Stone is a completely tough
and durable
Stone is a completely tough and durable
substance, and holds up under the most extreme conditions.
Likewise, good stonework should be a visual picture of strength
at your home or business. One of our favorite stone creations is
attached to a burned down house. What we love about this house
are the stone fireplaces that still stand on each end. Every
other part of the house was burned and lies on the ground, but
the stone fireplaces still stand. These fireplaces represent one
of the fundamental things about great stonework, its strength
and durability.
Another concept vital to good
stonework is the up-close visual aspect. We believe
that most stonework looks good from 100 feet away, but to be
great, stonework should look good from ten inches. There are two
basic styles to laying stone, a classic look with mortar joints
in between the stones, and dry-stack, where the rocks are fitted
together tightly with no visible mortar joints. With either
style, the stones should be fit to one another without large
gaps or holes in between. The better things looks from close
range directly correlates to the detail of the stone mason.
Background Texture
Stonework should also have a clear
conceptual idea. Just like any good artist, a mason should be
able to convey a total picture that flows in both idea and
execution. There are many different types of stones, and many
different types of structures, but the best stonework has a
purpose. Perhaps the rock is facing a section of an outside
wall, or a fireplace, or simply used for landscaping. Maybe the
stonework is being used subtlety as a background texture or
strikingly as a centerpiece to a room. All these have a purpose
that should be understood and fulfill the desired effect.
Some questions to ask yourself
when you are looking at stonework up close are: Do the stones
look grounded and sturdy? •How well do the stones fit together?
•How smooth and filled are the joints between the rocks? •Are
the rocks fashioned together in a way that shows variety in
pattern and color? •Is there a clear conceptual idea being
presented with the stone?
