A

Abrasive Finish  A flat and nonreflective surface finish

Abrasive Hardness A measure of the wearing qualities of stone for floors, stair treads, and other areas subjected to abrasion by foot traffic.

Absorption   Percentage of moisture absorbed by weight.

Acid Wash   A treatment applied to the face of a stone to achieve a texture or finish that is distressed.  Chemical treatments are more effective when applied to calcareous stones than to siliceous stone types.

Adhered   Secured and supported by adhesion of an approved bonding material over an approved backing; is used in reference to stone veneer.

Adoquin   A volcanic, quartz-based stone containing a variety of colored aggregates and pumice in a quartz matrix.  Quarried in Mexico.  Available in several colors.

Agglomerated Stone A manmade product composed of crushed stone combined with resin.

Alabaster   A fine-grained and translucent variety of gypsum, generally whit in color.  May be cut and carved easily with a knife or saw.  Term is often incorrectly applied to fine-grained marble.

Alkaline   Pertains to a highly basic, as opposed to acidic, substance; for example, hydrogen or carbonate of sodium or potassium.

Antique Finish  A finish that replicates rusticated or distressed textures.  Produced through mechanical or chemical means to simulate the naturally occurring effects of the aging process.

Apron    A trim piece under a projecting stone top, stool, etc.

Arch    The curved or pointed construction over a doorway or opening.  Arch shapes range from flat to semicircular or semi-elliptical to acutely pointed.

Arkose   A sandstone containing 10%  or more clastic grains of feldspar.  Also called arkosic sandstone, feldspathic sandstone.

Arris    An edge or angle where two surfaces meet.

Ashlar   A thin, dressed stone cut in square or rectangular shapes used as a wall facing in a pattern.

ASI    Allied Stone Industries is made up of stone quarries, fabricators, and suppliers of natural stone building materials.

B

Back Buttering  The process of slathering the back of a stone tile with thinset material in order to ensure proper mortar coverage.  This prevents hollow areas and subsequent future cracking of tiles. 

Backsplash   The area located between the countertop and lower cabinet.  Normally 16-18 inches in height.

Basalt   A dark-colored, igneous rock commercially known as granite when fabricated as dimension stone.

Base    The bottom course of a stone wall, or the vertical first member above grade of a finished floor.

Bed    The top or bottom of a joint, natural bed, surface of stone parallel to its stratification.

Bed Joint   A horizontal joint between stone usually filled with mortar, lead or scalant.

Bevel    A sloped surface contiguous with a vertical or horizontal surface.

Bleed    Staining caused by corrosive metals, oil-based putties, mastics, caulking or sealing compounds.

Bluestone   A fine to medium grain, metamorphic, quartz-based stone of the U.S. Appalachian Plateau and other regions of the world.  The upper stone is green and lilac in color, while the middle stone is dark gray and blue.

Bond    Overlapping of joints in successive courses.

Book Match Pattern A layout in pairs of all stone elements to confirm that the design matches.

Bowing   A warping or curving of the wall cladding.

Brecciated Marble  Any marble composed of angular fragments.

Brownstone   A trade term applied to ferruginous dark brown and reddish brown askosic quartz-based stone extensively used for construction in the U.S. during the 19th century. 

Brushed Finish  Obtained by brushing a stone with a coarse rotary-type wire brush.

BSI    Building Stone Institute, a trade association of quarries, fabricators, dealers and others working with natural stone.

Bullnose   Convex rounding of a stone member.

Butt Joint   An external corner formed by two stone panels with one head.

C

Calcareous   Refers to substances containing or composed of calcium carbonate.

Calcite   A crystalline variety of limestone containing not more that 5% magnesium carbonate.

Calcite Streaks  Description of a white or milky streak occurring in stone.

Calibration   The first step in the finishing process of a stone tile.  The term is often erroneously applied to states, quartzites and other cleft face stone, where the precision of the calibration process is not possible.

Cantera   A volcanic, quartz-based stone with qualities similar to Adoquin, but not as dense.  Quarried in Mexico.

Chamfer   To cut away the edge where two surfaces meet in an external angle, leaving a bevel at the junction.

Cladding   An exterior veneer stone covering.

Clast    An individual grain or constituent of a rock.

Cleavage    The ability of a rock mass to break along natural surfaces, a surface of natural parting.

Chiseled Edge  A process of mechanically chipping the tile edge, thus giving the stone a rustic , aged appearance.

Cleft Finish   Rough-surfaced stones such as slates that are cleaved or separated along a natural seam.

Cobblestone  A dimension stone for use in paving. 

Composite   A construction unit in which stone that is to be exposed in the final use is permanently bonded or jointed to other material that will be concealed.

Conglomerate  A coarse-grained sedimentary rock.

Coping   A flat stone used as a cap no freestanding walls. 

Coquina   Limestone composed predominantly of shells or fragments of shells loosely cemented by calcite.   

Cultured Marble  An artificial, manmade product resembling marble.

Cure Time   The time required for the thin-set below the tile to become hard and set.

D

Damp Proofing  One or more coating of a compound that is impervious to water.

Dimension Stone  A natural building stone that has been cut and finished to specifications.

Dolomite   A crystalline variety of limestone containing in excess of 40% magnesium carbonate as a dolomite molecule.

Dowel   A short piece of nonferrous metal or slate fixed into a sinking in the joints of adjoining stone to prevent movement.

Dry Seam   An unhealed fracture in stone, which may be a plane of weakness.

E

Eaves    The underside of a sloping roof that overhangs a wall.

Efflorescence  A salt deposit, usually in the form of a white powder residue, that forms on the surface of stone, brick or mortar.  It is caused by alkali leached from the masonry and carried to the surface by moisture.

Engineered Stone  A manmade product composed of a blend of natural minerals and manmade agents.  This may give the appearance of a “stone like” surface, but does not possess the characteristics of a natural stone.  It’s range of use is limited.

Epoxy Resin   A flexible, usually thermal-setting resin made by the polymerization of an epoxide, used as an adhesive.

Etched   A decorative surface pattern created by a variety of methods, most often with abrasive chemicals or sandblasting.

Expansion/Contraction Joint A joint between stone units designed to expand or contract with temperature change or structural movement.

F

Fabricated   Used in reference to dimension stone, it means, manufactured and ready for installation.

Fascia   Any relatively narrow, flat, horizontal structural element between the top of a wall and the projecting eaves.

Fieldstone   Rough, irregularly shaped pieces of stone, used for building applications like freestanding walls, veneers and walkways.

Filling    A trade expression used to indicate the filling of natural voids in stone units with cements or resins.

Finish    Final surface applied to the face of dimension stone during fabrication.

Flagstone   Thin slabs of stone used for paving surfaces such as walks, driveways and patios.  They are fie-grained bluestone, quartz based, slate and thin slabs of other stones may be used.

Fluting   Shallow, concave, parallel groves running vertically ion the shaft of a column, pilaster or other surface.

Frieze   A decorated band along the upper part of an interior wall. 

G

Grain    The main direction of the mineral composition and arrangement in stone.

Granite   A very hard, crystalline, igneous rock, gray to pink in color, composed of feldspar, quartz and lesser amounts of dark ferromagnesium material. Gneiss and black “granites” are similar to true granites in structure and texture, but are composed of different minerals. 

Greenstone   A metamorphic rock, typically with poorly defined granularity, ranging n color from medium green or yellowish green to black. 

Grout    Mortar used to fill joints.