Stones - Glossary

Abrasive finish
It is a flat and non-reflective surface finish for marble.

Abutment
It is a solid stone springer that is at the lowest point of an arch or vault.

Adhered
It is a term used for veneer secured and supported through adhesion to an approved bonding material applied over an approved backing.

Agate
It is a type of chalcedony which is found in many different patterns and colors, often with varying color layers.

Argillite
It is a compact sedimentary rock that is composed mostly of clay and aluminum silicate minerals.

Arkose
It is a sandstone which contains at least 10 per cent clastic grains of feldspar. It is also called arkosic sandstone or feldspathick sandstone.

Arris
It is either a natural or applied line on the surface of the stone from which all leveling and plumbing is measured.

Back arch
It is a term for concealed arch which carries the backing of a wall where the exterior facing is carried by lintel.

Bed
It is a layer or sheet of the rock mass that is horizontal, usually curved and lenticular, as developed by fractures. Sometimes the term is also applied to the surface of parting between sheets.

Belt course
It is a continuous and horizontal course of flat stones which is placed in line, marking a division in the wall plane.

Brushed finish
It is a term for finish which is obtained by brushing the stone with a coarse rotary-type wire brush.

Calcite limestone
It is a limestone which contains not more than 5% of magnesium carbonate.

Canopy
It is common term used for a sheltering roof, as over a niche or a doorway.

Carve
The shaping of stone by cutting a design to form the trade of a sculptor.

Caulking
It is to make a marble joint tight or leak-proof by sealing it with some elastic adhesive compound.

Cavity vent
It is an opening in joints of masonry which allows the passage of air and moisture from the wall cavity to the exterior.

Cement putty
It is a thick and creamy mixture that is made with pure cement and water. It is used to strengthen the bond between the store and the setting bed and is also called cement butter or cement cream.

Chamfer
It is a term used to bevel the junction of an exterior angle.

Chat-sawn finish
It is a rough gangsaw finish which is produced by sawing with coarse chat.

Cladding
The non-loadbearing stone that is used as the facing material in wall construction and also contains other materials.

Cleavage
It is the ability of a rock mass to break itself along natural surfaces; a surface of natural parting.

Cleavage plane
It is a plane or planes where a stone may likely break or de-laminate.

Coating
It is term used for a protective or decorative converting that is applied to the surface or impregnated into stone for purposes like waterproofing enhancing resistance to weathering, wear, and chemical action, or that of improving appearance of the stone.

Cobblestone
It is a natural rounded large stone, commonly used to describe paving blocks, usually granite, and is generally cut to rectangular shapes.

Commercial marble
It is a crystalline rock which is composed predominantly of calcite dolomite and/or serpentine, and is capable of taking a polish.

Composite
It is a construction unit where stone that is to be exposed in the final use is bonded or joined permanently to other material, which may be stone or manufactured material, that will be concealed.

Coping
It is a flat stone that is used as a cap on freestanding walls.

Course
It is a horizontal range of stone units, the length of the wall.

Cross bedding
It is a term used for the arrangement of the laminations of strata transverse or oblique to the primary planes of stratification.

Curbing
It is a term used for the slabs and blocks of stone bordering streets, walks, etc.

Cut stone
It is a stone which has been fabricated to specific dimensions.

Cutting stock
It is a term used to describe slabs of different size, finish and thickness that are used in fabricating tread, risers, copings, borders, sills, stools, hearths, mantels, and other special purpose stones.

Dacite
It is a fine-grained, extrusive (volcanic) rock which is intermediate in colour and composition between the basalt and rhyolite.

Damp proofing
It is one or more coating of a compound that is impervious to water which is applied to a surface above grade.

Dentil
A term used for small and rectangular blocks under a classical cornice, which resembles a row of teeth.

Drip
It is term for a recess cut under a sill or projecting stone which throws off water, preventing it from running down the face of the wall or other surface, like a window or door.

Dripstone
It is a term used for the projecting moulding over the heads of doorways, windows and archways which throws off the rain. It is also known as a "hoodmould" and, when rectangular shape, as "label".

Dry wall
It is a stone wall which is constructed as one stone upon the other without the use of any mortar. It is generally used for retaining the walls.

Entasis
It is the curve of the upper two-thirds of a column.

Expansion bolt
It is a socket which is used to grip a drilled hole in a stone by expanding, as the bolt is screwed into it.

Expansion-contraction joint
It is a joint between marble units, especially designed to expand or contract with temperature changes. An expansion joint compresses as the panels expand.

Exposed aggregate
It is a phrase applied to the bigger pieces of stone aggregate which is purposely exposed for their colour and texture in a cast slab.

Face
It is a term which refers to the exposed portion of a stone. The word "face" sometimes is also used when referring to the edge treatment on various cutting stock materials.

Fascia
It is a horizontal belt or vertical faces that is usually used in combination with mouldings.

Ferriginous
It is a term used for limestone or sandstone that contains a high proportion of iron oxide.

Field stone
It is loose blocks being separated from ledges by natural processes and scattered through or upon the regolith ("soil") cover which is also applied to similar transported materials, like glacial boulders and cobbles.

Flagstone
It is thin slabs of stone that is used for flagging or paving walks, driveways, patios, etc. It is usually fine-grained sandstone, bluestone, quartzite or slate, but thin slabs of other stones can also be used.

Fleuri cut
It is a term used for cutting the quarried marble or stone parallel to the natural bedding plane.

Flooring
It is an interior pedestrian wearing surface by stones.

Grain
It is a term used for the easiest cleavage direction in a stone.

Granite
It is a term given to fine to coarse-grained, igneous rock formed by volcanic action which consists of quartz, feldspar, and mica, with accessory minerals.

Head
It is the end of a stone that has been tooled to march the face of the stone. Heads are used at outside corners, windows, doorjambs, or any place where the veneering will be visible from the side.

Hearth
It is a term given to that part of the floor of a fireplace of stone where the fire is laid.

Hearth stone
It is a term originally used for the single large stone or stones used for the hearth, now most commonly used to describe the stone in of the fire chamber and many times extending on either or both sides of the front of the fire chamber.

Holes
It is a term used for the sinkages in the top beds of stones to engage Lewis pins for hoisting.

Honed finish
It is a term for the super fine smooth finish, but not as fine as a polished finish.

Igneous
It is one of the three great classes of rock (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) which is solidified from molten state, as granite and lavas.

Incise
It is a term used for the cut inwardly or engrave, as in an inscription.

Inscription
It is a term given for the lettering cut in a stone.

Jack arch
It is a term for the one which has horizontal or nearly horizontal upper and lower surfaces. It is also called flat or straight arch.

Joint
It is the space between stone units, generally filled with mortar.

Jointing scheme
It is the architects drawing which details dimension, location and configuration of marble units and joints as related to the structure.

Jumper
It is a term used for 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 in ashlar patterns.

Keystone
It is the last wedge-shaped stone that is placed in the crown of an arch and regarded as binding the whole.

Lava
It is a common term which is applied to igneous rockss, like basalt and rhyolite, that erupted from the earth by volcanic action.

Lead buttons
It is a lead spacers in the solid horizontal joints which supports the top stones until the mortar has set.

Lewis holes
It is the holes in cut stones applied for lifting and support during setting of cut stones and sometimes for permanent support.

Liners
It is a term given to the structurally sound sections of marble that are cemented to the back of marble veneer slabs in order to give greater strength, additional bearing surface, or to increase joint depth.

Lintel
It is the block of stone spanning the top of an opening like a doorway or window; sometimes also called a head.

Lipping
It is a term refering to the flagging materials; caused when two pieces of material to be joined together are slightly warped or twisted and causes one or more edges to be higher or lower than the adjoining material.

Lug sill
It is a term for the stone sill set into the jambs on each side of masonry opening.

Masonry
It is a common term for built up construction, generally of a combination of materials set in mortar.

Metamorphism
It is the change or alteration in a rock that is caused by the exterior agencies like deep-seated heat and pressure, or intrusion or rock materials.

Miter
It is the junction of two units at an angle of which the junction lines generally bisect on a 450 angle.

Mosaic
It is a veneering that is usually irregular with no definite pattern. Almost all the stone used in a mosaic pattern is irregular in shape.

Natural Bed
It is term given to the setting of the stone on the same plane as it was formed in the ground. It generally applies to all stratified materials.

Natural cleft
It is a term for stones which are formed in layers in the ground. When these stones are cleaved or separated along a natural seam the remaining surface is referred to as a natural cleft surface.

Non-Staining mortar
It is a mortar that is composed of materials which individually or collectively do not contain material that will stain, generally having a very low alkali content.

Obsidian
It is a term for glassy phase of lava.

Opalized
It is the introduction to a rock of siliceous material in the form of an opal and hydrous silicate.

Out of wind
It is to have the arris of the stone not in parallel or perpendicular lines. Stones that are out of wind have irregular or rustic appearance.

Palletised
It is a system of stacking stone on wooden pallets. The stones, which comes palletised, are easily moved and transported by modern handling equipment. Palletised stones usually arrives at the job site in better condition than unpalletised material.

Panel
It is a finished stone unit that is used on walls.

Parapet wall
It is that part of any wall which is entirely above the roofline.

Parging
It is a term used for the damp-proofing by placing a coast of ½ inch (13mm) setting mortar to the back of stones or those of the face of the back-up material.

Parquetry
It is an inlay of stone floor in stones or the face of back-up material.

Paving
It is a term given for the stones used as an exterior-wearing surface, as in patios, driveways, walkways, etc.

Perforated wall
It is one which contains a considerable number of relatively small openings, also often called pierced wall or screen wall.

Perrons
It is the slabs of stone that is set on other stones serving as steps and arches in gardens.

Phenocryst
It is a term for relatively large and conspicuous crystals in a finer-grained matrix or ground mass in igneous rocks.

Pilaster
It is an engaged pier of shallow depth. In the classical architecture, it follows the height and width of related columns, with similar base and cap.

Pitched stone
It is the term given to the stone that have arris clearly defined; face, however, is roughly cut with pitching chisel used along the line that becomes the arris.

Plinths
It is the lower square part of the base of a column.

Plucked finish
It is a finish which is obtained by rough-planning the surface of stone, breaking or plucking out small particles to give rough texture.

Pointing
It is the final filling and finishing of mortar joints being raked out.

Quarry
It is a term for the location of an operation from where a natural deposit of stone is removed from the ground.

Quartzitic sandstone
It is a sandstone having a high concentration of quartz grains and siliceous cement.

Quirt
It is a term given for the groove which separates a bed or other moulding from the adjoining numbers.

Quoins
It is a term given for the stone at the corner of a wall emphasised by size, projection, and rustication or by a different finish.

Range
It is a course of any thickness which is continued across the entire face. All range courses are not of the same thickness.

Recess
It is a term given to sinkages in a wall plane.

Reglet
It is a narrow, flat moulding of rectangular profile.

Relief or relieve
It is a term for ornament in relief. The ornament or figure can be slightly, half, or greatly projected.

Relieving arch
It is one which is built over a lintel, flat arch or smaller arch to divert loads, relieving the lower member for excessive loading. It is also known as discharging or safety arch.

Return head
It is a stone facing with the finish appearing on both the face and the edge of the same stone, as on the corner of a building.

Rubble
It is a term applied to dimension stone which is used for building purposes, chiefly walls and foundations, and consisting of irregularly shaped pieces, partly trimmed or squared, usually with one split or finished face, and selected and specified with a size range.

Rustication
It is a term for chamfers or square singings round the face edges of individual stones in order to create shadows and to give an appearance of greater weight to the lower part of the building. If only the horizontal joints are sunk, the device is known as 'banded rustication.'

Saddle
It is a flat strip of stone that is projected above the floor between the jambs of the door; a threshold.

Sandblasted
It is a matte-texture marble surface finish without gloss and accomplished by exposing the surface to a steady flow of sand under pressure.

Sand-sewn finish
It is the surface left as the stone comes from the gangsaw. It is moderately smooth, granular surface varying with the texture and grade of the stone.

Sawed edge
It is a clean-cut edge, usually achieved by cutting with a diamond blade, gangsaw or wire saw.

Sawed face
It is a term for the finish obtained from the process used in producing building stone. It varies in texture from smooth to rough and coincident with the type of materials used in sawing. It is characterised as diamond sawn, chat sawn, sand sawn, and shot sawn.

Scale
It is a thin lamina or paper-like sheets of rock, which is often loose and interrupting and otherwise smooth surface on the stone.

Scoria
It is a term for the irregular masses of lava which resembles clinker of slag; may be cellular (vesticular), dark-coloured and heavy.

Scotia
A concave molding.

Sculpture
A term for the work of a sculptor in three-dimensional form by cutting from a solid block of a stone.

Semi-rubbed
It is a term for a finish that is achieved by rubbing (by hand or machine) the rough or high spots off the surface to be used, leaving a certain amount of the natural surface along with the smoothed areas.

Serpentine
It is a hydrous magnesium silicate of the igneous origin, which isgenerally a very dark green colour with markings of white, light green or black. One of the hardest varieties of natural building stone.

Slip sill
It is a stone sill set between jambs.

Soapstone
It is a massive variety of talc with a soapy or greasy feel used for hearths, tables tops, washtubs, carved ornaments, chemical laboratory counter, etc., and it is known for its stain-proof qualities.

Soffit
It is the finished, exposed underside of a lintel, arch or portico.

Sound stone
It is a name give to the stone which is free of cracks, fissures, or other physical defects.

Spall
It is a stone fragment which has split or broken off.

Splay
It is a term given to bevelled or slanted surface.

Spline
It is a thin strip of material, like wood or metal, which is inserted into the edges of two stones pieces or stone tiles to make a butt joint between them.

Styrolite
It is a longitudinally streaked, columnar structure which occurs in some marbles and of the same material as the marble in which it occurs.

Surround
An enframement.

Tablet
It is a small, flat slab or the surface of stone, especially one which bears or intend to bear an inscription, carving or the like.

Template
It is a pattern for repetitive marking or fabricating operation.

Terrazzo
It is a type of concrete where chips or pieces of stone, generally marble, are mixed with cement and are ground to a flat surface, exposing the chips, which take a high polish.

Thin marble
It is a term given to fabricated marble unit of w inches (50 mm) or less in thickness. Example: Tile - a thin modular stone unit.

Tolerance
It is a dimensional allowance made for the inability of men and machines to fabricate a product of exact dimensions.

Translucence
It is the light-emitting quality of certain varieties of marble which contains a crystal structure capable of transmitting light.

Travertine limestone
It is a variety of limestone which has a partly crystalline or microcrystalline texture and porous or cellular layered structure. The cells are generally concentrated along certain layers and commonly displaying small stalactitic forms.

Travertine marble
It is a variety of limestone regarded as a product of chemical precipitation from hot springs. Travertine is cellular with the cells usually concentrated in thin layers that display a stalactitic structure. Some of which that take a polish are sold as marble and may be classified as travertine marble under the class of commercial marble.

Tuff
It is a cemented volcanic ash, many varieties included.

Undercut
A cut so to present an overhanging part.

Vein cut
cutting quarried marble or stone perpendicular to the natural bedding plane.

Veining
It is a colored markings in limestone, marble, alabaster, etc.

Veneer stone
It is a term for a non-loadbearing facing of stone attached to a backing for the purpose of ornamentation, protection or insulation. Veneer supports no vertical load other than its own weight and possibly the vertical dead load of veneer above.

Venting
It is a method used allowing air and moisture to escape to the outside from the wall cavity.

Wall plate
It is term for a horizontal member anchored to a masonry wall to which other structural elements may be attached. It is also called "head plate". Generally steel, 3/16-inch (5mm) in diameter and formed in a "Z" shape or a rectangle.

Wall tie
It is a bounder or metal piece that connects wythes of masonry to each other or to other materials.

Wall tie cavity
It is a rigid corrosion-resistant metal tie that bonds two wythes of a cavity wall. It is filling of natural void with colour-blended materials.

Wind (wined)
It is a twisting warp from cutting slabs in the gangsaws.

Water bar
It is a strip in a reglet in windowsill and stone below in order to prevent water passage.

Water table
A term for the projection of lowest masonry on the outside of the wall slightly above the ground. Often a damp course is placed at the level of the water table to prevent upward penetration of the ground water.

Waxing
It is an expression which is used in the marble finishing trade to indicate the filling of natural voids with colour-blended materials.

Weathering
It is a term used for the natural alteration of stones by either chemical or mechanical processes in response to the action of constituents of the atmosphere, surface waters, soil and other ground waters, or even to temperature changes.

Wedging
It is splitting of stone with the help of driving wedges into planes of weakness.

Wire saw
It is a term used for the method of cutting stone by passing a twisted, multi-strand wire in it and then by immersing the wire in slurry of abrasive material.