You can see Oklahoma building stone throughout the state. They are timeless, beautiful, and increase your property’s value, but what are the characteristics of building stone? While various building stones are available, each one has similar properties to be suitable for building.
What Are Properties of Building Stone?
Texture and Appearance
A building stone’s appearance is a prominent factor for building stones. Naturally dark stones are likely to retain heat and lose their color over time. Most builders prefer working with lighter stones since they stay cooler and hold the color better.
Durability and Strength
Strength and durability are essential properties of building stone. The compressive strength of a stone determines its ability to withstand the weight of stacking on top of each other. A building stone’s compressive strength should be 60 to 200N/mm2.
Location and composition determine a stone’s durability. The size, structure, and type of minerals in a stone make up its composition. The ASTM tests for durability and has established guidelines for Limestone and sandstone.
Toughness and Hardness
A tough stone can withstand the impact of vibrations. Impact tests establish toughness. An Oklahoma building stone should be 13 or higher on the index.
Mohs Scale is used to determine the hardness of building stone and its ability to withstand wear and tear as well as movement. A higher number indicates a harder stone. Sandstone, for example, is 6-7 on the scale.
Porosity and Specific Gravity
Porosity is how well a stone absorbs water. Stones that take in too much water will start to fall apart, particularly in cold, freezing weather. The limit of absorption for building stone is 10 percent or lower. No matter how heavy or strong a stone is, it will not last if it is full of water.
A stone’s heaviness is its specific gravity. Stronger stones have a higher specific gravity. Building stones should have a specific gravity of 2.4 to 2.8.
Fire Resistance and Seasoning
A building stone needs to be naturally fire-resistant. For example, Limestone will withstand heat better than quartz, making it an ideal building material as long as it is not softened by moisture.
Many stones contain sap and need rest for about six months to a year before building. A seasoned stone has lost this excess moisture and is ready for construction.
The blog addresses the question, “What are properties of building stone?”. If you would like to know more about building stones in Oklahoma, please contact us or visit our showroom to look at our selection.
