What is Meant by Stone Dressing ?

The stone dressing is a process of surfacing and shaping of rocks available naturally. The place where the rocks are abundantly available is called as a quarry. The process of taking stones from the natural bed is known as ‘Quarrying’.

The operation of stone dressing is generally carried out at the site of quarry so as to reduce the transportation cost.

The dressing of stone is generally done using hand tools like Chisel, Pickaxe etc using heavy machines or blasting using explosives. Once quarried, the stones are cut into the suitable size and surface finishes. This process is termed as dressing of stones. The effective dressing of stones would help in making your structure attractive and economical.

Different Stages Involved in Stone Dressing

Sizing :

The irregular quarried rock is cut into desired dimensions by removing extra portions. It is generally done using hammers and chisels or cutting machines.

Shaping :

once cut to desired dimensions extra projections are removed to shape the stone.

Plaining :

It is the process of removing irregularities from the stone surface.

Finishing :

It is done by rubbing the stone surface with an abrasive material like silicon carbide.

Polishing :

In this stage the stone is polished by hand or machine to make it more attractive. It is generally done in stones like lime stones, marbles and granite. the effective dressing of stones would help in making your structure attractive and economical.

Also Read : Brickwork Detailed Specification

Different Types of Stone Dressing 

The types of dressing of stone may vary from place to place. Now a days mechanical tools are used for dressing of stones as more time is saved. Most common type of stone dressing used in the construction field are as followed :

1. Hammer Dressing :

Hammer dressed stones do not contain any sharp and irregular corners these stones suit well for masonry construction. These are most adopted type of dressing of stones.

2. Chisel Drafting :

In this method the stone is made of drafts or groups with the help of chisels at different stages of dressing of stones. In this type of dressing excessive stones at the center are also removed. These stones are used commonly in plinths and corner of the building.

3. Fine Tooling :

In this type of dressing most of the projections of the stones are removed and a fairly smooth surface is gained. Due to this the apperance of the stone improves.

4. Rough Tooling :

In this type of dressing a rough tooled surface that has a series of bends are made of the stone. The bends are more or less parallel to tool marks make all over the surface.

5. Punched Dressing :

This type of dressing is an extension of rough tool dressing. In this type of dressing a rough tooled surface is further dressed with the series of parallel ridges. The chisel marks are visible on the face.

6. Closed Picked Dressing :

In this type of dressing of stone a punched stone is further dressed to obtain a finer surface.

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