Use Natural Stone https://usenaturalstone.org/ Articles & Case Studies Promoting Natural Stone Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:51:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://usenaturalstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-use-natural-stone-favicon-2-1-32x32.png Use Natural Stone https://usenaturalstone.org/ 32 32 Coming Full Circle with Super White https://usenaturalstone.org/coming-full-circle-with-super-white/ Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:51:24 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11681 My involvement with the natural stone industry began in a distinct moment in 2012. In the midst of a kitchen remodel, I was browsing kitchen discussions on the Houzz website, learning about grout and cabinet hinges and numerous other topics that suddenly were of urgent importance.

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Coming Full Circle with Super White

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My involvement with the natural stone industry began in a distinct moment in 2012. In the midst of a kitchen remodel, I was browsing kitchen discussions on the Houzz website, learning about grout and cabinet hinges and numerous other topics that suddenly were of urgent importance. 

Then a fascinating thread scrolled into view, asking, Anyone ever cover their marble with saran wrap for a party? I eagerly clicked into the lively discussion about a Super White countertop that had been etching unexpectedly. Would covering it in plastic wrap be a good solution? The resounding answer was no, it would not.

At that time, Super White was still relatively new on the scene and often mislabeled as a quartzite, leading to disappointment when it didn’t act like one. Hence, the urge to wrap it in plastic.

On my next visit to the slab yard, I spotted a slab of Super White. Swoon! That’s one gorgeous stone – a blend of white and cool greys arranged in a dynamic pattern reminiscent of a fractured ice floe. It was immediately obvious why the stone was a superstar, despite the nebulous problem with its identity.

The helpful salesperson gave me a sample and I went home to do some diagnostics. The stone didn’t scratch glass, which ruled it out as a quartzite. I put a single drop of diluted hydrochloric acid on the stone, expecting a slight fizzing action and an etch mark. But nope, the stone didn’t etch. That meant it wasn’t a calcite-based marble. Next up, the test for dolomite: I roughed up an area of the stone with a nail, then put a drop of acid on the bits of powdered rock I’d scraped up. Bingo! It fizzed – the stone is made of dolomite.

Dolomite is similar to calcite but it contains some magnesium in addition to calcium. Compared to calcite, dolomite is slightly harder and it etches more slowly. That makes a dolomitic marble somewhat more durable than “regular” marbles that are made entirely of calcite, but the difference is subtle. 

There’s one more complicating factor with identifying Super White. The rock has fractures that are filled with quartz. This happens when the rock breaks underground – usually due to some sort of tectonic stress – and then mineral-rich groundwater fills in the broken parts. Geologists call this texture a “breccia” and it’s what gives Super White its magnificent pattern of white marble fragments floating in a river of grey. These small areas of quartz may have led to the stone being mislabeled as a quartzite, but it’s not a quartzite by any stretch. The rock’s full scientific name is brecciated dolomitic marble. 

Marble is a stone that’s been beloved and useful through the ages, but it’s one that warrants careful consideration. The potential for etching and scratching can be a dealbreaker for some, but no problem for others – but either way, people need to be able to make an informed decision. The more that sales reps, fabricators, designers, and homeowners can learn about the properties of stone they’re considering, the happier everyone will be. 

I wrote up my findings in a post on Houzz in a thread called The lowdown on Super White, and woke up the next morning to find a half-dozen responses and questions. By the time I’d answered the follow up questions, several more appeared. Who knew that geologic descriptions of countertop stones would be such a hit? The thread soon reached its 150-post limit so I started another. It too quickly filled up so I started yet another, and another. I’d unexpectedly stumbled into a topic that seemed a good match for a geologist who happens to like kitchens.

Before too long I’d found the Marble Institute of America (now the Natural Stone Institute) and a happy collaboration was born. One of our first priorities was to delve into this very topic: The Definitive Guide to Quartzite. The popularity of marble and quartzite led to articles such as Telling White Stones Apart, that aimed to help people sort out the differences between similar-looking stones.

But there was one more element of that original post that was prescient. I wrote, “I swoon every darned time I pass by a slab of white marble. I just love it! But I will have to come up with another place to use it, like as a mantle or a countertop on a china cabinet.”

Fast-forward 12 years, and my dream built-in cabinet and bookcase was being installed, and I could finally carry out that vision. I still stop dead in my tracks every time I come face to face with a slab of white marble. It’s an exquisite material, made all the better because it comes naturally from the Earth. At last, I was admiring these beauties as a customer, not a scientist.

I checked out many different slabs, but honestly, there was never a doubt in my mind that I’d end up with Super White. It also happened to be the only white stone that my husband liked. I was able to find a remnant piece with a brilliant pattern of fracturing that was gloriously similar to the satellite images of sea ice that I use in my science writing for NASA. I stood in front of the slab and ran my fingers over the leathered surface, appreciating the texture of the marble blocks floating within the icy quartz veins. I felt so very lucky that it was finally time for a piece of glorious white stone of my own.

 

Can you tell which image is Super White and which is the spring breakup of Arctic Sea ice? The image on the left is Super White, and is about 10 inches across. The one on the right is a NASA satellite image of Baffin Bay from April 18, 2024, and it’s around 150 miles across.

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Exploring Sustainable Natural Stone Quarrying Practices https://usenaturalstone.org/exploring-sustainable-natural-stone-quarrying-practices/ Fri, 28 Jun 2024 20:07:20 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11639 Natural stone’s inherent attributes make it a great solution for many green building project goals. It is a durable, aesthetically pleasing, sustainable material used for indoor and outdoor applications. When selecting natural stone for any project, it is important to know how the stone was quarried and fabricated to understand the impacts on the environment, including the land. Responsible stone quarrying and production practices are well defined, and third party verified, through the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard, Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs), and product labels such as Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Because the metrics and impacts are quantified in these product labels and the Standard, it has raised awareness and spawned efficiencies and innovations at every step of the process. It also makes it easier to compare materials before selecting the most appropriate one for a project. Understanding this information will ultimately help you make better decisions and select a natural stone from a company that is working to continuously reduce their environmental impacts.

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Exploring Sustainable Natural Stone Quarrying Practices

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Natural stone’s inherent attributes make it a great solution for many green building project goals. It is a durable, aesthetically pleasing, sustainable material used for indoor and outdoor applications. When selecting natural stone for any project, it is important to know how the stone was quarried and fabricated to understand the impacts on the environment, including the land.  Responsible stone quarrying and production practices are well defined, and third party verified, through the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard, Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs), and product labels such as Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). Because the metrics and impacts are quantified in these product labels and the Standard, it has raised awareness and spawned efficiencies and innovations at every step of the process. It also makes it easier to compare materials before selecting the most appropriate one for a project. Understanding this information will ultimately help you make better decisions and select a natural stone from a company that is working to continuously reduce their environmental impacts. 

Adhering to Ethical and Environmental Quarrying and Fabricating Practices 

The Natural Stone Sustainability Standard, developed through a holistic ANSI Standard process, measures and evaluates Environmental, Ecological, Social Responsibility, and Human Health issues and impacts. Specific issues addressed include energy, water, site management, excess process materials, and land reclamation and adaptive reuse of a quarry upon closure. Many quarries, often in operation over centuries, can produce millions of square feet of material while still adhering to the ethical and environmentally conscious practices required of them. In fact, many quarries were implementing sustainable practices long before they were defined in product labels and the Standard. But now, these labels and the Standard help to quantify those activities and impacts, which has also led to more innovation and improvement within the natural stone industry’s quarrying, fabrication, and transportation activities.  

The Water category of the Standard requires that minimal fresh water be used in the processing of the material and ensuring that any water released back into the environment is safe. Quarries are required to have plans for Water Reduction, Recycled Water, and Enhanced Water Treatment. Optional points can be achieved for recycling and reuse percentages, and enhanced sludge management. Most quarriers and fabricators already recycle their water and some use no water at all. The goal is to respect this natural resource and to use and manage it responsibly. 

This barracks on the West Point Academy campus used Charcoal Black granite for its long life cycle and ability to tie to West Point’s existing stone architecture.

The granite came from Coldspring’s Charcoal Quarry in St. Cloud, Minnesota, which has been in operation since the late 1950s and has a quarry reclamation plan in place that includes a small lake and park. Photos courtesy of Coldspring.

Implementing site-specific measurement plans ensures responsible management of environmental impacts in the Site Management category. Quarries are required to have a Site Management Plan and establish Ecosystem Boundaries. These plans include addressing storm water management, dust control, safety precautions, and proper storage of any chemicals in use. All relevant environmental considerations in the Ecosystem Boundaries which may include streams, rivers, riparian waterways, plants, and wildlife must be maintained and kept current during operations. 

There are many ways to address the Excess Process Materials category. Additional uses can be found for scraps and small pieces of stone that keep the material from ever entering a landfill. New markets and revenue streams for quarriers and the local economy have been created that include using scraps and remnants as rip rap, aggregates, sculpture, signage, small decorative objects, and more. The excess materials are also used onsite for roadways, safety barricades, and the eventual reclamation of the quarry site. 

The Land Reclamation & Adaptive Reuse category requires that a post-closure plan be developed and maintained. The quarry must also demonstrate that there is ongoing review and maintenance of each plan. When the local community is engaged in the process, the potential range of ideas for how the quarry can be reused expand exponentially, as you will see in the examples described below.  

Innovative and Inspiring Quarry Reclamation Projects

Upon closure of quarries, there are unlimited opportunities for them to be reclaimed, reused, or adapted to suit the needs of local communities and also have a positive impact on the environment. Quarries have been turned into everything from stadiums, hotels, data centers, and amphitheaters, to parks, botanical gardens, golf courses, and more. Talented and creative companies and communities who are committed to making a difference, while also celebrating the heritage of quarries, made these projects possible. 

Braga Stadium

Photo courtesy of Leon from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Braga Stadium complex in Braga, Portugal is situated within the area of a former limestone quarry. There is both a reflection on the past with a connection to people’s ancestors who were a part of the quarry operations, while also firmly being enjoyed in the present. The contrast between the geometry of the concrete stadium structure and the roughness of the quarry gives the building a sense of monumentality. The stadium offers athletes and spectators alike a unique and exciting place to enjoy the venue and landmark that is part of transforming a marginal area of the surrounding city and urban fabric into a highly desirable destination. 

Butchart Gardens

A former limestone quarry, which is now Butchart Gardens in Vancouver, Canada, offers visitors millions of plants to view and enjoy. Jennie Butchart, whose family owned and managed the quarry starting in the early 1900s, envisioned transforming the former quarry into a beautiful garden haven, which is now overflowing with lush greens and colorful blooms. Butchart Gardens is a National Historic Site of Canada and is over 100 years old.

Quarry Park and Nature Preserve

Photo courtesy of Coldspring.

Established in 1992, Quarry Park and Nature Preserve in Minnesota demonstrates the creative possibilities that exist for quarries after their active use has ended. The reclaimed quarry site offers space for hiking, biking, picnicking, fishing, swimming, and rock climbing, and was named one of the top 10 swimming holes in the US by the Travel Channel.

Sourcing Responsibly Produced Natural Stone

Choosing natural stone is a smart first step towards ensuring that your project can meet green building goals. Selecting a stone that also has an accompanying LCA, HPD, EPD, or is certified to the Natural Stone Sustainability Standard shows your commitment to sourcing responsibly produced natural stone. Certification to the Standard is the ultimate validation of responsible and sustainable production practices in the natural stone industry. As of 2024, there are 24 quarries and 10 fabricator/producers certified to the Standard. The range of materials certified includes 11 granites, 19 limestones, 5 marbles, and 5 quartzites, making it easy to select and specify a natural stone that is the result of environmentally sound practices within the industry and that will also have a positive impact on the environment, including the land. 

Additional Resources

Natural Stone Institute Sustainability Resources

Natural Stone Sustainability Standard

Natural Stone Resource Library

Natural Stone Catalogue

Use Natural Stone Website 

Manufacturing Impacts article series 

Understanding Environmental and Health Product Declarations for Natural Stone

U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System

International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge 

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natural stone sustainability

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Natural Stone Plunge Pools + Outdoor Features Are Making a Splash https://usenaturalstone.org/natural-stone-plunge-pools-outdoor-features-are-making-a-splash/ Fri, 31 May 2024 21:05:31 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11600 As homeowners continue investing in relaxing outdoor spaces, many are adding plunge pools and other features to their backyards. “The request we get most frequently is to install natural stone on the outside of their plunge pools,” says Karen Larson, co-founder of New Hampshire-based Soake Pools. Her company works almost exclusively with salvaged stones for the exterior and coping of its plunge pools. “Many clients opt for natural stone along the outside and coping of their plunge pools to enhance their landscapes with the stone's durability, texture, and natural beauty,” Larson adds.

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Natural Stone Plunge Pools + Outdoor Features Are Making a Splash

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As homeowners continue investing in relaxing outdoor spaces, many are adding plunge pools and other features to their backyards. “The request we get most frequently is to install natural stone on the outside of their plunge pools,” says Karen Larson, co-founder of New Hampshire-based Soake Pools. Her company works almost exclusively with salvaged stones for the exterior and coping of its plunge pools. “Many clients opt for natural stone along the outside and coping of their plunge pools to enhance their landscapes with the stone’s durability, texture, and natural beauty,” Larson adds.

Cold plunging has become popular in the last few years. A cold plunge involves submerging yourself into cold water for a few minutes. The water is 50 degree Fahrenheit or cooler and most people who want to try it start with 30 seconds and build up to five to 10 minutes at a time. Those who do it regularly (which could be daily or weekly), say it’s a non-medically focused way to relieve joint pain and inflammation. Others find the act relieves stress and boosts their overall mood.   

Active participants might not be wrong. According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, “research indicates that icy water may have a positive effect on recovery after exercise by reducing inflammation and soreness. It also may help build resiliency, restore balance to the nervous system and improve cognitive function and mood.”

Other Ways to Take the Plunge

There are other ways to make your backyard an oasis. Larson says natural stones such as granite, limestone, and slate can be used as a decorative agent or creatively added to outdoor landscaping projects like pathways, patios, or retaining walls.  

Natural stone is a great choice for nearly any outdoor remodeling project as it’s incredibly durable, has timeless appeal, and requires little to no upkeep, according to Aaron Brundage, director of operations at System Pavers. “With stones available in a wide array of shapes and colors, it’s easy to create a personalized look that complements the aesthetic of your home,” he says.

Brundage offers four ideas for those who want to update or upgrade their outdoor living spaces:

Walkways

One of Brundage’s favorite ways to incorporate natural stone into landscaping is to build a walkway. “Because stone is so durable, it will hold up well in any weather while creating a functional focal point that elevates the look of your yard,” he says. “You can use rounded coping stones to eliminate tripping hazards and give your walkway a finished look and pleasing aesthetic.”

Photo courtesy of System Pavers.

Fire pits

Fire pits are another beautifully practical way to use natural stone in your outdoor space. “By building a cozy and inviting space for friends and family to gather, you’ll give yourself more reasons to get outside and unwind while enjoying the view,” Brundage says. “A natural stone fire pit has a look that’s as stylish as it is classic.”

Photo courtesy of System Pavers.

Retaining walls

Retaining walls are a wonderful way to feature natural stone in your outdoor space with a look full of texture and warmth. “Consider building short stone retaining walls that define your space while giving guests more places to sit and hang out around your yard,” he suggests. 

Photo courtesy of System Pavers.

Outdoor kitchens

Some of Brundage’s top remodeling projects include creating gorgeous outdoor kitchens with natural stone. “Nothing looks more inviting than a built-in grilling station surrounded by stone counters that are just the right height for entertaining,” he says. “A professionally built outdoor kitchen that uses stones to their full potential is an investment in your home that adds lasting value while enhancing the way friends and family use your outdoors on a regular basis.”

Photo courtesy of System Pavers.

Grounded in Natural Stone Furniture

Another way to incorporate natural stone into your backyard is through custom furniture. According to Amy Hovis, an award-winning landscape designer and principal/owner of Eden Garden Design, and owner of Barton Springs Nursery in Austin, Texas, whether it’s crafting custom furniture or enhancing landscape designs, natural stone plays a pivotal role in grounding the space and fostering a deep connection with the natural environment.

“From majestic landscape boulders to smaller ones utilized as bases for furniture, the use of natural stone allows us to seamlessly merge the boundaries between the outdoors and interior settings, imparting a sense of continuity and harmony,” Hovis says. “It also introduces an element of surprise and intrigue, elevating the overall aesthetic appeal.”

Many of us enjoy spending as much time outdoors as possible, especially when the weather cooperates. Creating a calming space makes it more appealing to get outside and stay outside. Whether it’s adding a plunge pool or other outdoor features, there is no shortage of opportunities to incorporate beautiful and long-lasting natural stone into the mix. 

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Yellowstone Rock: Made by Volcanic Hot Springs https://usenaturalstone.org/yellowstone-rock-made-by-volcanic-hot-springs/ Fri, 26 Apr 2024 21:15:02 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11551 Not too far below the ground, the Yellowstone supervolcano’s persistent geothermal heat stokes iconic geysers, boiling mudpots, and colorful hot springs. A body of magma resides about 3 miles below the surface of Yellowstone National Park. The hot rock warms the groundwater, which then travels upward along faults, dissolving minerals from the surrounding rock as it passes by. By the time the hot water emerges at the surface, it’s laden with minerals. Travertine is the most common type of stone made by hot springs. Calcium carbonate is dissolved from layers of limestone rock below and carried upward. As the water flows out of the earth, it cools down and deposits the minerals. Over time, the flowing hot water leaves behind layer upon layer of newly-formed rock in the artistic pattern that makes travertine so treasured.

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Yellowstone Rock: Made by Volcanic Hot Springs

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Note: This article is part of a series about American quarries. If you work for a quarry that’s a member of the Natural Stone Institute and you’d like your quarry to be featured here, contact Amy Oakley. Thank you!

 

Type of Stone: Travertine

Quarried from: Idaho and Montana

Not too far below the ground, the Yellowstone supervolcano’s persistent geothermal heat stokes iconic geysers, boiling mudpots, and colorful hot springs. 

A body of magma resides about 3 miles below the surface of Yellowstone National Park. The hot rock warms the groundwater, which then travels upward along faults, dissolving minerals from the surrounding rock as it passes by. By the time the hot water emerges at the surface, it’s laden with minerals.

Travertine is the most common type of stone made by hot springs. Calcium carbonate is dissolved from layers of limestone rock below and carried upward. As the water flows out of the earth, it cools down and deposits the minerals. Over time, the flowing hot water leaves behind layer upon layer of newly-formed rock in the artistic pattern that makes travertine so treasured. 

Tribal ownership

Not far from the park’s border in Montana, an extinct hot spring formed a substantial travertine deposit. It’s been quarried from time to time over the past 100 years, but the quarry took on a renewed life in 2020 when the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians purchased the quarry. 

Brian Adkins is a member of the Little Shell Tribe and the tribe’s Economic Development Director. The quarry purchase has been an exciting development for the tribe. The 72-acre parcel contains an abundant supply of stone, and “It’s ours,” says Adkins. “Nobody can ever take it away.”

Expanded production; growing markets

Along with the Montana quarry, the Little Shell Tribe purchased a successful multi-generational, family-owned business with a fabrication shop and two travertine quarries. The fabrication shop is in Idaho Falls, and the quarries are in the Greater Yellowstone area.

This company, formerly known as Idaho Travertine, was owned by the Orchard family for over 40 years. Several members of the family along with many of the employees continue to work at Yellowstone Rock, providing well over 100 years of combined experience working with travertine. Yellowstone Rock is the largest quarrier and fabricator of domestic travertine in the United States. “It’s a great thing for us,” says Adkins.

The tribe has made investments in new saws from Italy which allow faster production from the quarries. “We’ve really gone all in,” explains Adkins, noting that new equipment “has definitely improved our quarrying techniques.”

The fabrication has also been transformed. A new 5-axis CNC saw allows for custom cutting, and a new multi-wire saw can cut multiple slabs at once, which has quadrupled the shop’s slab production rate. Once the slabs are cut, a calibrator is used to grind and flatten slabs so they can be finished to a consistent thickness, ranging from thin tiles to thick slabs. Polishing equipment from Italy completes the job. “The modern machines make so much difference,” says Adkins, noting that the work is far better, quicker, and more profitable than before.

The combination of new ownership, increased investment, and high-quality stone has Yellowstone Rock poised for growth. “The outlook is really good,” says Adkins.

Harmonious colors and finishes

Four different colors are quarried: Ivory, Yellowstone Frost, Continental Buff, and Yellowstone Rose. The color palette ranges from near-white to creamy beige, warm light grey, and even a hint of pink. The colors are easygoing – they blend harmoniously with each other and with just about any architectural style. 

The stone can be cut perpendicular to the layering, known as “vein cut,” to reveal travertine’s signature intricate texture and small, slightly wavy layers. Cutting parallel to the layering (“cross cut”) produces a flowing texture with organic, curving patterns.

The material is less porous than a typical “holey” travertine, so it needs less filling and has a smoother look and higher density. Recent testing by the Natural Stone Institute shows the stone is suited to indoor or outdoor applications, even in cold climates. 

Expanded fabrication capabilities allow for a variety of surface textures ranging from a satiny smooth polish to a touchable-textured leathered finish, to natural cleft surface.

Italian aesthetic with American origins

The company’s most popular stone is Continental Buff vein cut, which is similar to the Italian Navona travertine but all the better because it comes from right here in the United States. Yellowstone Frost is an ethereal shade of white, with flowing patterns reminiscent of marble. 

Travertine from Yellowstone Rock travels from the Northern Rockies to all corners of the United States. The stone has found its way to metropolitan areas like Seattle, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Dallas, and of course it’s equally at home near its native environment in buildings across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Continental Buff has been used for several notable projects such as the Idaho Supreme Court building, Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel, and the Potter County Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas.

American stone, “a big draw”

Justin Lindblad is the Director of Sales for Yellowstone Rock. He notes that the response to the stone has been strongly positive, especially because it comes from the U.S. “The response has been remarkable,” he says, citing advantages like LEED benefits, cheaper shipping costs, short lead times, and easy access to visit the quarries firsthand. 

“To have a domestic travertine product that rivals the Italian travertines has been a big draw,” he says, “that the material is quarried right outside Yellowstone National Park amplifies the interest.”

“I think the biggest challenge so far has just been educating people that a domestic source for travertine exists’” he says. Lindblad is optimistic that as the company gets its message out about its stone and its capabilities, they are ready to accommodate projects large and small.  

Adkins concurs, and is eagerly anticipating the next wave of improvements, increased production, and new capabilities, “We’re so dang excited,” he says. “We can hardly wait.”

 

More from the American Stones Series

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Harmony in Hue: Embracing 2024 Color Trends with Natural Stone Elements https://usenaturalstone.org/harmony-in-hue-embracing-2024-color-trends-with-natural-stone-elements/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:11:01 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11524 Colors have a powerful impact on our overall health and well-being. There are easy ways to incorporate this year’s most popular colors and pair them with natural stone to create fresh spaces. We asked an interior designer, creative director, and color experts to share how homeowners could pair this year’s color trends with different types of natural stones inside their homes. 

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Harmony in Hue: Embracing 2024 Color Trends with Natural Stone Elements

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Colors have a powerful impact on our overall health and well-being. There are easy ways to incorporate this year’s most popular colors and pair them with natural stone to create fresh spaces.

We asked an interior designer, creative director, and color experts to share how homeowners could pair this year’s color trends with different types of natural stones inside their homes.

“Natural stone, and specifically marble, can hold up to any of this year’s colors of the year, next year and well beyond,” says Julie Jordan, creative director and founder at J Jordan Homes, based in Hinsdale, Illinois.

Rather than consider the colors of the year as a trend and finding a natural stone that complements any year’s color trends, Jordan prefers to design spaces that only become “more cool” after each passing year. Natural stone passes the test of time. 

“Blue, grey, brown, or white, natural stone is the darling of so many spaces,” Jordan adds. She suggests natural stones such as Arabescato Corchia and Bronze Armani marble, or Blue Roma quartzite. 

Natural stone doesn’t need to be relegated to just kitchen counters or bathrooms. “There are so many amazing places to use natural stone,” says Jordan. She loves to incorporate different types of stone as fireplace surrounds, feature walls, and trims. These areas can be upgraded with natural stone to elevate a space. For an easy refresh, consider incorporating new paint colors or accent pieces that reflect trending colors. 

 

The Calming Hues of Blues

Sherwin-Williams’ Upward SW 6239 is “a breezy and blissful shade of blue that evokes the ever-present sense of peace found when slowing down, taking a breath and allowing the mind to clear,” according to the paint company. 

“Upward SW 6239 is a very versatile hue and can be applied in many spaces from kitchens and bathrooms to living and bedrooms,” says Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing at Sherwin-Williams. “The light and airy shade pairs well with white marble countertops in kitchen and bathrooms for a very sleek and refined aesthetic.”

Wadden also likes pairing the blue hue with darker stone options like bluestone, granite, or sandstone. “The cool undertones of the color pair perfectly with the silty stone profile,” she adds.

Scotti J. Campbell, an interior designer and owner of interior design firm SJC Design & Interiors in the Pacific Northwest, says Sherwin-Williams’ Upward is a soft shade of blue that begs to be paired with warm brass and white or creamy marble slabs or flooring to create elegant and timeless spaces. “White marble counters and/or flooring with Upward in a bathroom depicts calm refinement,” she adds. “Marbles with quiet veining and movement pair beautifully with this calm and slightly feminine shade. Create kitchens or bathrooms that feel like seaside holidays, with soft breezes flowing through linen drapery.”

Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year is Blue Nova 824 which, according to the company, is “an intriguing blend of blue and violet that sparks adventure, elevates, and expands horizons.” It also pairs well with several types of natural stone.

“When selecting natural stone to pair with Blue Nova, this sumptuous mid-tone generally works well with lighter hues—particularly stone varieties with a crispness or cooler cast,” says Andrea Magno, Color Marketing and Development Director at Benjamin Moore. “For example, a Calacatta Lincoln or Olympian Pearl marble would make for a striking countertop when paired with Blue Nova; or Imperial Danby marble would make for an interesting pairing with Blue Nova, calling attention to the rust veining—a nod to a blue and orange complementary color scheme. A pale gray limestone, such as Fleuri or Sterling, would also work nicely adding softness to the overall look.”

Campbell agrees pairing Blue Nova with marbles can be a powerful combination. “Vibrant and energetic, Blue Nova adds a bold punch to blue, with a touch of violet that says, ‘I’m unique, I have flair and style,’” she adds.

Campbell recommends combining Blue Nova walls with gray marble countertops and flooring in a bathroom to create a space that makes a statement that is both calm and uplifting, soothing and charging. “Shades of gray stone temper the vibrance of the hue and add a touch of masculine calm energy that is timeless and modern at the same time,” she says. “The opposite of boring and quiet, Blue Nova infuses spaces with life. Blue Nova walls or cabinetry, with dark gray marble or granite countertops in a kitchen feels modern and fresh.”

She loves the idea of gold-toned and creamy marble counters or floors with this shade to evoke the feel of coastal life in the South of France. She compares the look to blue skies and seas, fields of lavender and wheat, and warm sand on the beaches.

Leveraging Color Trends

Most homeowners choose natural stone for their homes because it’s timeless, natural, and beautiful. Incorporating color trends through paint colors and other accents is an easy and fun way to update a space while taking advantage of the beauty of natural stone in one’s home.

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Solidity, Place, and Character: Why TWTBA Uses Natural Stone https://usenaturalstone.org/solidity-place-and-character-why-twtba-uses-natural-stone/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:25:46 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11479 Billie Tsien and Tod Williams credit their love of stone with their frequent visits to Rome. As Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners, the pair has designed and built more than 40 buildings, a large percentage of which are made using natural stone. “We’re interested in solidity, place and character,” Williams says, with the ultimate goal of creating projects “that have a long lifespan, are meaningful to the community, and will be loved for centuries.”Their choice to use natural stone is both practical and philosophical.

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Solidity, Place, and Character: Why TWTBA Uses Natural Stone

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An earlier version of this article appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of Building Stone Magazine. All photos courtesy of TWBTA unless otherwise noted.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Jewell.

Billie Tsien and Tod Williams credit their love of stone with their frequent visits to Rome. As Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners, the pair has designed and built more than 40 buildings, a large percentage of which are made using natural stone. “We’re interested in solidity, place and character,” Williams says, with the ultimate goal of creating projects “that have a long lifespan, are meaningful to the community, and will be loved for centuries.”

Their choice to use natural stone is both practical and philosophical.

The Day to Day of Stone

With each commission come client wants and needs for certain materials. Cost plays a factor. Durability and permanence play a factor as do future maintenance, longevity, and return on investment. These are all part of the practical side of material selections.

“Stone,” says Williams, “is a really good and durable permanent material. You go into the cathedrals, synagogues, mosques — the floors are made of stone, and they’re usually a patchwork quilt with headstones embedded in it and so on. It actually becomes more rich over time. I never go into the Pantheon without being absolutely riveted by the floor and the different colors that are there and the way it wears. I love the wear.” Stone is also a “wonderful and protective shell. It gives an exterior dignity.”

Tsien says that they are passionate about maintenance and longevity. “The idea of longevity is not abstract,” she says. Tsien and Williams connect with maintenance people and ask questions: How long does it last? Can this be cleaned? Who will clean it, and how? “Longevity,” Tsien says, “is very much based on the care of the stone.”

 

Character Development

The other side to design decisions and material choices is the emotional. It is Tsien’s and Williams’ innate senses that give a project a feeling of calm and quiet or energy and movement.

Tsien says she has always believed in “the importance of ‘showing the hand.’ We don’t believe in having a perfect, smooth stone that all looks the same from piece to piece. We’re interested in stones that have a vivid character.” It’s an important quality but hard to define. Some of it comes from natural stone’s irregularities, its “defects” that are not truly defects. Stone is a material pulled from the earth that is perfect in its imperfection. But beyond that, Tsien and Williams feel stone’s character more deeply. Says Williams, character includes “the person who cuts it and dresses it, how it moves along from being extracted from the ground to its final place. Even that has its own specific character.” 

Choosing the right stone starts with quarries, where the couple spends a lot of their time. Williams likens quarrying to “farming building material.” He enjoys meeting the quarrier, he says, “because that person knows how best to remove the stone from the ground and where the best pieces are of a certain quality or character. As with purchasing vegetables from a farmer you might say, ‘Well, what’s good today? What stone do you feel is best at this time in this place?’ I think that anyone who really loves stone, likes that it came from a specific place.”

When he visits a quarry, Williams says he imagines the quarried walls as buildings. “They’re negative buildings. I look at the wall of the quarry that we’re using, for example, getting Granite Tapestry stone from Tony Ramos’s quarry. [Ramos is a stone carver and founder of New England Stone.] That 80-foot-tall wall in the quarry is a building. There’s inspiration there.”

The relationship with the quarriers is important. “An awful lot of the stone industry is family owned,” Williams says. “That has a special resonance for us. We [Billie and I] are both married and partners and that goes deep in our studio; we all work in essentially one room. There’s conviviality and kindness and a sense of family.”

Tsien adds that “one of the great things about the stone industry is that it is personal, unlike something that’s manufactured like sheetrock — you can’t actually go to the source of sheetrock and talk to the person who owns the sheetrock. Whether it’s a quarry in Europe or India or Western Massachusetts, it’s always about the people together with the material. For us, that’s a very rich relationship.”

Good quarrying practices are also important to them. “You want to make sure the quarry is tended to in such a way that it is actually good for the earth,” Williams says. “Maintaining an efficient quarry, with as little disturbance to the surrounding ecological and community conditions is deeply important in stone sourcing. So, the quarriers have the same responsibilities that we do to make buildings that are meaningful.”

Source Code

Many of their projects take five years from inception to completion. “Within the first six months,” Williams says, “we’re investigating the stone.” They look at stone for the exterior and interior of their projects. “As we get into the interiors, we might find that another stone comes forward, or we look at the same stone in a different finish. We like to have at least two to three different kinds of stone that are similar so that we can make sure the owner and contractor have a voice in the selection. From the outset, we learn as we go.”

They look first for stone that might be local to a project but what’s more important is to find the right stone that will accomplish the project’s goals. For the LeFrak Centre at Lakeside, a covered ice rink in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Williams says they wanted stone from New York but they couldn’t find what they wanted and got it from Canada. “We had it chopped in a particular way so that it would feel a little bit like it was done by hand years ago, or at least compatible with that. That’s a perfect example of where we couldn’t get the stone locally, but we could try to make sure it was grounded and quiet so that the landscape itself came forward.”

Tsien and Williams never demand that a client use a particular stone, but they will tell clients they have a strong preference for a material and offer their reasons for why it’s the best choice. “But our vision has to be their vision, and their vision has to be our vision,” Tsien says.

By way of example, Tsien recalls the design for the welcome center at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. The client wanted to use a “less expensive and more subtle stone which came from Minnesota versus a wild and crazy stone that came from Brazil,” Tsien says. “And so, we used the stone from Minnesota, and the project turned out to be beautiful, but in my heart of hearts I’m still curious what the result would be with the other stone.”

Williams and Tsien look at color and veining, often creating a “kind of tapestry of colors,” Williams says. He adds that they have a penchant for using dimensional stone. “I’m not interested in techniques that somehow try to thin out stone. Basically, we’re interested in the stone as an embodied material, something that has body; it should have depth both in meaning and dimension.” 

When asked if they ever disagree on what materials to use, Williams laughs and says, “almost always, but we always end up in the place where we agree.”

Ultimately their vision is part of a dialogue between the project and the earth, as well as an ongoing conversation with the stakeholders.  “We want our buildings to grow from the earth to the extent that they can,” Williams says. “When you’re talking about stone, you need to be humble because it has been around for a very, very long time.”

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Timeless Beauty: Chicago Landmark Restored to Its Natural Stone Glory https://usenaturalstone.org/timeless-beauty-chicago-landmark-restored-to-its-natural-stone-glory/ Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:30:36 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11442 After the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, many homes made of wood were destroyed. When it came time to build new homes, laws were passed to prevent a similar disaster. Fireproof materials such as brick, marble, limestone, and terracotta tile became the preferred building materials since constructing buildings with wood was banned in the downtown area. Eight years after the fire, construction of the Nickerson House on Chicago’s near northside neighborhood began. The three-story, 24,000 square foot Italianate mansion was reported to be the largest and most extravagant private residence in Chicago at the time it was completed.

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Timeless Beauty: Chicago Landmark Restored to Its Natural Stone Glory

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All photos unless otherwise specified appear courtesy of the Richard H. Driehaus Museum Archives.

Exterior 1883

After the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, many homes made of wood were destroyed. When it came time to build new homes, laws were passed to prevent a similar disaster. Fireproof materials such as brick, marble, limestone, and terracotta tile became the preferred building materials since constructing buildings with wood was banned in the downtown area. 

Eight years after the fire, construction of the Nickerson House on Chicago’s near northside neighborhood began. The three-story, 24,000 square foot Italianate mansion was reported to be the largest and most extravagant private residence in Chicago at the time it was completed. The exterior façade is made of limestone and Berea sandstone from Ohio. Known as the “marble mansion,” the property is even more impressive inside. “The interior stonework consists of at least 17 different types of French, Italian, Belgium, and American marble as well as onyx and alabaster,” says Sally-Ann Felgenhauer, director of collections and exhibitions for The Richard H. Driehaus Museum. 

Exterior Pre-Restoration

Soon after it was built, the light-gray sandstone exterior would lose its luster due to environmental issues. “Over the years, the naturally light stonework blackened due to the build-up of soot and grime from industrial pollutants,” Felgenhauer says. As the exterior became dark and unsightly, the decorative stone elements also began to erode. 

The Nickerson House became The Richard H. Driehaus Museum when Richard H. Driehaus, a Chicago investment manager well known for his interests in preserving historic buildings, bought the home in 2003. According to a New York Times article, Driehaus purchased the home from the American College of Surgeons, a professional association that had owned it since the 1920s and soon afterward hired M. Kirby Talley Jr., an Amsterdam-based author and art historian, to oversee the restoration.

“My marching orders were to take it back to 1883,” Talley says in the New York Times article. “It’s remarkable to find a situation like this where you can honestly say that no expenses were denied to do the job the right way.”

In 2003, the same year Driehaus acquired the property, major restoration of the building began, including restoring the exterior façade.

Restoration of a Historical Landmark

“The Driehaus Museum as a Gilded Age mansion is an important piece of Chicago’s history and a window into the past that looks forward by exploring the interplay between historic and contemporary art that honors the legacy of Richard H. Driehaus,” Felgenhauer says.

Restoring the exterior required careful work by skilled teams. According to Felgenhauer, none of the stonework has been changed, but it has been restored. 

The sandstone and limestone used were both native materials to the Midwest. Berea sandstone, quarried in Ohio, was a common choice for buildings. Sandstone is a soft and porous material and while fireproof, would eventually absorb the soot billowing from the smoke from nearby coal plants. By the time Driehaus purchased the property, “those industrial pollutants had morphed into a kind of 100-year-old crust. In some places, that crust was 20 millimeters thick,” according to the Driehaus Museum blog post on why the Nickerson House used to be black.

“During the restoration, the Driehaus Museum contracted the Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studios, Inc. (CSOS) to clean the façade using handheld lasers through a process called ablation,” Felgenhauer explains. “They removed 20,000 square feet of black crust from the stonework over a period of 18 months between 2004-2005. This was officially the first building to be cleaned in North America using this process.”

The reason lasers were used instead of more aggressive approaches such as micro-blasting was because the exterior was so soft that a harsher process would have resulted in worsening of the erosion and in some cases bleaching out the sandstone’s natural yellowish color. 

According to the Driehaus Museum website covering the natural stone exterior restoration project, the laser cleaned at a rate of approximately 2.5 square feet per hour. 

The website shares a bit more detail on the process of using the laser. “A beam of light from a handheld contraption is pointed at the building, and it breaks the molecular bond that had formed between the stone and pollutants,” according to Driehaus Museum. 

According to Felgenhauer, the CSOS team spent more than a year clearing 20,000 square feet of black crust and it was all done with small handheld instruments.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and designated a Chicago landmark on September 28, 1977. In 2008, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks awarded the Richard H. Driehaus Museum with the Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence, Felgenhauer adds.

Keeping Natural Stone Looking Great

Exterior Post-Restoration

While the restoration project was completed in 2004, the museum continues regular maintenance which includes restoration and conversation. “More recently, as part of the museum’s maintenance program, the building façade underwent tuckpointing,” says Felgenhauer.

It’s a testament to its longevity that with proper upkeep and maintenance, natural stone can withstand even the harshest elements and last for centuries. 

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Las Vegas Rock: A Rainbow in the Desert https://usenaturalstone.org/las-vegas-rock-a-rainbow-in-the-desert/ Tue, 02 Jan 2024 22:01:08 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11387 Las Vegas isn’t known for its subtlety. But just beyond a city defined by glitz and sparkle, one can experience a whole other color spectrum—one dictated by nature rather than neon lights. The desert offers a dramatic interplay of hues and textures, as canyons and cliffs in shades of russet, mahogany, and bronze echo across the landscape. These iconic rocks are ancient sand dunes that have become frozen in time; a vast deposit of richly-colored stone that has a myriad of uses.

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Las Vegas Rock: A Rainbow in the Desert

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Note: This article is part of a series about American quarries. If you work for a quarry that’s a member of the Natural Stone Institute and you’d like your quarry to be featured here, contact Amy Oakley. Thank you!

Type of stone: Sandstone

Quarried from: Goodsprings, Nevada

Las Vegas isn’t known for its subtlety. But just beyond a city defined by glitz and sparkle, one can experience a whole other color spectrum—one dictated by nature rather than neon lights. The desert offers a dramatic interplay of hues and textures, as canyons and cliffs in shades of russet, mahogany, and bronze echo across the landscape. These iconic rocks are ancient sand dunes that have become frozen in time; a vast deposit of richly-colored stone that has a myriad of uses. 

Sweeping Sandstone

The American Southwest is currently a desert, but in the Jurassic Period, it was an even more inhospitable place. A huge area of windblown sand dunes stretched across hundreds of desolate miles, similar to the Sahara Desert today. 

Wind makes an especially beautiful signature in the rocks it creates. Coaxed by the persistent breeze, sand grains pile up into ripples and dunes. Over time, dunes migrate and shift, stacking new layers on top of older ones. Older layers are buried and bathed in silica-rich groundwater, which binds the sand grains tightly together, yielding a solid, dense rock.

The layers inside sand dunes are made up of graceful curves that are only visible once erosion – or a quarry saw – cuts open the deposit to reveal the beauty within. 

Las Vegas Rocks quarries into a layer called the Aztec Sandstone. The stone is 180 to 190 million years old, and it formed as dinosaurs were wandering the region. The Aztec Sandstone is the same rock as the famed Navajo Sandstone that defines beloved landscapes such as the massive cliffs of Zion National Park, the deep canyons of Canyonlands, and the iconic stone arches of Arches National Park.

“A world away” from Vegas Strip to High Desert

The quarries of Las Vegas Rock sit about an hour’s drive southwest of Las Vegas. Following a dirt road north from the tiny settlement of Goodsprings, the road enters a narrow valley flanked by ridges of desert sandstone. “It feels a world away when you’re up at the quarry,” says Jeremy Adams, CEO of Las Vegas Rock.

Atop a rocky knob, the quarry opens up layers of brilliant rock which have been nicknamed Rainbow Quarries. The region was once home to 17 different quarrying sites which produced more than 20 different colors of stone.

The original quarry was started in the 1940s by a Syrian immigrant named Peter “Pop” Simon. The colorful sandstone was used in enigmatic Las Vegas buildings such as the original Flamingo Hotel, the Desert Inn, and the Thunderbird Hotel. As development boomed, use of the stone expanded beyond the local market and found its way to primetime architecture in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Honolulu. 

The quarry went dormant in the 1980s, and was reborn in 1991 as Las Vegas Rock, Inc. 

One of the original goals of the new operation was to produce landscaping rock that could help local residents adopt drought-tolerant outdoor environments that are evocative of the desert region, rather than thirsty lawns and lush plantings. The palette of vibrant red, orange, purple, and rich brown evoke a natural, native feel that connects the human-built environment to the natural one. 

A Rainbow of Color Options

The presence of several colorful layers of sandstone allows for multiple products from a single operation. Stone is produced in three different palettes.

  • Sierra Smoke is a red color range, including burgundy, pink, and purple, with some yellow and white. 
  • Tupelo Honey covers the golden end of the spectrum. This blend contains yellow, tan, camel, and mustard with some pink, purple, white, and brown. 
  • Desert Blend offers the full spectrum of colors produced by the quarry. It’s a lively blend of browns, oranges, reds, burgundies, yellows, and more.

In addition to the colors, the stone has beautiful layered patterns formed by windblown sand. They layers can be horizontal, diagonal, or curving  – or sometimes all three in a single piece. The intricate patterns make the stone much more expressive than a typical sandstone, appealing to those who seek a one-of-a-kind aesthetic. 

Customers are invited to visit the quarry and select their blocks. Adams notes that people enjoy the hands-on, personal process, like the “farm to table” concept, but with natural stone.

The World’s Only Cradle to Cradle Certified Stone

Las Vegas Rock is the only Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified stone to date, and the company obtained the certification in 2007. Some of the forward-thinking attributes of the operation are their use of environmentally safe and healthy materials, the use of renewable energy, efficient use of water, and strategies for social responsibility. Impressively, the company’s stone production generates zero waste, as everything that’s extracted is put to good use, from massive blocks down to pure sand.

Up to 10 LEED points are possible with the use of Las Vegas Rock, and the company intends to pursue the Natural Stone Institute’s sustainability certification in the coming year. 

American Values

Adams exudes enthusiasm for his work and has a clear-eyed vision for the strengths of his company. “What customers love about our stone and our company is first that we are easy to deal with,” he says. “We are easygoing people and are looking to help and provide solutions.”

“Being an American quarry in the southwest is appealing for most people, but not for all,” explains Adams. “For the customers that are price conscious, the appeal of American is not the deciding factor, price is. Being an American quarry with American labor and wages is tough trying to compete internationally. The projects that come to fruition are the ones that value the American-made aspect and our unique natural stone.”

Adams is excited for the growth of both the company and its people. “I like to train and educate people about stone and all the possibilities,” he says. Despite the challenges of a tough industry, Adams is undaunted. 

“The strength of the stone industry and the strength of our company is the same, and that is in its diversity,” he says. “There is a seat at the table for all of us.”

More from the American Stones Series

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How to Use Natural Stone to Create At Home Water Features https://usenaturalstone.org/how-to-use-natural-stone-to-create-at-home-water-features/ Tue, 21 Nov 2023 22:36:32 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11328 Being near water has a calming effect and research studies have shown that water features can positively contribute to our overall mental health and well-being. Incorporating natural stone water features at home can bring both beauty and tranquility into your space. Anne Roberts, president of Chicago based Anne Roberts Gardens Company, finds that people love the sound of water because it’s relaxing. Since not every home has a water feature, adding one is a way to make your home stand out.

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How to Use Natural Stone to Create At Home Water Features

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Photo by Ali Byrne

Being near water has a calming effect and research studies have shown that water features can positively contribute to our overall mental health and well-being. Incorporating natural stone water features at home can bring both beauty and tranquility into your space. 

Anne Roberts, president of Chicago based Anne Roberts Gardens Company, finds that people love the sound of water because it’s relaxing. Since not every home has a water feature, adding one is a way to make your home stand out.

Michael Zimber, founder of Santa Fe-based Stone Forest, often uses natural stone in his water feature designs. According to Zimber, many homeowners choose to add a water feature to their outdoor spaces for aesthetic reasons or because it goes well with other elements in their space. “Water features add a dramatic focal point in the garden space; a tapestry of sound, visuals, and texture that attracts birds and other wildlife (including the human variety),” Zimber says. Another benefit? Water features mask road noise quite effectively.

Why add a natural stone water feature

There are countless options for natural stone water features in landscape design, including fountains, basins, waterfalls, ponds, and pools. More elaborate designs include computerized water features synchronizing music to water and light animation, like what you might see in Las Vegas or the front of some hotel properties. 

Natural stone fountains will last for generations, according to Zimber. In addition to helping mask road noise, natural stone water features can become a focal point or help define a garden space.  

Contrary to what some people might think, a water feature doesn’t have to be large like a pool or big waterfall design. “Natural stone water features can be as big or small as you have space for,” Roberts says. Her company has installed smaller streams with recycling water systems, small foot ponds, and even large natural dry riverbeds for water that periodically overwhelms areas in one’s yard.

Photo by Josh Zimber

What to consider when installing a natural stone water feature

Natural stone water features can make a dramatic statement, whether as a focal point of a space or background statement. There are several things to take into consideration when choosing a water feature, including price and maintenance. Here are a few additional things to consider when choosing your water feature. 

  • The size of the reservoir. Both Roberts and Zimber remind clients that the final design needs to fit the desired space. 
  • Size and weight of the water feature. If a sizeable fountain is being considered, for example, how will it be installed? Will it require a dolly/ hand truck, forklift, or crane?
  • Incorporate plants. This will be geography dependent, but something to think about as you’re deciding the location of your water feature. In the southwest where Zimber is based, it’s all about drought tolerant species. “It’s nice to ‘layer’ different perennials around the water feature,” he says.
  • Let the light in. Adding lighting systems will bring some visual interest to your space during the night.
  • Consider short- and long-term maintenance. In addition to making sure pumps and other accessories are in working order, homeowners will want to add cleaning the reservoir to their calendar once a year, Zimber says. He also recommends using an algaecide that is bird and animal-friendly, along with a weekly dose of a chemical to fight hard water buildup. 

Photo by Eric Swanson

Types of natural stone water features

Natural stone water features can be true works of art in an outdoor space and part of their appeal is they engage several of our senses. Not only can they provide a soothing backdrop from the movement of water over the stone, but they provide a striking visual with their textured designs. 

When choosing a water feature like a fountain or basin, you want one that will be built to last in your environment. “Granites and basalt can handle cold environments and will last for generations,” Zimber says. Some gravitate toward stunning marble and onyx fountains which may not hold up quite as well, but generally will withstand the life of the garden and homeowners, Zimber adds. 

In addition to the water feature, most pieces include rocks or smaller stones beneath the focal point to capture the movement of the water.

Zimber and his team design and carve natural stone fountains. Their designs range from traditional Japanese and Old World to natural or monolithic contemporary. Fountain shapes can be in a boulder shape, millstones, sphere, or vertical. They truly can be customized to your unique space, interests, and budget.

One of the most common mistakes Zimber sees with homeowners and water features is sub-standard installations. If you’re not planning to hire a professional to install your water fountain, Stone Forest has a blog post on creating a successful fountain installation that Zimber directs people to so they can do it themselves correctly. Another mistake Zimber sees is buying a cheap foundation made of concrete. Those, he says, tend to fall apart after a few seasons. 

Photo by Eric Swanson

If the project is beyond your DIY capabilities, Roberts highly recommends hiring a firm with experience installing water features such as ponds as not every landscape has that expertise.

Once you install a natural stone water feature, you’ll be able to enjoy it for decades.

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The Perfect Match: Digging Deep to Restore the Wyoming State Capitol https://usenaturalstone.org/the-perfect-match-digging-deep-to-restore-the-wyoming-state-capitol/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 17:55:18 +0000 https://usenaturalstone.org/?p=11276 Four years of overhaul—the complex’s first major renovation since 1917—resulted in a state capitol worthy of the accolades it has received. The stonework received the 2021 Grande Pinnacle Award from the Natural Stone Institute, while awards for the total project streamed in from many trade organizations: the American Public Works Association, Building Design and Construction magazine, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado, the Construction Management Association of America, and Engineering-News Record Mountain States.

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The Perfect Match: Digging Deep to Restore the Wyoming State Capitol

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An earlier version of this article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of Building Stone Magazine.

Wyoming State Capitol. Photo courtesy of Dan Schwalm Photography.

Just one highway leads to Rawlins, Wyoming, a small city 150 miles northwest of the state capital of Cheyenne. Rawlins straddles interstate route 80, but otherwise has drawn little attention to itself since its glory days in the 1800s, when it served as a freight and passenger stop on the Transcontinental Railroad. 

In the late nineteenth century, a quarry here produced sandstone for construction projects throughout the region. Rawlins sandstone glows in sunlight with a warm gray that lends a stately air to building exteriors, making it particularly attractive to designers of ornate government edifices. Overseeing the quarry’s production, owner Hans Larsen knew that this high-quality stone should be the fundamental material to grace the Wyoming territorial capitol building, for which construction began in the mid-1880s, several years before Wyoming received statehood. However, the architects had specified sandstone from Loveland, Colorado for the foundation and the capitol steps, with plans to bring more of this stone from Loveland to create the ornamented façade. 

Hearing of this insult to Wyoming quarries, Larsen stormed into Cheyenne, demanding that the local government use materials from its own resources rather than importing stone from another territory’s quarry. Government officials, no doubt taken aback by this fiery businessman, saw the wisdom in his point. Larsen won the contract, making Rawlins sandstone the material of choice for the capitol’s impressive exterior. Skilled stone masons created hundreds of detailed sculpted features by hand. Each column, corner, and cornice was a unique tribute to the sandstone’s quality and durability. The finished structure, including the towering rotunda, opened in 1888. 

Not even Wyoming sandstone can last forever, however, so some 130 years later, Wyoming’s infamously harsh winters had taken their toll on the original building, as well as the additions to Capitol Square constructed in 1890 and 1917. In 2013, the state began a massive $299 million renovation of the entire capitol complex, bringing top talent from across the region to Cheyenne to restore the grandeur of this splendid Renaissance Revival façade. The state determined that the restored capitol should look exactly as it did when the first crew completed it in 1888, so the team of architects, masons, and fabricators looked northwest to Rawlins once again for stone to match the building’s worn exterior. 

But Rawlins no longer had a working stone quarry. The quarry had closed in the 1920s, nearly 100 years before.

Unearthing the Stone

A block of sandstone is hoisted by a stiff leg derrick in a sandstone quarry owned by the Kerr Marle and Stone Company near Rawlins, WY between 1890 and 1910. It is believed that this photo might be the same quarry used in the Wyoming State Capitol restoration. Photo courtesy Wyoming State Archives.

The land containing the former quarry now belonged to Overland Trail Cattle Company, a major ranching and cattle operation and a subsidiary of Anschutz Corp, a private equity company based in Denver, Colorado. 

“Eldon Strid, a local person, provided a tremendous amount of knowledge about where the quarry was and who the owners were,” said Jeff Callinan of J.E. Dunn Construction Company, the general contractor for the state capitol project. “The land had recently changed hands—they were about to put a wind farm on this land.”

J.E. Dunn tried to contact the owners, but when they received no response, they enlisted the help of the governor’s office of the State of Wyoming. Governor Matt Mead and his staff approached Anschutz and “managed to shake it loose,” Callinan said, striking a deal that allowed the state to take 253 tons of sandstone from the former quarry for a reasonable price, providing the state found its own people to bring out the stone. J.E. Dunn tackled this tall order and located a mobile quarry operator in South Dakota. 

“We’d never had to set up a mobile quarry before,” said Callinan. “Normally, we are in the business of going out to the quarry to select big blocks of stone. In this case, we had to learn about the front end and getting the stone extracted. It’s a logistical project to get the stone out of the earth and get it to the people who can create a piece to go into the building. This team knows how to go through that logistical challenge.” 

The governor’s office of the State of Wyoming helped in the access in the capitol’s former quarry source in Rawlins, WY, which had closed nearly 100 years before. 235 tons of sandstone were quarried and used in the restoration effort. Here, cuts are made in the sandstone where sections of block will be extracted using a wire saw. Photo courtesy State of Wyoming.

Setting up a mobile quarry came with its own package of obstacles, Callinan explained. “We had to build a road. We had to coordinate with the Department of Corrections because there was a prison nearby. Then the Fish and Wildlife Department identified that a golden eagle was nesting in the area.” Golden eagles are a protected species under the Bald and Golden Eagles Act of 1940, so the quarry team had to wait for a month to begin their work until the eaglets had fledged and the birds abandoned the nest. 

The effort to reopen the long-dormant quarry proved to be more than worthwhile, said Tom Van Etten, president of Galloy & Van Etten, Inc., an award-winning family-owned stone fabrication company in Chicago. Van Etten led the twelve-person team that turned the Rawlins sandstone into meticulously cut and sculpted replacement pieces for the Wyoming project. “It’s a perfect match,” he said. “They found not just the right quarry, but the right stone matching in color.” 

Choosing exactly the right cuts of sandstone—matching the color of each to the existing stonework in the capitol façade—became the full-time job of preservation architect Katie Butler of CSHQA, headquartered in Boise, ID. Butler and CSHQA principal John Maulin came into the state capitol project in 2015 at the request of HDR Architecture, Inc., the architect of record. “I visited the site in Wyoming almost every other week for three years and attended numerous trips to quarries and fabricators to select the stone, review samples, and ensure the processes were in compliance with the construction documents,” said Butler. 

The process began with the team comparing a series of seven Rawlins sandstone samples, ranging in color from gray to buff, to each building level and elevation of the three building periods. “After a day on a lift, three samples were consistently found to match the existing stone at all areas,” said Butler. “These three samples established the range of colors we would use to select blocks from the Rawlins quarry.” The team visited the quarry three times between October and November 2015 to determine if the 3’ x 3’ blocks were in the correct range for color and veining. 

The project team compares samples to quarry blocks. Tom Van Etten, president of Galloy & Van Etten, led the twelve-person team that turned the Rawlins sandstone into meticulously cut and sculpted pieces for the Wyoming project. Photo courtesy State of Wyoming.

“It was quite the process,” said Butler. “At each site visit, we reviewed stone from different parts of the quarry—south pit, middle pit, and north pit. It was all the same type of sandstone but varied from each part of the quarry. It was tough trying to make sure that the underlying color and variation would be appropriate, especially with the building having been built in multiple phases.” After each visit, the team documented the process with photos and summarized it all in a field report. 

When stone became available from the Colorado quarry in Loveland for repairs of the stairs on the north and west side of the building, Butler and her team repeated this painstaking comparison until they found the right match for the existing steps. 

With this process completed, Butler and the rest of the team—Scott Evett from masonry contractor Mark 1 Restoration Company; Mike Ford, senior associate with stone restoration architect Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE); and representatives from J.E. Dunn, HDR, and the State of Wyoming met on site regularly to review mockups, trial repairs, and overall project progress. 

Enormous Scope

The process began with the team comparing a series of seven Rawlins sandstone samples, ranging in color from gray to buff, to each building level and elevation of the three building periods. “After a day on a lift, three samples were consistently found to match the existing stones at all areas,” said Butler. Photo courtesy State of Wyoming.

While the historians searched for exactly the right stone, Ford and the WJE team worked with Mark 1 Restoration to determine the scope of the required repairs. “It was about developing a repair approach that we thought was good and sound, but prioritized enough that we could do the repairs we felt were most important, deferring others,” said Ford. “We went on site, did an investigation, and provided options for repair.” 

Placing life safety above all other priorities, the WJE team discovered that the stone at the base of the building—the two courses quarried in Loveland—had deteriorated enough to raise concerns about its continued viability. A clear surface treatment had been applied to this stone in the 1990s, but it did not prevent damage from water and weather, and it “likely accelerated deterioration,” a report on the project noted. Many of the cornices and column capitals showed “severe delamination,” the document continued, also due primarily to water exposure. Some areas had been patched with mortar and stabilized with protective netting, applied years before to slow the progression of the inevitable—and to keep pieces of the façade from raining down on passersby.

The ornate elements throughout the Capitol façade had deteriorated during more than a century of Wyoming weather. Photo courtesy Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

When it came to the restoration of these decorative elements, Ford and his team presented the state with options. “Often people look at these projects and say, ‘I can’t do that,’ instead of ‘Yes, I can do it, and this is what it will look like,’” he said. “For example, if you have snow and it sits on cornices and ledges and it melts, it gets into the stone and it absorbs. Then it freezes, and it happens again and again—that’s called thermal cycling, or freeze/thaw. A lot of the distress we were seeing was at these projecting ledges. We said that we could do dutchman repairs to match the original, and could improve water management; however, another approach could include installation of a sheet metal flashing. This may address water management and be more cost effective, but it would have an aesthetic impact.”  

WJE installed a mockup of both the stone dutchman and flashing approach and showed the state. The state chose the dutchman approach. “That is fine; they were able to make a good decision with the mockups and an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks we presented,” said Ford. “It’s a historic building. You want to keep the historic character and integrity.” 

In all, a total of 1,135 individual pieces throughout the building’s exterior required repairs or replacement, using 3,160 cubic feet of stone. “We put the stone in a local yard until we shipped it to Galloy & Van Etten in Chicago,” said Callinan. “There were truckloads and truckloads and truckloads.”

As if the size and scope of the project were not complex enough, the original architect in the 1880s, Davis W. Gibbs, had designed just about every feature of the ornate European-inspired façade to be unique.

“As a masonry restoration fabricator, Mark 1 created a shop drawing for each additional piece,” said Callinan. This shop ticket included the type of stone, its dimensions, the dutchman repair styles required, the number of the actual block of stone from which this piece would be cut, elevation drawings, and tooling requirements. “These would be approved, and it would go into fabrication. A lot of times they oversize them a little bit, so onsite they can tool it a little bit to get a perfect fit. Some have similar profiles and textures, but each piece was fabricated for a specific place and purpose.”  

The masonry team worked to develop standardized details for categories of stone profiles—so all the cornice ledges, for example, had the same basic shape and required the same kinds of onsite work once they arrived at the job site. “Every stone on the building was assigned a number, so you could see all of these on the elevations,” said Butler. Tom and Susan Van Etten led the effort at their Chicago facility to fabricate the profile of each element, roughing in the shape and preparing it for the decorative carving to be done by hand in Cheyenne. 

On site, masons from Mark 1 installed the dutchmen that had been fabricated in Chicago at Galloy & Van Etten with planers, pneumatic chisels, combing tools and other shaping devices to create exact replicas of the original detail for each column and cornice. Portions of the building were hand-finished on site—the rock face of the base stone, for example, using a small pitching tool to remove bits of material at a time.  

Butler totaled up the various kinds of repairs the project required: four different kinds of joints, eight different resurfacing techniques, 33 kinds of dutchmen, and two types of surface treatments. “WJE and CSHQA worked as a team,” she said. “WJE reviewed each repair for structural integrity and watertightness, while CSHQA would take the lead on the aesthetic appearance. There were only a couple of occasions where we had to change something because the stone wasn’t a good match.” 

Every facet of the stone restoration required meticulous work by hand using small tools. Photo courtesy Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

The Reopening

Four years of overhaul—the complex’s first major renovation since 1917—resulted in a state capitol worthy of the accolades it has received. The stonework received the 2021 Grande Pinnacle Award from the Natural Stone Institute, while awards for the total project streamed in from many trade organizations: the American Public Works Association, Building Design and Construction magazine, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado, the Construction Management Association of America, and Engineering-News Record Mountain States.    

“A project like this takes extraordinary skill, but it takes a team that knows who the right players are to accomplish it,” said Callinan. “It was extremely helpful to bring the right artisans to the table. The stone masons who were carving the stone onsite were the same people who worked with us on two other state capitol projects.”

State capitol restoration stands in a class of its own, said Butler, making this her favorite kind of work. “There are only fifty state capitols,” she pointed out, “so it’s a really special building type. It’s fun to see how things can be put back together and preserved without it looking like it was ever touched.”

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