A projecting mass of masonry set at an angle to
or bonded into a wall that it strengthens or supports. A buttress decreases in its
cross-sectional area form top to base.
BUTYL: A synthetic rubber formed by the copolymerization of
isobutylene and isoprene.
CALCARENITE: Limestone composed predominantly of clastic
sand-size grains of calcite, or rarely aragonic, usually as fragments of shells or
fossils. Some calcarenites contain oolites and may be termed oolitic limestone. Calareous
quart-based stone in which the calcium carbonate is present chiefly as binding material
are not included in this category.
CALCAREOUS: Calcium-bearing rock.
CALCITE: The natural mineral form of calcium carbonate.
CALCITE LIMESTONE: A limestone containing not more than 5%
of magnesium carbonate.
CALCITE MARBLE: A crystalline variety of limestone
containing not more than 5% of magnesium carbonate.
CALCITE STREAKS: Descriptions of a white or milky-like
streak occurring in stone. It is a joint plane usually wider than a glass seam and has
been re-cemented by deposition of calcite in the crack and is structurally sound.
CALCIUM OXIDE: Calcined limestone.
CAMBER: A slight rising from the horizontal, to gain an
actual or apparent effect of arching.
CANOPY: A sheltering roof 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,
that projects from a wall.
CAP: Masonry units laid on top of a finished wall, column,
door, or molding.
CAPACITY INSULATION: The ability of masonry to store heat
as a result of its mass, density and specific heat.
CAPILLARY ACTION: The movement of a liquid in the
interstices of a porous material, as a result of surface tension; the phenomenon
responsible for dry materials sucking moisture above the normal water level.
CAPITAL: Column cap, the top member or group of members of
a column, pier, shaft, or pilaster.
CAPPING: See coping..
CAPSTONE: The crowning stone of a structure; differing from
capital in that it is not a supporting member.
CARBONATE: A salt of carbonic acid.
CARBONIC ACID: A weak acid.
CARVE: Shaping by cutting a design to form; the trade of a
sculptor.
CARVER: In the stone industry, the artisan who does carved
work.
CARVING: Cutting of ornamental shapes, figures, etc…
from models or details, which are too intricate to produce from patterns.
CAST STONE: A precast concrete building stone manufactured
to simulate dimension stone.
CATALYST: A substance which accelerates a chemical reaction
but appears to remain unchanged itself (i.e. a hardener that accelerates the cure of
synthetic resin adhesive).
CAULK: A non-staining, non-hardening putty-like mastic,
usually applied to stone joints with a pressure gun.
CAULKING: The application of a sealant in a joint or
opening to prevent the passage of water, air, dust, and noise. Or, making a joint tight or
leak proof by sealing with an elastic adhesive compound.
CAVITY VENT: An opening in joints of veneer to allow the
passage of air and moisture from the wall cavity to the exterior.
CAVITY WALL: An exterior wall, usually of masonry,
consisting of an outer and inner wythe separated by continuous airspace.
C/B RATIO: The ratio of the weight of water absorbed by a
masonry unit when immersed 24 hours in cold water to the weight of water absorbed after an
additional immersion for five hours in boiling water. Also called the saturation
coefficient.
CELL: Cells are distinguished from core holes by being
larger in size.
CEMENT: A hydraulic mixture, without aggregate, consisting
of a calcined mixture of clay and pulverized limestone.
CEMENT PUTTY/CREAM/BUTTER: A thick, creamy mixture made with
pore cement and water which is used to strengthen the bond between the stone and the
setting bed.
CEMENTITIOUS: Made from, or composed of, portland cement.
CENTERING: Temporary formwork for the support of masonry
arches or lintels during construction. Also called center (s).
CHAMFER: To bevel the junction of an exterior angle. Or, to
cut away the edge where two surfaces meet in an external angle, leaving a bevel at the
junction.
CHANCEL: That part of a church interior reserved for clergy
and containing the alter.
CHASE: A continuous recess in a wall to receive pipes,
ducts, conduit, etc….
CHAT SAWED: Description of a textured stone finish,
obtained by using chat sand in the gang sawing process.
CHAT SAWN FINISH: A rough gang saw finish produced by
sawing with course chat.
CHECK: A rebate, normally larger than a fillet.
CHECKER WORK: Masonry of square-face stones not breaking
joints.
CHIMNEY: A shaft, approximately vertical, which helps
create a draft for conducting the smoke and gases of combustion from above a fire to the
outside.
CHIMNEY BREAST: The exterior face of the wall directly
above the fireplace opening.
CHIMNEY LINING: Fire clay, terra cotta, or refractory
cement built inside a chimney.
CHIMNEY THROAT: That part of a chimney directly above the
firebox where the walls are brought close together.
CHIP: A small, irregularly shaped stone piece dislodged,
usually from the edge, from a stone piece.
CIRCULAR CIRCULAR FACE: A stone face worked to convex
spherical shape.
CIRCULAR CIRCULAR SUNK FACE: A stone face worked to concave
spherical shape.
CIRCUALAR SAW: Machine with power-driven revolving steel
disc, rimmed with diamond or other abrasive elements.
CIRCUALAR FACE: A stone face worked to convex circular (not
spherical) shape.
CIRCULAR SUNK FACE: A stone face worked to a concave
circular (not spherical) shape.
CLADDING: An exterior veneer stone covering that is
non-load bearing.
CLASTIC: Stone fragments that are derived from pre-existing
rocks or minerals.
CLASS OF UNIT: A ranking of masonry units according to
their different grades or types in ASTM specifications, the different raw materials they
are manufactured from, or other characteristics.
CLAW TOOL: Toothed chisel used in roughing out process.
CLAY: A natural mineral aggregate consisting essentially of
hydrous aluminum silicate. It is plastic when sufficiently wetted, stiff when dried, and
vitrified when fired to a sufficiently high temperature.
CLAY MORTAR: A soft, low lime mortar usually used when lime
was expensive and difficult to procure. Its primary usage was in remote areas for small
scale buildings.
CLEAN BACK: The visible end of a stone laid as a bond
stone.
CLEANING: The removal of marks, dust, and other extraneous
materials from the surface of the stone.
CLEANOUT HOLES: Openings at the bottom of a grout space for
cleaning mortar droppings and other debris prior to grout placement.
CLEAR COATING: An invisible to glossy film or penetrate
applied to substrates to protect, repel or resist water and hydration of minerals.
CLEARANCE: Space allowed to facilitate erection of units
and provide for thermal and other estimated movements in structure.
CLEAVAGE: The ability of a rock mass to break along natural
surfaces; a surface of natural parting. Also used to refer to the plane or planes along
which a stone may likely break or delaminate.
CLEAVAGE MEMBRANE: Membrane that provides a separation and
slip sheet between the mortar setting bed and the backing or base surface.
CLEAVAGE PLANE: Plane or planes along which a stone may
likely break or delaminate.
CLOSER: The last masonry unit or portion of a unit laid in
a course.
CLOSURE: Supplementary or short length units used at
corners or jambs to maintain bond patterns.
COATING: A protective or decorative covering applied to the
surface or impregnated into stone for such purposes as waterproofing, enhancing resistance
to weathering, wear, and chemical action, or altering the appearance of the stone.
COBBLESTONE: A natural rounded stone large enough for use
in paving.
CODE: Legal restrictions of a given locality governing the
building of various types of structures.
COLLAR JOINT: The vertical longitudinal joint between
wythes of masonry filled with mortar or grout.
COLUMN: An isolated vertical member whose horizontal
dimension measured at right angles to the thickness does not exceed three times its
thickness and whose height is at least three times its thickness.
COMMERCIAL MARBLE: A crystalline rock composed
predominately of one or more of the following minerals: calcite, dolomite, or serpentine,
and capable of taking a polish.
COMPOSITE: A construction unit in which stone that is to be
exposed in the final use is permanently bonded or joined to concealed material.
COMPOSITE ACTION: Transfer of stress between components of
a member designed so that in resisting loads, the combined components act together as a
single member.
COMPOSITE MASONRY: Multi-component masonry members acting
with composite action.
CONCRETE: A composition material consisting of Portland
Cement, aggregate, and water. When mixed together, will result in a chemical action that
will set and harden into rock-like mass.
CONCRETE MASONRY UNIT: A masonry unit made of Portland
Cement, water, and mineral aggregates, formed into a rectangular prism.
CONDENSATION: Dampness of interior surfaces caused by the
release of water as it cools below the dew point; the formation of frost or water when air
carrying water vapor comes in contact with a cold surface, cooling the air and reducing
its ability to hold moisture.
CONGLOMERATE: A stone similar to sandstone but the rock
particles are rounded or angular gravel rather than sand; an aggregate of rounded and
water-worn pebbles and boulders cemented together into a coherent stone.
CONSOLIDATION: Treatment of the stone surface with a liquid
solution which is commonly brush or spray applied; various stone consolidation processes
can extend the life of stone and retard the decay process, but they cannot permanently
arrest deterioration. Consolidation techniques employ both organic and inorganic
chemicals. Inorganic processes have long-life and exhibit similar expansion-contraction
behavior as treated material. Most inorganic processes cannot reattach loose pieces of
stone or fill gaps in large cracks; adhesives may be required for the purposes. Organic
processes are based on the use of synthetic resins. Their life span is generally less than
that of inorganic material, but they can be especially effective with porous stone as well
as comprehensive strengths. Epoxy resins, for example, are good adhesives and
weatherizers, but current available epoxies are sensitive to ultraviolet rays which tend
to discolor in time and do not weather well. Mixtures and combinations of both organic and
inorganic treatments such as ethyl silicate are continually being developed to take
advantage of the benefits of both treatments.
CONTAINER: An enclosed truck body that is usually used to
hold and carry imported dimension stone into the United States.
CONTOUR SCALING: A crust forming across the surface of
sandstones and limestones which follows the contour of the surface rather than the bedding
planes of the stones; the result of direct pollution; the pores of the stone are blocked
by formations of recrystallized calcium sulfates.
CONTRACTION JOINTS: Spaces where panels are joined and
which expand as the panels contract.
CONTRACTOR: One who erects and installs fabricated
dimensional stone.
CONTROL JOINT: Provision for the dimensional change of
different parts of a structure due to shrinkage, expansion, temperature variation or other
causes, so as to avoid the development of high stresses.
COPE STONE: The horizontal top stone of a wall or similar
stone construction , usually flat.
COPING: A cap or covering course on top of masonry wall.
Designed to shed water, protect the top and provide a finished, closed appearance to the
wall. Commonly extended beyond the wall face and incorporating a drip. SEC: Single edge
coping; DEC: Double edge coping.
COQUINA: Limestone composed predominately of shells or
fragments of shells loosely cemented by calcite. Coquina is course-textured and has a high
porosity. The term is applied principally to a very porous rock quarried in Florida.
CORAL LIMESTONE: A limestone consisting of the calcareous
skeletons of corals, often containing fragments of other organisms and usually cemented by
calcium carbonate.
CORBEL: Projecting successive courses of masonry out from
the face of the wall to increase the wall thickness or to form a shelf or ledge.
CORBEL PLATES: Concealed plates of nonferrous metal fixed
into a structure to support stone cladding at intervals and over openings.
CORE: Continuous openings or perforations within extruded
clay products.
CORNERSTONE: A stone forming a part of a corner or angle in
a wall. Also a stone laid at the formal inauguration of the erection of a building.
CORNICE: A molded projecting stone at the top of an
entablature or facade.
CORROSION RESISTANT: Steel items which have been treated or
coated to retard harmful oxidation or other corrosive action.
COUNTERSINK: An added depression below a surface, as to
receive the head of a nail, screw, or bolt; also, the sinkage of a small area below the
surface plane.
COURSE: A continuous horizontal band of stone of constant
height.
COURSED VENEER: This is achieved by using stones of the
same or approximately the same heights. Horizontal joints runs on the entire length of the
veneered area. Vertical joints are constantly broken so that no two joints will be over
one another.
COUSSINET: French for the stone at the top of a pier
supporting the lowest stone of an arch.
COVE BASE: A concave stone molding.
COVE JOINT: A concave joint shaped with a tool.
CRACK: A break, split, fracture, fissure, separation,
cleavage, or elongated narrow opening, however caused, visible without magnification to
the human eye and extending from the surface into the stone, through the grain, matrix, or
vein.
CRAMP: A ‘U’ shaped metal anchor for holding two
adjacent units of stone together.
CRANDALL: A multi-pointed hammer for dressing the face of
stone.
CRATE: A wooden protective case in which stone is packed
for shipment.
CRATERING: Depression in a coating film usually caused by
air or solvent trapped in the coating, forming bubbles which break after the film has set
sufficiently to prevent leveling.
CRAZING, CRAZE, CRACK: Fine, random cracks or fissures in a
network on or under a surface of plaster, cement, mortar, concrete, ceramic coating or
paint film; caused by shrinkage.
CREEP: The permanent and continuing dimensional deformation
of material under a sustained load, following the initial spontaneous plastic deformation.
In structures particularly concrete, the permanent deflection of structural framing or
structural decking resulting from plastic flow under continued stress. In roofing, the
permanent elongation or shrinkage of roofing membrane, resulting from thermal or moisture
changes.
CROSS-BEDDING: The arrangements of laminations of strata
transverse or oblique to the main planes of stratification.
CROSSETTE: (Croissette, Crosset) A side lug at the upper
side of an arch stone, entering a corresponding space on the adjoining stone.
CROWFOOT VEIN: (Stylolite) Description of a dark gray to
black zigzag marking occurring in stone; usually structurally sound.
CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA: The area of a particular portion of a
member or the area of a masonry unit.
Gross cross-sectional area: The area delineated by the
out-to-out dimensions of masonry or a masonry unit in the plane under construction.
Net cross-sectional area: The net cross-sectional area of a
masonry unit is the gross cross-sectional area minus the area of the cores or cells. For brick
units cored less than 25% the net area is equal to the gross area. Or, the area of masonry units,
grout, and mortar crossed by the plane under consideration based on out-to-out dimensions.
CRYSTALLINE LIMESTONE: Limestone, either calcite or dolomite,
composed of interlocking crystalline grains of the constituent minerals and of phaneritic
texture. Commonly used synonymous with marble, and thus representing a recrystallized
limestone. Improperly applied to limestones that display some obviously crystalline grains
in a fine-grained mass but which are not of interlocking texture and do not compose the
entire mass. (NOTE: All limestones are microscopically, or in part megascopically,
crystalline; the term is thus confusing but should be restricted to stones that are
completely crystalline and of megascopic and interlocking texture and that may be classed
as marbles.)
CUBIC LIMESTONE: Dimension units more than two inches
thick.
CUBIC MARBLE: Fabricated dimensional marble units more than
two inches in thickness.
CULL: Material rejected as below the desired or stated
grade of stone.
CULTURED MARBLE: An artificial, manmade product, created by
mixing minimal amounts of marble dust into a resin.
CURBING: Slabs and blocks of stone bordering streets,
walks, etc, producing the change in level between sidewalk and street.
CURE: Formation of a final, more stable, usable state
following a chemical or physical reaction induced by heat, radiation, etc… or through
evaporation of a solvent.
CURING: The drying and hardening process of mortar after
installation. Some materials require damp curing.
CURSTABLE: A course of stones bearing moldings, to produce
a string course.
CURTAIN WALL: A lightweight exterior wall system supporting
no more than its own weight, the roof and floors being carried by an independent
structural framework. Sometimes used in reference to early 19th century brick
buildings but more commonly to mid 20th century metal panel and glass
exteriors.
CUSHION: A resilient pad to absorb or counteract severe
stresses between adjoining stone units and or other materials.
CUT STONE: Finished, dimensional stone, ready to set in
place.
CUTTING: Handwork required to finish a stone which cannot
be done by machine.
CUTTING STOCK: A term used to describe varying size,
finish, and thickness which are used in fabricating treads, risers, copings, borders,
sills, stools, hearths, mantels and other special purpose stones.
CUTTING TICKETS: Detailed list for each piece of dimension
stone showing exact dimensions including thickness, face finish, edge treatments, carving,
molding, hole drilling, and any other fabrication details. These are usually prepared in
the drafting department for use in the fabrication plant or shop. Also called shop lists.
DAB: To dress the face of a stone by picking with a pointed
tool
DACITE: Fine-grained extrusive (volcanic) rock,
intermediate in color and composition between basalt and rhyolite.
DADO: Stone treatment on interior walls which does not
extend to the ceiling, often ornamented.
DAMP COURSE: A course or layer of impervious material which
prevents vertical penetration of water by capillary action.
DAMPPROOFING: Prevention of moisture penetration due to
capillary action by the addition of one or more coatings of a compound that is impervious
to water.
DAMPPROOFING COURSE: A horizontal or vertical course or
layer, usually at least six inches above the ground level, that prevents the capillary
entrance of moisture from the ground or a lower course.
DATUM: A horizontal plane elevation used as a reference
plane.
DEADMAN: Buried cross timbers, or a bulk of concrete or
stone, to which are attached guy pieces of wood, or wire cable, to anchor an upright post
or derrick nearby.
DEFLECTION: The amount by which a horizontal member bends
at the center under stress.
DELAMINATION: A failure in a laminating assembly
characterized by the separation or loss of adhesion between plies, such as in built-up
roofing or glue-laminated timber.
DENTIL: Block projections on an entablature.
DENTIL COURSE: Mold course immediately below the cornice,
having on one of its members, small uniformly spaced blocks, referred to as dentils.
DEPTH OF GLOSS: The optical phenomenon of relative depth
perceived when viewing reflective surfaces.
DERRICK: A hoisting device, usually made up of a guyed
mast, a boom hinged to it, and pulley ropes.
DESIGN: To bring into being a mental concept.
DETAIL: A graphic representation of a part, usually at a
larger scale than the design to which it belongs.
DIABASE: A granular igneous rock, dark gray to black,
sometimes called dolerite.
DIAMOND MATCHING: (Quarter matching) A veneer panel
matching pattern similar to book matching, except that the third and fourth panels are
inverted over panels one and two.
DIAMOND SAWED: Finish produced by sawing with diamond
toothed saws (either circular or gang).
DIAPER: Any continuous pattern in brickwork, usually
applied in a diamond or other diagonal patterns.
DIE: A covering layer of interior stone from wall to
ceiling.
DIMENSION: Stone-Natural building stone that has been
selected, trimmed, or cut to specified shapes and sizes. Final surface treatment, or
finish is as specified.
DIORITE: Granular, crystallized igneous stone composed of
feldspar and hornblende.
DOG’S TOOTH: A brick laid with it’s corner
projecting from the wall face.
DOGS AND CHAIN: Pair of steel hooks with rings attached
into which chain is slung; vertical pull on chain draws hooks together in horizontal
direction to grip stone blocks.
DOLLY POINTED: See picked.
DOLOMITE: A calcium magnesium carbonate; a crystalline
variety of limestone, containing in excess of 40 percent of magenesium carbonate as the
dolomite molecule.
DOLOMITIC LIMESTONE: A limestone rich in magnesium
carbonate, frequently somewhat crystalline in character. It is found in ledge formations
in a wide variety of color tones and textures. Generally speaking, its crushing and
tensile strengths are greater than oolitic limestones, and its appearance shows greater
variety in texture.
DOLOMITE MARBLE: A crystalline variety of limestone,
containing in excess of 49% of magnesium carbonate as the dolomite molecule.
DOLOSTONE: A dolomitic limestone..
DOVETAIL ANCHOR: A splayed tenon that is shaped like a
dove’s tail, broader at its end than at its base, which fits into the recess of a
corresponding mortise.
DOVETAIL MOLDING: A molding in which interlocked triangles
are used.
DOWEL: A cylindrical metal pin used in aligning and
strengthening joints of adjacent stone units, or to assist in anchoring stone units.
DOWELS: Straight metal bars or rods used to connect two
sections of masonry or masonry to other materials.
DRAFT: The tooled strip or border of faced stone, also
known as a margin.
DRAFTSMAN: One who translates and draws or prepares a
design into drawings.
DRESSED/ HAND DRESSED: The cutting of rough chunks of stone
by hand to create a square or rectangular shape. A stone which is sold as dressed stone
generally refers to stone ready for installation.
DRESSING: The shaping and squaring, sometimes called
scabbling, of blocks for storage and shipment.
DRILL: To cut a cylindrical hole, or a tool used to drill a
cylindrical hole.
DRIP: A recess cut into the underside of projecting stone
to divert water and prevent it from running down the face of a wall or other surface of
which it is a part.
DRIP MOLD: A molding shaped for drip.
DROVE: A mason’s blunt chisel for facing stone.
DRUM: One of the cylindrical stone blocks of a column
shaft.
DRY PACK: A mixture of Portland Cement and fine aggregate,
dampened, but not to the extent that it will flow. It is usually rammed or packed in a
hole to secure a bar or anchor, but it is also packed under base plates.
DRY SEAM: Unhealed fracture which may be a plane of
weakness.
DRY WALL: Dry wall is a stone that is constructed one stone
upon the other without the use of any mortar. Generally used for retaining walls.
DUAL FINISH: Two finishes on one piece of stone, such as
thermal and polished.
DURABILITY: The measure of the ability of dimension stone
to endure and to maintain its essential and distinctive characteristics of strength,
resistance to decay and moisture, and appearance.
DUTCHMAN: A small, matching piece of dimension stone that
is cut, finished and attached with the tightest possible joint to a floor, wall, top, or
other larger piece of stone to increase its length or width or to repair or replace a
missing or damaged area. Dutchmen are usually affixed in the fabrication shop with epoxy
or polyester resin.
ECCENTRICITY: The distance between a vertical load reaction
and a centroidal axis of masonry.
EDGESET: A brick set on its narrow side instead of on its
flat side.
EFFECTIVE HEIGHT: The height of a member that is assumed
when calculating the slenderness ratio.
EFFLORESCENCE: A deposit or encrustation of soluble salts
generally white, usually carbonates or sulfates, that may form on the surface of stone,
brick, concrete or mortar when moisture moves through and evaporates from the masonry.
EGGSHELL FINISH: Dull polish or matte surface.
EIGHT-CUT FINISH: Fine, bush-hammered; interrupted parallel
markings not over 3/32" apart; a corrugated finish; smoother near arris lines and on
small surfaces.
ELLIPSE: The conic section resulting from cutting a cone
obliquely through its curved surface.
ENCRINAL MARBLE: Marble deriving decoration from fossils or
shells.
ENDOLITHIC: The process of adding color to incised
lettering in stone.
ENTABLATURE: A horizontal, projecting group of stones
immediately above a column capital. Consists of three major parts: architrave, cornice,
and frieze.
ENTASIS: The curve resulting from the gradual diminishing
in the diameter of the upper two-thirds of a column.
EMULSION: Mixture of solid particles of binder and the
liquid carrier in which they are suspended but insoluble.
EPOXY: A class of synthetic, thermosetting resins which
produce tough, hard, chemical resistant coating and excellent adhesives.
EPOXY RESIN: A flexible, usually thermal setting resin made
by polymerization of an epoxide and used as an adhesive. They are characterized by
toughness, good adhesion, corrosion, chemical resistance, and good dielectric properties.
Most epoxy resins are the two-part type, which harden when blended. It is used as surface
coatings, adhesives for composites and for metals, floor surfacing and wall panels,
cements and mortars.
ERECTION: The process of and setting vertical dimensional
stone in place.
EXFOLIATION: Peeling, swelling or scaling of stone or
mineral surfaces in thin layers, caused by chemical or physical weather or by heat.
EXPANSION: Enlargement of length and bulk by reason of
temperature rise or absorption of water.
EXPANSION ANCHOR: A metal expandable unit inserted into a
drilled hole that grips stone by expansion.
EXPANSION BOLT: An anchoring device; a socket that grips a
drilled hole in stone by expanding as the bolt is screwed into it.
EXPANSION-CONTRACTION JOINT: A joint designed to expand or
contract with the temperature change.
EXPEDITER: One who clerks and hastens the arrival of
building materials or equipment to meet a progress schedule.
EXPOSED AGGREGATE: Phrase applied to the larger pieces of
stone aggregate purposefully exposed for their color and texture in a cast slab. Can be
done by casting on a slab or by application to an existing wall over epoxy or cement coat.
EXTERIOR: The outside of a building or situated on the
outside.
FABRICATED: Dimensional stone manufactured and ready for
installation.
FABRICATION: The work involved in transforming building
stone from quarry blocks to cut or finished stone. This includes primary sawing into
slabs. It may also include both hand and mechanical techniques such as sawing, drilling,
grinding, honing, polishing, and carving.
FACADE: A face of a building, usually the front.
FACE: Refers to the exposed surface of stone on the
structure. Or, a horizontal belt of vertical face, often used in combination with
moldings.
FACE SHELL: The wall of a hollow masonry unit, on its front
and back surface.
FACE SHELL BEDDING: Mortar applied only to the face shells
of hollow masonry units.
FACING: Any material forming a part of a wall, used as a
finished surface. Also, a wall in which the stone face and the back-up wall are of
different materials.
FACTOR OF SAFETY: The factor by which the expected weight
or stress is multiplied to indicate the surplus of strength or resistance provided for
safety’s sake.
FALSE JOINT: A groove routed in a solid piece of stone to
simulate a joint.
FASCIA: A horizontal band of vertical face, often used in
combinations with moldings.
FAULT: A dislocation of stone strata which may interfere
with natural underground drainage, or a break in the layers or bedding plane.
FEATHER EDGE: A sharp arris formed by beveling or cutting a
piece of stone
FEATHER-EDGED COPING: Coping that slopes in only one
direction (not ridged or gabled). In some areas, it implies slope towards rear of wall.
FELDSPAR: Any group of crystalline minerals, all silicates
of aluminum with either potassium, sodium, calcium, or barium. An essential constituent of
nearly all crystalline rocks.
FERRUNGINOUS: Limestone or quartz-based stone (sandstone)
containing a high proportion of iron oxide.
FIELD: The expanse of wall between openings, corners,
etc…, principally composed of stretchers.
FIELD STONE: Loose blocks separated from ledges by natural
processes and scattered through or upon the ground cover; applied also to similar
transported materials, such as glacial boulders and cobblestones.
FIELDSTONE: A weathered stone found on top of the ground.
FILLET: Rebate, often used as a decorative feature with
moldings.
FILLING: A trade expression used in the fabrication of
marble to indicate the filling of natural voids with color-blended cements, shellac or
synthetic resins and similar materials.
FILLER STRIP: Refers to a resilient material placed in the
rear portion of a joint to function as a sealant stop.
FINES: The powder, dual, silt-size, and sand-size material
resulting from processing (usually crush tog) rock.
FINISH: Final surface applied to the face of dimensional
stone during fabrication.
FINISHER: Person or business which operates a plant or
machinery for the fabrication of domestic and foreign stones for building and other
purposes.
FINISH FLOOR: The exposed top member of a flooring
assembly.
FIRE CLAY: A clay used for making brick that is highly
resistant to heat without deforming.
FIRE RESISTANTIVE MATERIAL: See noncombustible material.
FIREPLACE: An opening on a hearth, served by a chimney
flue, where an open fire may be laid.
FIREPROOFING: Any material or combination protecting
structural members and increasing their fire resistance.
FIREPROOF: Relatively incombustible.
FIXING: A term used in Europe to describe the installation
of stone work.
FLAGSTONE: Thin slabs of stone used for flagging or paving
walks, driveways, patios, etc…, and is generally a fine-grained sandstone, bluestone,
quartzite, or slate, but thin slabs of other stones may be used.
FLASHING: Manufacturing process to produce specific color
tones in clay units by creating a reducing atmosphere in the kiln. Or, a thin impervious
material placed in mortar joints and through air spaces in masonry to prevent water
penetration and provide water drainage. Also, metal or other protective material used to
cover joints, tops of walls, parapet walls, or angles, as of a roof.
FLEURI: The mottled effect obtained when certain marble
varieties are sawn parallel to their natural bedding plane.
FLEURI CUT: Unique to the marble industry, it is cut
parallel to the natural bedding plane.
FLINT: Dense, fine-grained, naturally occurring form of
silica that fractures conchoidally.
FLOAT: A mason’s tool, a flat board with handle on one
side, used for spreading and smoothing plaster or cement.
FLOAT COAT: The final mortar coat applied with a float over
which the neat coat is applied.
FLOOR: The horizontal surface of a room or building upon
which one stands or walks. Also, the area between two adjacent levels of a building.
FLOOR PLAN: The plan, or horizontal section, of a building.
FLOORING: Stone used as an interior pedestrian walking
surface.
FLUSH: Descriptive of adjoining surfaces in the same plane.
FLUSH JOINT: A joint where the mortar or sealant is pressed
flush with the stone face.
FLUTED: Stone having a regular series of concave grooves.
FLYING BUTTRESS: A buttress that includes a rampant arch to
carry the inner thrust to the pier.
FOLIATION: The layered or banded structure of rock in which
the mineral grains became re-aligned at right angles to a directional force that existed
during metamorphism.
FOUR-CORNER FINISH: Coarse bush-hammered finish with same
characteristics as 6-cut, but with markings not more than 7/32" apart.
FOUR-MAN BOULDERS: Rough stones under 750 pounds.
FOYER: A subordinate space between an entrance and the main
interior to which it leads.
FREESTONE: A stone that may be cut freely in any direction
without fracture or splitting.
FRIEZE: Flat member of the entablature occurring above the
architrave and below the cornice.
FRITH STOOL: A stone seat near the altar of a church.
FRONT: The more important face of a building, or that
containing its main entrance.
FROG: A depression in the bed surface of a brick, sometimes
called a panel.
FULL MORTAR BEDDING: Mortar applied to the entire thickness
of a masonry unit.
FURRING: The method of finishing the interior face of
masonry wall to provide space for insulation, to prevent moisture transmittance, or to
provide a smooth or plane surface for finishing.
FURROWING: The practice of striking a ‘V’ in a
bed of mortar with the point of the trowel.
GABLE: The exterior triangular section of a wall extending
upward from the level of the eaves to the apex. Also, a member resembling the triangular
end of a roof.
GABBRO: An igneous granular stone composed chiefly of
pyroxene, augite or diallage, and plagioclase.
GALLET: A stone chip or spall.
GANG SAW: A machine with multiple blades used to saw rough
quarry block into slabs. Also known as a frame saw.
GANG SAWED: Description of the granular surface of stone
resulting from gang sawing alone.
GANTRY SAW: A usually single diamond blade saw with a
mobile rail and blade that can be repositioned along its tracks between cuts.
GARRETING: The insertion of small splinters of stone in the
mortar joints before the mortar has firmly set.
GAUGED or GAUGING: A grinding process to make all pieces of
material to be used together the same thickness.
GLASS SEAM: Description of a narrow glass-like streak
occurring in stone. It is a joint plane that has been recemented by deposition of
translucent crystalline calcite in the crack and is usually structurally sound.
GLOSS: Luster or shininess, measured as light reflectance.
GNEISS: A metamorphic rock with a banded or coarsely
foliated structure, often called "Trade Granite". Composed essentially of
silicate minerals with interlocking and visibly granular texture in which the foliation is
due primarily to alternating layers, regular or irregular, of contrasting mineralogic
composition.
GRADE COURSE: Beginning course at the grade level,
generally waterproofed with a dampcheck or damp course.
GRAIN: The easiest cleavage direction in a stone. Also the
particles (crystals, sand grain, etc…) in a stone.
GRANITE: A very hard, crystalline, igneous rock, gray to
pink in color, composed of feldspar, quartz, and lesser amounts of dark ferromagnesium
materials. Black "granites" are similar to true "granites" in
structure and texture, but are composed of different minerals.
GRANULAR: Stones having a texture characterized by
particles that are apparent to the unaided eye. For sedimentary rocks: particles less than
4 inches in diameter and approximately equal in size.
GRAVEL: Composed chiefly of quartz, but may contain
granite, limestone, basalt, and other rocks.
GRAYWACKE: A grainy conglomerate stone composed of firmly
cemented fragments of quartz.
GREEN MORTAR: Mortar that has set but not dried.
GREENSTONE: Includes stones that have been metamorphosed or
otherwise altered that they have assumed a distinctive greenish color owing to the
presence of one or more of the following minerals: chlorite, epidote, or actinolite.
GRIT FINISH: A smooth non-reflective finish primarily used
on marble and limestone marble.
GROG: Crushed brick that is blended with clay to form new
brick.
GROUP CLASSIFICATION FOR SOUNDNESS: Standard trade practice
definitions setting forth extent of shop fabrication normally required for group A,B, C,
and D marbles.
GROUT: A mixture of cement material and aggregate to which
sufficient water is added to produce pouring consistency without segregation of the
constituents.
GROUT LIFT: The height to which grout is placed in a cell,
collar joint or cavity without stopping; an increment of the total grout pour.
GROUT POUR: The total height of a masonry wall to be
grouted prior to the placement of additional masonry. A grout pour may consist of one or more
grout lifts.
GROUT CORE MASONRY: Masonry construction made with hollow
units in which all or specific cores are filled with grout.
GROUTED MASONRY: Masonry construction made with solid
masonry in which the interior joints and voids are filled with grout.
GUIDE SPECIFICATION: A recommended specification for the
furnishing and installation of building stone.
GUY: A rope or wire which, with others, prevents a post or
derrick from having side sway.
GYPSUM: A hydrated calcium sulfate. It is formed naturally
as the result of the reaction of sulfuric acid produced by decomposition of pyrite upon
the calcium carbonate of shells existing in clay; a sedimentary rock.
HACKING: The procedure of stacking brick in a kiln or a
kiln car. Or, laying brick with the bottom edge set in from the plane surface of the wall.
HAIRLINE CRACKING: Random pattern of superficial cracking
in an exposed concrete surface. Usually surface openings of 20 mils or less.
HALITE: Rock salt; sodium chloride; a sedimentary rock.
HALF BULL NOSE: A convex semicircular molding used on
exposed edges or stone units such as stair treads, tops and window stools.
HALF ROUND: An exposed edge or molding with a semi-circular
section or radii.
HAND CUT RANDOM RECTANGULAR: A pattern where all the stone
is hand cut into squares and rectangles; joints are fairly consistent. Similar to
sawed-bed ashlar in appearance.
HAND OR MACHINE PITCH-FACED ROCK-FACED: A finish given to
both veneer stone and cutting stock. This is created by establishing a straight line back
from the irregular face of the stone. Proper tools are then used to cut along the tile
line leaving a straight arris and the intended rustic finish on the face.
HARD-BURNED: Nearly vitrified clay products that have been
fired at high temperatures.
HARDNESS: A quality of stone determined by ASTM C241 test.
HEAD: The end of a stone which has been tooled to match the
face of the stone. Heads are used at outside corners, windows, door jams, or any place
where the veneering will be visible from the side.
HEAD JOINT: The vertical mortar joint between ends of
masonry units. Also called a cross-joint or a vertical joint.
HEADER: A masonry unit that overlaps two or more adjacent
wythes of masonry to tie them together. Also called a bonder.
Blind header: A concealed brick header in the interior of a
wall, not showing on the face.
Clipped header: A bat placed to look like a header for
purposes of establishing a pattern; also called a false header.
Flare or Flashed Header: A header of darker color than the
field of the wall.
HEADED COURSE: A continuous course of header brick; also
called heading course.
HEADSTONE: A principle stone, as in keystone or
cornerstone.
HEARTH: That part of the floor of a room made of stone on
which the fire is made or above is a stove, fireplace, furnace, etc…
HEMIHYDRATE: A hydrate which contains one-half of a
molecule of water compared to one molecule of the principal element or compound forming
the hydrate.
HERRINGBONE: A pattern of setting in which the units are
laid aslant, with the direction of incline reversing in alternate courses, forming a
zigzag effect.
HEWN STONE: To rough form by mallet and chisel.
HIGH-STRENGTH ADHESIVE: A bonding agent of high ultimate
strength used to join individual pieces of stone into pre-assembled units.
HOLES: Sinkages in the top beds of stones to engage Lewis
pins for hoisting.
HOLLOW BRICK UNIT: A brick unit in which the net
cross-sectional area in any plane parallel to the bearing surface is less than 75% of its
gross cross-sectional area measured in the same plane.
HOLLOW WALL: A cavity wall, usually exterior, built in two
separate parts, structurally connected as necessity with space between for checking the
passage of water, or for better insulation created by the closed air space.
HONED/ HONE FINISH: A very fine, satin smooth finish on
stone. This is the last step before polishing. A super fine smooth finish with little or
no gloss. Recommended for commercial floors.
HORNBLENDE: A group of minerals including calcium, iron,
magnesium, and aluminum silicates. May be present in igneous stones.
HYDRATE: A mineral formed by the combination of water and
some other elements or compounds.
HYDRATED LIME: Quicklime to which sufficient water has been
added to convert the oxides to hydroxides.
HYDRAULIC: To harden under (or with) water.
HYDROPHILIC: Substance which absorbs or has exhibited
affinity for water.
HYDROPHOBIC: Having no affinity for or is repellent to
water. The quality of beading water on a substrate.
HYDROUS: Containing chemically combined water.
HYGROSCOPIC MOISTURE: Water absorbed by hydrophilic porous
materials.
IGNEOUS ROCK: One of three principle groups of rock that
make up the earth’s surface; formed by the solidification of molten matter.
IMPORT BROKER: One who acts as an independent sales
representative in the United States, its territories and Canada for foreign suppliers.
IMPORTER: One who purchases, stocks, and distributes
foreign materials in the United States, its territories and Canada, in substantial
quantities and reliable quality.
INCISE: To cut inwardly or engrave, as in an inscription.
INDENTING: Omission of some stones to allow for future
bonding-in work.
INITIAL RATE OF ABSORPTION: The weight of water absorbed
when a brick is partially immersed in water for one minute, expressed in grams per 30
square inches of contact surface, also called suction.
INITIAL SET: The first setting action of mortar, the
beginning of the set.
INLAY: Surface decoration achieved by the insertion of
lines or patterns of contrasting material.
INSCRIPTION: Lettering cut in stone.
INSTALLATION: See erection.
INTERIOR: The inside of a room or of a building.
JACK ARCH: One having horizontal or nearly horizontal upper
and lower surfaces. Also called flat or straight arch.
JAMB: The vertical side of a window or door opening,
against which the sash or the door abuts.
JOINT: The space between installed units or between
dimensional stones and the adjoining material.
JOINTING: The finishing of joints between courses of
masonry units before the mortar has hardened.
JOINTING SCHEME: Architectural drawing detailing
dimensions, location and configuration of stone units and joints related to the structure.
JOINTS: Flush, rake, cove, weathered, bead, stripped, and
"V".
JOINT REINFORCEMENT: Steel reinforcement placed in or on
mortar bed joints.
JOIST: A horizontal member in the framing of a floor or
ceiling.
JUMPER: In ashlar patterns, a piece of stone of higher rise
than adjacent stones which is used to end a horizontal mortar joint at the point where it
is set.
KAOLINITE: A hydrous aluminum silicate mineral.
KERF: A slot into the edge of stone with saw blade for
insertion of anchors.
KEY BLOCK: In deepening a quarry, or starting to quarry
downward from a horizontal surface, the first block removed from a new ledge, providing
space and access for further block removal by undercutting, underdrilling, or lateral
shifting.
KEYSTONE: The last wedge-shaped stone placed in the crown
of an arch regarded as binding the whole.
KILN: A furnace, oven, or heated enclosure used for burning
or firing brick or clay material.
KILN RUN: Brick from one kiln that have not yet been sorted
or graded for size or color variation.
KING CLOSURE: A brick cut diagonally to have one two-inch
end and one full width end.
KNEELER: Gabled cope stone which by its shape is also part
of the wall, and may support other cope stones.
LAP: To overlap one surface with another.
LATERAL SUPPORT: Method wherby walls or columns are braced
in the vertical span by beams, floors or roofs, or walls in the horizontal span by
columns, pilasters, buttresses or cross walls.
LATEX ADDITIVE: Rubber or resins in water which coalesce to
form a continuous film that imparts specific properties to portland cement products.
LATHE: Machine for turning columns, balusters, and other
circular stone work; also for rubbing and polishing surfaces of same.
LAVA: A general term applied to igneous rocks such as
basalt and rhyolite, that erupted from the earth by volcanic action.
LEAD: The section of a wall built up and racked back on
successive courses. A line is attached to leads as a guide for constructing a wall between
them.
LEAD BUTTONS: Lead spacers in the solid horizontal joints
to support the top stones until mortar has been set.
LEDGER: A slab of stone used horizontally to cover a tomb.
LEGS: Vertical dimension stone used on sides of a fireplace
opening.
LEWIS BOLT: A tapered head device wedged into a tapered
recess in the edge of a dimensional stone unit, used for lifting purposes and hanging
soffits.
LEWIS HOLES: Holes in cut stones for lifting and supporting
during setting of cut stones and sometimes for permanent support. Holes are checked for
the particular Lewis (lifting device or hook) to be used.
LIME-Hydraulic: Containing compounds which cause a chemical
set in reaction with water.
LIME-Hydrated: Carbon hydroxide or slaked lime that has
been reduced to dry powder.
LIME PUTTY: Hydrated lime on plastic form ready for
addition to mortar.
LIMESTONE: A sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcite
or dolomite. The varieties of limestone used as dimensional stone are usually well
consolidated and exhibit a minimum of graining or bedding direction. Limestones that
contain not more than five percent magnesium carbonate may be termed calcite limestone, as
distinguished from those that contain between five and forty percent magnesium carbonate,
and from those that contain in excess of forty percent as the mineral dolomite.
Recrystallized limestones and compact, dense, relatively pure microcrystalline varieties
that are capable of taking a polish are known as marbles.
LINE: A string stretched taut as a guide for laying the top
edge of a course of masonry units.
LINERS: Structurally sound sections of stone that are
cemented and dowelled to the back of stone wall units, to give greater strength,
additional bearing surface, assist in support, or to increase joint depth.
LINE PIN: A metal pin used to attach line used for
alignment of masonry units.
LINERS: Structurally sound sections of stone cemented and
doweled to the back of thin stone units; to give greater strength, additional bearing
surface, or to increase joint depth.
LINTEL: A beam placed or constructed over an opening in a
wall to carry the superimposed load.
LIPPAGE: A condition where one edge of a stone is higher
than adjacent edges, giving the finished surface a ragged appearance.
LIPPING: Usually refers to flagging materials. Lipping is
caused when two pieces of material to be joined together are slightly warped or twisted
causing one or more edges to be higher or lower than the adjoining material.
LOADBEARING: A structural system or element designed to
carry loads in addition to its own dead load.
LUG: A small projecting member of a larger stone piece, to
engage an adjoining unit or to serve as an aid in handling.
LUG SILL: Stone sill set into the jambs on each side of
masonry opening.
MACHINE FINISH: The generally recognized standard machine
finish produced by the planers.
MALLET: Type of wood or plastic hammer, used to drive
chisels.
MALPAIS: Literally, badland; refers to dark-colored rock,
commonly lava, in rough terrain.
MANTEL: The structural member spanning the opening of a
fireplace. Also, a shelf (usually cubic stone) which is part of the finish and above the
fireplace opening.
MANUFACTURED: Dimensional stone fabricated, ready for
installation.
MANUFACTURER: One who fabricates dimensional stone.
MARBLE:
Architectural definition: Calcium Carbonate with other
components which give it color, markings, and texture suitable as a desirable building
stone.
Scientific definition: A metamorphic (recrystallized)
limestone composed predominately of crystalline grains of calcite or dolomite or both,
having interlocking or mosaic texture.
Commercial definition: A crystalline rock composed
predominately of one or more of the following materials: calcite, dolomite, or serpentine,
and capable of taking a polish.
MARBLE INSTITUTE OF AMERICA: An international trade
association whose membership is composed of contractors, exporters, importers,
manufacturers, producers, and wholesalers of dimensional stone, as well as those who
supply products and services to the industry.
MASH HAMMER: A short-handled heavy hammer with two round or
octagonal faces, used to drive hammer-head shaping tools.
MASON: Worker or installer of stone.
MASONRY: The practice of the mason’s craft with brick,
tile, concrete masonry units and other materials. Or, the work resulting from the practice
of the mason’s craft; structures built of stone, brick or other materials set as
units in patterns and amenable to assembly with mortar whether or not mortar is usually
used. Or, the type of construction made up of masonry units laid with mortar or grout or
other accepted method of jointing.
Reinforced Masonry: Masonry constructed with steel
reinforcement embedded in such a manner that the two materials act together in resisting
forces.
Unreinforced Masonry: Masonry construction without steel
reinforcement, except that which may be used for bonding or reducing the effects of dimensional
changes due to variations in moisture content or temperature. Also called plain masonry.
MASONRY CEMENT: A mill-mixed cementious material to which
sand and water is added to make mortar.
MASONRY UNIT: Natural or manufactured building units of
fired clay or shale, concrete, stone, glass, gypsum, etc…
MASTIC: A pasty, mortar-like material composed of
solvent-based organic adhesives that cures quickly by evaporation of the solvents.
MATCHING: Selecting, cutting, and placing finished stone
slabs to obtain a uniform and symmetrical pattern of natural veining and color.
MATRIX: The rock in which a crystallized mineral is
embedded.
MECHANIC: One skilled in installation of dimensional stone.
MEGALITH: A stone of great size.
MENSA: The top horizontal member or surface of an altar,
usually of stone.
METAMORPHIC ROCK: Rock altered in appearance, density and
crystalline structure, and in some cases mineral composition, by high temperature or
pressure, or both. Slate is derived from shale; quartzite from quartz sandstone; and true
marble from limestone.
METAMORPHISM: The change or alteration in a rock caused by
exterior agencies, such as deep-seated heat and pressure, or intrusion of rock materials.
METER: A unit of linear measure in the metric system;
equivalent to 39.37 inches.
MICA: Any group of mineral silicates in a multi-layered
form; characterized by cleaving which permits splitting into thin sheets.
MICROCRYSTALLINE LIMESTONE: A limestone that consists
largely or wholly of crystals that are so small as to be recognizable only under
magnification.
MILLING: Processing of quarry blocks through sawing,
planing, turning, and cutting.
MITER: The junction of two units at an angle, of which the
junction line usually bisects on a 45’ angle.
MOCK-UP: A large or full size stone sample panel installed
to show full range of color, shading and texture.
MODULAR-MULTIPLE CUT PATTERN CUT: This refers to standard
patterns used throughout the stone industry. These patterns are usually based on multiples
of 3" or 6", stone that is multiple cut or pattern cut is pre-cut to allow for
¼" or ½" joints or beds.
MODULUS OF RUPTURE: The stress at which a specimen of stone
breaks in the testing.
MOH’S SCALE: A gauge of hardness among minerals. Not
to be confused with hardness as determined by ASTM C241 test.
MOLD: Formed template. Sometimes spelled in the trade as
"mould."
MOLDINGS: Decorative stone deviating from a plane surface
by projections, curved profiles, recesses, or any combination thereof.
MONOLITHIC: Shaped from a single block of stone, as a
monolithic column, in contrast with a stacked column consisting of superimposed stone
drums. Also, a bed of portland cement cast over a concrete slab without an isolation
membrane.
MONO SAW: Similar to gang saw, except it has only one blade
for cutting large stone units.
MORTAR: A plastic mixture of cement , water, and fine
aggregates which combine together through a chemical process of crystallization to form a
hardened solid that bonds building units together.
Fat Mortar: Mortar containing a high percentage of
cementitous components. It’s a sticky mortar that adheres to a trowel.
Lean Mortar: Mortar that is deficient in cementitious
components. It is usually harsh and difficult to spread.
Nonstaining Mortar: A mortar with a low free-alkali content
to avoid efflorescent or staining by adjacent stones migration of soluble materials.
MORTAR BED: A troweled layer of mortar, in a plastic state,
in which building units will be set.
MOSAIC: A veneering which is generally irregular with no
definite pattern. Nearly all the stone used in a mosaic pattern is irregular in shape.
MULLION: Vertical division member between windows or doors
MULTIPLE PATTERN: Stone cut in rectangular multiples of a
certain dimension. Usually cut to allow for standard ¼" or standard ½" joint.
MULTIPLE-RISE ASHLAR: Stone, usually splitface, which is
cut in various rises which will "course out" (level with) each other when used
in proper combination with standard-width mortar joints.
MUSCOVITE: A white, aluminum-rich mica found in granite.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARBLE PRODUCERS: The National
trade Association of the American Marble Industry whose membership is composed of marble
producers (quarries) in the United States, its territories and Canada.
NATURAL BED: The setting of the stone on the same plane as
it was formed in the ground. This generally applies to all stratified materials.
NATURAL CEMENT: Lime with high clay content.
NATURAL CLEFT: This generally pertains to stones which are
formed in layers in the ground. When such stones are elevated or separated along a natural
seam, the remaining surface is referred to a natural cleft surface.
NATURAL STONE: Although technical a redundancy, as a stone
its occurrence by definition, the term is used to distinguish true stone from imitation
materials.
NEAT CEMENT: A pure cement uncut by a sand admixture.
NET CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA: See cross-sectional area.
NICKED BIT FINISH: Obtained by planing the stone with a
planer tool in which irregular nicks have been made in the cutting edge.
NOMINAL DIMENSION: A dimension greater than a specified
masonry dimension by the thickness of a mortar joint.
NONCOMBUSTIBLE: Any material that will neither ignite nor
actively support combustion in air at a temperature of 1.200’F when exposed to fire.
NONCORRODING: Resistant to harmful oxidation or other
corrosive actions because of its composition (i.e. stainless steel, bronze, copper).
NON-FERROUS: Not containing iron material.
NON-STAINING MORTAR: Mortar composed of materials which
individually or collectively do not contain material that will stain and usually have a
very low alkali content.
NOSING: The rounded front edge of a stair tread.
NOTCHED TROWEL: Trowel with a serrated or notched edge used
for spreading mortar or adhesive in ridges of a specific thickness.
OBSIDIAN: A glassy phase of lava, usually black.
O.C.: On centers, an abbreviation frequently used in
dimensioning shop drawings, designating dimensions from the center of one member to the
center of the next.
OFFSET: A course or unit that is set in from the course
directly under it, the opposite of a projection.
OGEE: A stone molding with a reverse curved edge, concave
above, convex below.
ONE-MAN BOULDERS: Rough stone under 150 pounds.
ONYX: A variety of quartz in crystalline form of calcium
carbonate. It is characterized by a structure of parallel brands each differing in color
or in the degree of translucency.
ONYX MARBLE: A crystalline from, commonly microcrystalline,
of calcium carbonate deposited usually from cold water solutions. It is generally
translucent and shows characteristic layering. Commercially, onyx is considered a marble
because it can be polished.
OOLITIC LIMESTONE: Rock consisting mainly of calcite, made
up of largely oolites or granular particles (generally tiny fossils or fossil fragments)
that have calcium coatings. A calcite-cemented calcareous stone formed of shells and shell
fragments, practically non-crystalline in character it is found in massive deposits
located almost entirely in Lawrence, Monroe, and Owen counties in Indiana, also in
Alabama, Kansas, and Texas. This limestone is characteristically a freestone, without
cleavage planes, possessing a remarkable uniformity of composition, texture and structure.
It also possesses a high internal elasticity, adapting itself without damage to extreme
temperature changes.
OPALIZED: The introduction into a rock of siliceous
material in the form of opal, a hydrous silicate.
OPEN-FACED QUARRY: Open, fairly level quarry at or near
ground level.
ORGANIC: Designation of any chemical compound containing
carbon (some of the simple compounds of carbon, such as carbon dioxide, are frequently
classified as inorganic compounds). To date, nearly one million organic compounds have
been synthesized or isolated. Many occur in nature; others are produced by chemical
synthesis.
OUT-CROP: Rock protruding above or at ground level.
OUT-OF WIND: Generally refers to veneer stone. To be out of
wind is to have the arris of the stone not in parallel or perpendicular lines; stone which
is out of wind has an irregular or rustic appearance.
OVER BURDEN: Waste stone, earth or other quarry material
covering useful stone.
PALLETIZED: A system of stacking stone on wooden pallets
for shipment or storage. Stone which comes palletized is easily moved and transported by
modern handling equipment. Palletized stone generally arrives at the site in better
condition then non-palletized material.
PANEL: A single unit of fabricated stone veneer.
PANEL WALL: A non-bearing wall consisting of panels of
various materials, each panel being separately held in frame. The frame may be the
structure itsel
