Stones

It is a very hard material composed with the minerals that are found in the earth. There are many kinds of stones. Some are grey, others brown, some are shiny, and ones are harder than others, etc. The color and shape depends on the minerals that compose them. Because of the distinctive characteristics of the stone (hardness, shapes and colors) it is vey used for construction and decoration.

Stone is a **very used** material for construction, especially in facades **and in monumental architecture** because it provides a nice natural looking. **It is used since ancient times on castles and even older structures like stonehenge, in England. Since** it is strong, it lasts for very long periods of time. You can make sculptures or shape it as you want. But, it is hard to acquire, and transport because it is heavy and difficult to extract and cut. Plus it is not so strong when tension forces are applied and can´t be placed with too much angles since it can get unstable, **so it limits it´s use on beams and lintels.** The types of stonework you can do are: rubble (break the stone into little pieces **and join them with mortar**) and ashlar-masonry (make regularly cut blocks woth stone). **The first one is the cheapest, and is a simple work, and the second one is usually used dor monumental architecture. When using stone blocks, the bonding is made by putting the vertical joints of one block so they do not match with the others, since it is a heavy material it can stand by itself always that there are no tension forces applied. It can be used for roofs (with appropriate structures and combining it with other materials, like wood), walls, floors, and sometimes when the stone is strong enough, on lintels and beams.** It is a very **expressive** material, so wether it is on a monumental building or a garden, it gives a very nice touch. media type="custom" key="12626202" http://vocaroo.com/?media=vjTVkfqoeWXIZcNp7