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A Brief History of Thin Stone

Church stone carvings - geograph.org.uk - 1063328

Gravure-herodote

Stela of Tuthmosis I

Making natural stone thinner has been a work in progress for several thousand years. During the construction of the Pyramids in 2500 B.C. the ancient Egyptians chose to quarry blocks of stone and use them in their construction . Instead of making the block thinner and cutting it into slabs, they utilized their slave labor force and unique moving methods to get the blocks into place. In the case of the Egyptians, their main dilemma was lack of variety in stone building materials. Limestone was primarily used to the north of the country, whereas the south used mainly sandstone for building and construction. However, other stone more rare to the region was used only for special projects, such as quartz and granite. The difference in use was attributed not only to the materials' rarity, but also to it being difficult to mine and quarry. To the north in parts of Europe (eg England and France), there was more of an abundance of these materials as well as other free stone. It was easier for stone that was considered more rare in Egypt, to be used in English building projects. For example, many stone blocks made from materials abundant in Europe were used to make large English and French Churches. Parts of Europe soon flourished where masons could easily use improve building and architectural techniques to improve roads, bridges and buildings.

The truly amazing part of ancient Egyptian building and construction using stone was the quarrying and stone dressing of some of their major monuments erected to honor the pharaohs and ancient deities of that time period. Not only were they masters of organizing human labor, Egyptians were very mindful of efficiency and economical use of materials, due to limited resources. Making stone thinner and more practical was not only out of necessity, but was also in Egyptian's nature as astonishing masons, mathematicians and mechanics of their time.
After large blocks were carried to the building site and construction was completed, a considerable amount of time was also spent on facing, sculpturing and painting masonry. Ancient tools, such as drills next to archilogical dig sites in the region have revealed some of the methods used in etching and drilling into the rocks. Tools were used to shave down and groove sections of stone, even on hard stone. It was the Egyptians' evolution of stone cutting that contributed to some of the world's most eligant prepared stone finishings, such as The Granite Coffer of the Great Pyramid and basalt triads of King Menkewre's Tomb

Thin Stone Today

Earth Anatomy Black Galaxy Thin Stone

Earth Anatomy Cross Section Thin Stone

Earth Anatomy Flexible Thin Stone

Today, some techniques of ancient Egyptian and Europeon construction are still used, such as the way granite is sawn by means of "chilled shot", or the way stone is cut thin by a quarter inch thick blade without teeth. Very much effort has to be put into stone cutting due to its near indestructable properties and thickness. If the correct tools are not used, the process could be slow, if not impossible. 1/10-inch emery fragments use in diameter along with a steel saw have rendered these saws useless after attempting to cut away granite and other thick rocks. Archaeologists, geologists, and other rock experts have experimented with different cutting methods to attempt to replicate the tools and materials the Egyptians used. Scientists as well as modern architects and masons are also constantly looking to improve stone cutting techniques to make stone application thinner, more economical, and efficient. The evolution of stone cutting (eg making stone thinner by means of cutting) is no doubt still evolving, just as it was in Ancient parts of Egypt, Europe, and Asia. Thin stone can be seen almost everywhere in modern structures worldwide. Increased availability of materials and globalization of the early 21st century increased the ability of transport and enabled thin stone firms to do business. Thin stone veneers and panels can be found in a variety of structures including modern business building exteriors and in residential and commercial properties due to conservation and awareness for "green" building materials. Businesses are not only driven to manufacture and distribute aesthetically pleasing, quality thin stone, but are conscious of conservation and environmentally friendly materials in the building / architecture process.

Types of Thin Stone

Thin Granite

Earth Anatomy Thin Stone Process

Granite accounts for approximately 44% of all rock deposits. Granite normally settles on the lower part of the earths crust, where the rock slowly forms. Granite rocks can be anywhere from a coarse grained to a polished smooth stone. Granite is normally made up of a variety of other rocks such as feldspar, quartz and mica. Quartz, which makes up approximately 35-40% of granite can be easily seen with the naked eye. Dark mica, which makes up around 3-10% of granite makes up for the opaque contrast. The composition of feldspar in the remaining percentages can account for some of the various varieties of granite colors. Bright red, reddish pink, yellowish, whitish, grey, or bluish-greenish make up just a few of granite's colors.

Granite is one of the most abundant resources in the world. What is not abundant are some of the many colors and varieties that are found. Conservation has always been a part of building and architecture in various countries and cultures across the world. This is why the early Egyptians mastered the use of wood veneer, due to a shortage of solid wood forests in Egypt. Stone companies and various other worldwide manufacturers and distributors have developed a granite veneer can be cut to less than 0.5mm in thickness. It also comes in standard thicknesses of 2.0mm and 4.5mm. The thicker the stone, the deeper the color and the more rigid the panel. Thin granite can also come on a variety of substrates depending upon the project requirements.

Earth Anatomy Thin Sandstone Application

Thin Sandstone

Earth Anatomy Thin Stone

Formed from loose sand, sandstone is one of the world's most widespread rock. Sandstone can be categorized by the grain, typically from fine to coarse. However, sandstone can also have a variety of different characteristics such as variations in color and grain size. The main constituents are feldspar and an uneven or more than equal number of quartz material. Although sandstone may not be as colorful as granite or other hard rocks, the unique properties of its surface give sandstone spectrum of colors such as red, yellowish, brown, greenish and off white. The most common reason for color variation in sandstone are oxidation and extreme weathering over time. Despite its rough surface, sandstone can be used for a number of purposes similar to other stones such as floor coverings and sculptures. On the other hand, one downside to sandstone is that it cannot be polished and does not give the glossy appearance like granite or marble would.
Despite sandstone's properties, it can still be transformed into thin materials and veneer coverings for multiple uses. Few companies have the capacity and resources to work with these materials and produce a sandstone veneer that is both thin and flexible. Thin sandstone is truly remarkable in its versatility. It is so bendable that it can be rolled. Thin sandstone is available in large format, up to 4′x8′.

Thin Marble

Earth Anatomy Thin Stone Black Galaxy

Marble is the result of thousands of years of prehistoric sedimentation in concert with a large amount of calcium carbonate. During this very long process, this dull calcite is transformed into an attractive looking solid marble rock with thin dark streaks called veins. This stone can display a number of apperances and patterns including different horizontal and vertical patterns. It is because of the long chrystalization process that gives many granite stones a reflective surface when polished. Although true marble is white, many color scemes emerge such as verte butterfly and green marble.

Thin Travertine

Travertine pools at Pamukkale, Turkey

Like marble, travertine is also made up of a large amount of calcium carbonate that has been fossilized over time, however one of the major differences is travertines develop mainly as a result of freshwater that has naturally consolidated this material. Through the long process of constant pressure and ware, calcium carbonate deposits build up and are transformed into this rock. Plants, grasses, and algae commonly found in freshwater areas where higher temperatures are common, can also aid in the buildup of calcium carbonate. This is one of the reasons why travertine stone and mixtures of clay deposits are found in select freshwater areas. Travertine can be pitted and porous, and like granite or marble, can be polished and ground thin. One unique feature of travertine is its color scheme. Light yellowish and brownish colors as well as pink are common in this stone. Thin travertine veneer is a popular stone type due to the range of beiges and browns available in its color scheme. One feature of thin travertine is that it is able to be ground to a 2.0mm and 4.5mm thicknesses and is suitable for facade panels and floor coverings.

External links

• [2] BBC History - Building the Great Pyramid By Dr Ian Shaw (2011)
• [3] Marble Institute of America
• [4] The American Institute of Architects
• [5] Building Stone Institute