Natural Stone Talk

Friday, February 19, 2010

Ancient Volcano Boulders

Ancient Volcano Boulders: "

Ancient Volcanic Boulders


Volcanic Bouldrs are solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid cooling and rapid depressurization.


Ancient Volcano Boulders


These Boulders have lots of holes in them where you can pack small plants like cactus or chicks and hens. Another great application for pumice rocks like these is in water features. Beneficial nitrogen eating bacteria find lots of surface area in the vascular like holes where they can live and eat. This leads to a balanced and healthy environment for aquatic life.


Volcanic Boulder 2

Volcanic Boulder 2


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more landscaping stone


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Monday, February 8, 2010

Strawberry and Cream Colored Flagstone

Strawberry and Cream Colored Flagstone: "

Strawberry And Cream Colored Patio Stone


Click the picture of the cream colored flagstone (just below) to blow up the image size. This particular flagstone comes as dimensional or broken. The dimensional variety can be delivered with snapped or sawn edges.


Buff Broken Flagstone

Cream Colored Broken Flagstone


Click the picture of the strawberry and cream colored flagstone (just below) to blow up the image size. This particular flagstone comes as dimensional or broken. The dimensional variety can be delivered with snapped or sawn edges.


Strawberry and Cream Blend Flagstone

Strawberry and Cream Blend Flagstone

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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Natural Cleft Quarry Methods

Natural Cleft Quarry Methods: "

How Dimensional Natural Cleft Flagstone Is Made


flagstone quarry block

Flagstone Quarry Block


Check out this quarry block. If you click the image on the right it will enlarge. Notice the saw up on the upper block. After the soil and overburden rock is removed from the block with dozers and TNT, a saw like this is used to cut a 2′x3′ grid on the block. Next a skid steer with forks will pop up 2′x3′ cubes from the quarry floor.


Splitting Flagstone

Splitting Flagstone


Next the skid steer stands the cubes on end. As you can see in the picture, natural cleft flagstone has seems running through it. These are know as reeds. Using a chisel, workers at the quarry whack the reeds and split the block into natural cleft flagstone. After the 2×3’s are split, the stone will be graded for thickness. Unlike thermal treated flagstone, natural cleft flagstone has a variance in thickness. Usually the variance is 1/4″ in either direction. So when we say 1″ natural cleft, we mean natural cleft flagstone that is between 3/4″ to 1 and 1/4″ thick. After the flagstone is split it needs to be refined. Some stones will have portions with major defects like surface blemishes, cracks, wedging and breakage. We need to bring the stone to the re-cut table where we resize the flagstone. See the picture below Click the link to see the usual sizesflagstone is re-cut to. One inch thick natural cleft


re-cut saw resizes flagstone

Re-cut Saw Resizes Natural Cleft Flagstone


flagstone is used for stone laying applications that call for cement while 1.5″ thick flagstone is usually laid on various aggregate bases. Below is a patio made from Pennsylvania Blue Bluestone.


Patio Dimensional Natural Cleft

Dimensional Natural Cleft


Hand Splitting Natural Cleft Flagstone

Hand Splitting Natural Cleft Flagstone

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