What Makes Exceptional Stonework?                                                                                                            Since ancient times, stonework has been an integral part of the human experience.  As a result the styles of stonework and types of stone used are as varied as the cultures of the earth.  However, like art there are key components of stonework that differentiate the work of a master stoneworker from a day laborer.  To some extent, stonework is a question of personal tastes, but the basic elements of stonework discussed below will provide you with the knowledge to appreciate and demand quality.

Types of Stonework                                                                                                                                           Stonework can be separated into three basic types, stacked, mortared and dry fit.  Stacked stone generally requires the lowest level of craftsmanship and essentially is the stacking of thin sheets of stone on top of one another. This type of stonework is most common for low exterior walls.  Mortared stonework requires a higher level of craftsmanship because in most cases stones are cut to fit next to the stones around it. The mortar joint reduces the visual mismatch of adjacent stones, as well as, bonding the stones together into a structural unit.  Dry fit stonework is considered to be the height of the stone crafting art; here stones are precisely cut to fit together without a gap, resulting in a uniform, structural unit, which does not have visible mortar between the stones.

Fit between adjacent stones                                                                                                                              Fit describes the way adjacent stone surfaces match. The guideline for quality in fit is the tighter and more uniform the joints between stones, the higher the quality of the stonework.  The hallmark of a master stonemason has always been the quality of his cuts because it requires tremendous skill, patience and time to cut each stone precisely enough to fit together tightly with the surrounding stones.  As a result a highly skilled mason produces approximately 8-10 square feet of mortared stone in a day. Dry fit stonework is the most labor intensive because the mortar can not be used to hide imperfections in the fit, as a result it has also been the most expensive form of stonework.

Consistent Mortar Joints                                                                                                                                   The guideline for assessing mortar joints is that they should be consistent throughout the project.  A quality design will specify a single width for the mortar joint within the range of 1/2” to 3/4” wide.  The closer each joint is to matching the specified joint for the project, the better the stonework.  Poor stonework will have stones almost touching in some areas and massive clumps of mortar to fill in gaps in other areas.

Naturally Flowing Pattern                                                                                                                                  The guideline for evaluating a stone pattern is that it should be appealing to look at, and your eye should not be drawn to odd shapes or joint lines.  To accurately asses a natural stonework pattern it should be viewed approximately 15 feet from the work.  Exceptional stonework will have a flowing almost random pattern.  For both aesthetic and structural reasons joints should not continue through more than two stones before being broken by another stone. Stonework with visible joint lines that cut through large sections of the work, make sharp angles or come out of openings, such as fireplaces, in odd ways diminish the appearance.

Small Filler Pieces                                                                                                                                                The general guideline is small stones, chinkers, do not belong in refined stonework, but may be appealing in more rustic applications. Small fragment of stone used to fill gaps are called “chinkers”, and they can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the type of stonework being viewed. In very high end stonework chinkers are historically viewed as a way of cheating by filling in the gap for a stone that was not cut correctly.  Chinkers are aesthetically displeasing if the majority of stone in the project fits tightly and the few scattered chinkers are inconsistent with the rest of the work, even worse would be an area where a large number of chinkers are concentrated. Both of these situations indicate mistakes, hastily filled rather than corrected using re-cut stones to correctly match the surrounding stonework. However, stonework, like art, is influenced by preference and some people like the rustic look.  In this case chinkers can add to a project because they are central to some styles of stonework, but even then only if they are distributed throughout the project consistently.

Structural Integrity and Appropriateness in the Application                                                                        It may go without saying, but exceptional stonework matches its application and is structurally stable.  New England fieldstone walls are beautiful in their natural simplicity, in that stones forced up by frost heaves were piled on top of one another to get them out of the way of the plow during planting season. However, a pile of rocks in your living room would not make for a very stable surround to your fireplace, just as it wouldn’t be structurally stable as a chimney.

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