GLOSSARY OF STONE INDUSTRY TERMS

By: marble-institute.com
Descriptions: Type of Stones

A

abrasive finish
A flat and nonreflective surface finish.

abrasive hardness (Ha)
A measure of the wearing qualities of stone for floors, stair treads, and other areas subjected to abrasion by foot traffic. 

absorption
Percentage of moisture

acid wash
A treatment applied to the face of a stone to achieve a texture or finish that is distressed. Chemical treatments are more effective when applied to calcareous stones than to siliceous stone types. Recently, the use of acid and other types of chemical treatments has lessened due to environmental and disposal concerns. Chemical processes have been replaced by mechanical methods for the texturing of the stone face.

agglomerated stone
A manmade product composed of crushed stone combined with resin.

alabaster
A fine-grained and translucent

alkaline Pertains to a highly basic, as opposed to acidic, substance; for example, hydrogen or carbonate of sodium or potassium.

Anchor
A metal fastener used for securing dimension stone to a structure. Anchor types for stonework include those made of flat stock (strap, cramps, dovetails, dowel, strap and dowel, and two-way anchors) and round stock (rod cramp, rod anchor, eyebolt and dowel, flat-hood wall tie and dowel, dowel and wire toggle bolts).

anchorage
The means by which slabs are attached to a self-supporting structure.

antique finish
A finish that replicates rusticated or distressed textures. Produced through mechanical or chemical means to simulate the naturally occurring effects of the aging process.

arch
The curved or pointed construction over a doorway or opening. Arch shapes range from flat to semicircular or semielliptical to acutely pointed.

B

back-buttering
The process of slathering the back of a stone tile with thinset material in order to ensure proper mortar coverage. This prevents hollow areas and subsequent future cracking of tiles. Also helpful to ensure a level installation.

baluster
A short post or vertical member in a series that supports a railing or coping, thus forming a balustrade. May be curved or straight.

base
The bottom course of a stone wall, or the vertical first member above grade of a finished floor.

blending
The proper positioning of adjacent veneer panels, floor slabs, or tiles, by their predominant color.

block cutter
A machine used in the quarrying process for in-line drilling of small diameter holes.

bond
1. Overlapping of joints in successive courses. 2. To stick or adhere.

brecciated marble
Any marble composed of angular fragments.

brushed finish
Obtained by brushing a stone with a coarse rotary-type wire brush.

bush hammering
A mechanical process which produces textured surfaces that vary from subtle to rough.

C

calcareous
Refers to substances containing or composed of calcium carbonate.

calcite
A crystalline variety of limestone containing not more than 5% magnesium carbonate.

cap or capital
The culminating stone at the top of a column or pilaster, often richly carved.

carve
To shape a solid material such as stone by precisely cutting it with a tool.

cavity wall
Masonry wall built with a continuous air space between the outer masonry, typically brick or stone, and the inner wall, typically concrete block or frame construction. Water that penetrates the outer masonry in driving rain runs down through the cavity and is directed out at the bottom through weep holes. See weep holes.

caulking
Closing a joint by sealing with an elastic, adhesive compound.

cavity vent
An opening in joints of stone veneer to allow the passage of air and moisture from inside the wall cavity to the exterior. The vents may be weep holes, plastic tubing, or wicks. chiseled edge
A process of mechanically chipping the tile edge, thus giving the stone a rustic, aged appearance.

cobblestone
A dimension stone large enough for use in paving. A term commonly used to describe paving blocks, usually granite, and generally cut to rectangular shapes.

colonnade
A range of columns supporting an entablature or one side of a roof.

column
A vertical support, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and capital.

contractor
Company or person that erects and installs fabricated dimension stone.

corbel plates
Plates of nonferrous metal fixed into a structure to support stone cladding at intervals and over openings in such a way as not to be visible.

cornerstone
A stone forming a part of a corner or angle in a wall.

cultured marble
An artificial, manmade product resembling marble.

cure time
the time required for the thin-set below the tile to become hard and set.

D

Damp proofing
One or more coatings of a compound that is impervious to water. Usually applied to the back of stone or face of back of wall.

dimension stone
A natural building stone that has been cut and finished to specifications.

dry seam
An unhealed fracture in stone which may be a plane of weakness.

dual finish
Two finishes, such as thermal and polished, on one piece of stone.

E

eased edge
When referring to a slab material, the square edge profile normally has softened edges as opposed to sharp square edges for added safety.

epoxy resin
A flexible, usually thermalsetting resin made by the polymerization of an epoxide; used as an adhesive.

erection
The process of setting vertical dimension stone into place.

etched
A decorative surface pattern created by a variety of methods, most often with abrasive chemicals or sandblasting.

expansion anchor or bolt
A socket that grips a drilled hole in stone by expanding as the bolt is screwed into it.

F

fabricated
Used in reference to dimension stone, it means manufactured and ready for installation.

face
The exposed surface of stone on a structure. filling. A trade expression used to indicate the filling of natural voids in stone units with cements or synthetic resins and similar materials.

fines
The powder, dust, silt-sized or sand-sized material resulting from processing, usually crushing, of stone.

finish
Final surface applied to the face of dimension stone during fabrication.

fissure
A hairline opening in the face of stone demonstrating stones natural characteristics; a lineal or non-directional void in the face and crystalline structure of stone that typically is very thin and irregular. 

G

grain
1. The main direction of the mineral composition and arrangement in stone; it is also the easiest direction of cleavage. 2. A very small particle of rock, such as a sand grain.

granite
A very hard, crystalline, igneous rock, gray to pink in color, composed of feldspar, quartz, and lesser amounts of dark ferromagnesium materials. Gneiss and black ?granites? are similar to true granites in structure and texture, but are composed of different minerals. 

grout
Mortar used to fill joints.

guide specification
A recommended specification for the finishing and installation of dimension stone.

H

hone finish
A satin-smooth surface finish with little or no gloss, recommended for commercial floors.

J

joint
A space between installed stone units or between a dimension stone and the adjoining material.

K

keystone
The central stone of an arch, sometimes sculpted or otherwise embellished.

L

limestone
A sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcite or dolomite. The varieties of limestone used as imension stone are usually well consolidated and exhibit a minimum of graining or bedding direction. 

M

marble
A metamorphic crystalline rock composed predominantly of crystalline grains of calcite, dolomite, or serpentine, and capable of taking a polish.

marble
A crystalline rock, capable of taking a polish, and composed of one or more of the minerals calcite, dolomite, and serpentine.

moldings
Decorative stone deviating from a plane surface by projections, curved profiles, recesses or any ombination thereof.

mosaic
A veneering that is generally irregular, with no definite pattern. Nearly all stone used in a mosaic pattern is irregular in shape.

N

natural stone
A product of nature. A stone such as granite, marble, limestone, slate, travertine, or sandstone that is formed by nature, and is not artificial or manmade.

O

onyx
A translucent, generally layered, cryptocrystalline calcite with colors in pastel shades, particularly yellow, tan, and green.

P

pedestal
In classical architecture, the support for a column or statue, consisting of a base, dado, and cap. framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.

polished finish
A glossy surface finish that brings out the full color and character of the stone.

producer
Company or person that quarries and supplies dimension stone to the commercial market.

Q

quarrier
Company or person that extracts natural stone from a quarry.

quarry
The location of an operation where a deposit of stone is extracted from the earth through an open pit or underground mine.

quarry block
Generally, a rectangular piece of rough stone as it comes from a quarry, frequently dressed (scabbed) or wire-sawed for shipment.

quartz
A silicon dioxide mineral that occurs in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses. One of the hardest minerals that compose stones such as sandstone, granite, and quartzite.

R

reinforcement
A fabrication technique, often called ?rodding,? that refers to the strengthening of unsound marble and limestone by cementing rods into grooves or channels cut into the back of the stone unit. Another method of reinforcement is the lamination of fiberglass to the back of tile units.

relief
Carving or embossing raised above a background plane, as in a bas-relief.

resin
A chemical product, clear to translucent, used in some coating processes.

S

sandblasted
A matte-textured surface finish with no gloss, finished by application of a steady flow of sand and water under pressure.

sandstone
See quartz-based stone.

sawed edge
A clean-cut edge generally achieved by cutting with a diamond blade, gang saw, or wire saw.

sculpture
The work of a sculptor cutting a three-dimensional form from a block of stone.

sealant
An elastic adhesive compound used to seal stone veneer joints.

sealing
1. To make a veneer joint watertight with an elastic adhesive compound. 2. Application of a treatment to retard staining.

slab
A lengthwise-cut piece sawn or split from a quarry block prior to fabrication.

T

template
A pattern for a repetitive marking or fabricating operation.

texture
Surface quality of stone independent of color.

textured finish
A rough surface finish.

tile
A thin modular stone unit

travertine
A variety of limestone that is a precipitate from hot springs. Some varieties of travertine take a polish and are known commercially as marble. ASTM C119 classifies travertine in both the limestone and the marble groupings.

tumbled finish
A weathered, aging finished created when the stone is tumbled with sand, pebbles, or steel bearings.

U

unit
A piece of fabricated cubic or thin dimension stone.

W

waxing
The practice of filling minor surface imperfections such as voids or sand holes with melted shellac, cabinetmaker. Wax, or certain polyester compounds. In the dimension stone industry, it does not refer to the application of paste wax to make surfaces shinier.

weathering
Natural alteration by either chemical or mechanical processes due to the action of constituents of the atmosphere, soil, surface waters, and other ground waters, or by temperature changes.

weep holes
Openings for drainage in veneer joints or in the structural components supporting the veneer

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