Abacus Construction Index
UK: Natural Stone: Natural Stone Suppliers
LEADING UK NATURAL STONE SUPPLIERS
Geologically, all rocks can be classified into one of three groups: igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. Igneous rocks are the oldest, having been formed by the solidification of the molten core of the earth or magma. They form about 95% of the earth's crust, which is up to 16km thick. The most common igneous rock used as stone in construction is granite.
Granite. Most granites are hard and dense, and thus form highly durable building materials, virtually impermeable to water, resistant to impact damage and stable within industrial environments. The surface of granite may be sawn, rough punched, picked, fine tooled, honed or polished. Grey and pink granites are quarried in Scotland, the North of England, Devon and Cornwall. A wide variety of granites including black, blue, green, red, yellow and brown are imported from other countries. Because of the high cost of quarrying and finishing granite, it is frequently used as a cladding material (40mm thick externally or 20mm thick internally) or cast directly onto concrete cladding units. Granite is available for flooring and for hard landscaping including pavings, setts and kerbs.
Sedimentary rocks are produced by the weathering and erosion of older rocks. Weathering action by water, ice and wind breaks the rocks down into small fragments which are then carried by rivers and sorted into size and nature by further water action. Most deposits of sedimentary rocks are laid down in the oceans as sedimentary beds of mud or sand, which build up in layers, become compressed and are eventually cemented together by minerals such as oxide or dolomite remaining in the ground water. The two most common sedimentary rocks used as natural stone for building are sandstones and limestones.
Sandstones. Deposits of sand cemented together by calcium carbonate, silica, iron oxide and dolomite produce calcareous, siliceous, ferruginous and dolomitic sandstones respectively. Depending on the nature of the original sand deposit, the sandstones may be fine or coarse in texture. Sandstones range in colour from white, buff and grey through to brown and shades of red depending upon the natural cement; they are generally frost resistant. Sandstones are quarried in Scotland, the North of England, Yorkshire and Derbyshire; they include the old and new red sandstones, York Stone and Millstone Grit. Sandstone is also imported from Spain and Italy from where Pietra Serena is sourced.
Limestones. Limestones consist mainly of calcium carbonate, either crystallised from solution as calcite or formed from accumulations of fossilised shells deposited by sea organisms. They are generally classified according to their mode of formation. Many colours are available ranging from off-white, buff, cream, grey and blue. Limestones are found in England in a belt from Dorset, the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire to Yorkshire. Limestone is also imported from Ireland, France and Portugal to widen the range of colours. The standard finishes for limestone are fine rubbed, fine dragged and split faced. Externally, limestones must not be mixed with or located above sandstones, as this may cause rapid deterioration of the sandstone.
Metamorphic rocks are formed by the recrystallisation of older rocks, when subjected to intense heat or pressure or both, within the earth's crust. Clay is metamorphosed to slate, limestone to marble and sandstone to quartzite.
Farmington is a leading supplier of natural stone. Sometimes known as Cotswold Stone, Farmington stone is, like Bath stone, an English limestone. The Farmington website contains sections on the various uses of Farmington natural stone, including walls, floors, dry stone walls and stone sculptures. For example, flooring stone can be supplied 25mm thick (for internal use only) or 50mm thick for external use. The website profiles a Project of the Month.
Other useful links relevant to natural stone suppliers:
Stone Federation of Great Britain
DETAILED INFORMATION RESOURCES ON NATURAL STONE
We recommend the following websites, with building product information including manufacturers' specs, standard specifications, and CAD details: Barbour Compendium, RIBA Product Selector Plus, ASC Bricsnet, Building Products Index, British Board of Agrément, British Standards Online.
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Publisher: Abacus Construction Index is a professionally edited directory of recommended construction websites, published by Extonet Ltd which also publishes Lives Retold. It is financed only by Google advertisements; no payment is received from included websites.
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