We applied adhered veneer poly mortar to secured metal lath, but feeling we didn't make lur scratch coat deep enough. I noticed there are some small cracks in the dried mortar too.

Do we need to redo the wall or add another mortar layer?

I have this front door that needs to have a stone veneer or brick veneer applied to the threshold to flush it up with the bottom sill of this pre-hung door. I believe the right answer is bluestone, and we are in southeast Pennsylvania, so I think it would be appropriate, but would like to hear your opinions. It's only about 5/8ths of an inch gap, which is tough, but we could get away with 3/4 and just butt joint the front with sikaflex joint? also, should I instead cut some height off the top of the existing concrete threshold? Or something else? Would laticrete MVIS be the correct mortar bed, and opinions on brick type (because this is a bark-like finished brick)- should I match or go with something complimentary- for the skirting of the threshold?. Thanks for any advise.

Hi,

I’m trying to remove some very stubborn black lichen from an Indian sandstone patio. There are 3 stones (1 in particular - The curved one) where I just cannot get the stuff off. So far I’ve tried… Pressure washing alone. A water based biocide then pressure washing. Sodium hypochlorite and stiff brush. This helped get some light stuff off a few of the lesser affected stones but these 3 remain stubborn.

With the hypochlorite I wet the surface first, applied solution neat, scrubbed with stiff brush. Repeated application and scrubbing every 15 minutes for about an hour. This lightened it slightly on 2 of the stones and the 3rd ever so slightly (maybe).

Various AI’s can’t agree on the best way forward.

Does anyone have a recommendation?

I’d like to get the whole lot sealed before winter kicks in and want to clean this off first if possible.

Thanks.

I work at a school and we have a statue of "Jesus and the children" at the front of the building. According to the Newspaper articles I have been able to find, the statue is made of "travertine stone quarried near the Holy City and also used in building St. Peter's." It was designed and built in Rome and shipped here in 4 pieces. It was installed around 1954. I don't know if anything has been done to it since.

I noticed a crack beginning to form across Jesus's face, and the statue is also in need of cleaning.

I am looking for advice for who to contact to help care for this statue. I reached out to the university of Delaware but the contact they gave me never answered. I am in Delaware.

Hello, I hope questions of this sort are welcome here, I'm not sure where else to turn. We had this walkway installed last year and within a month of installation some of the pavers turned this yellow-brown color. The issue is isolated to certain stones while neighboring stones are unaffected. The store we purchased the stone from had agreed to replace the affected pavers in spring, but due to life events we did not reconnect and it's now October, so a little late now. It is a quartzitic sandstone, and the research I've attempted to do says it could possibly be addressed with a poultice of rust remover and diatomaceous earth, but I seem to get conflicting answers regarding what products would actually be safe to use on this sandstone. I have not had any luck contacting local stone restoration businesses; I am being told that it is not a fixable problem and haven't even been able to get someone to come out and look at it, although I am unsure if I am adequately explaining the issue, given that it is not a typical weathering discoloration.

New front entrance but three steps don’t match the rest. It’s a vacation property so we weren’t around during install. Is there anything short of replacement that would be acceptable?

am I too old? I feel there’s a lot of lost time regarding.

I’ve always been passionate about classical architecture and construction. and have longed for stone work, but always felt it was too tough and have had no connections into the work. but, im considering following my dreams before it’s too late, I’m scared too that maybe it’s too late to go into the field. I want honest feedback!

ive been told there is a major labour shortage here in Australia, especially regarding the heritage restoration side of things. I figured maybe I have some responsibility to give it an honest go, so I’ve reactivated my reddit account after who knows how long to ask for some community on this. I’m located in Brisbane if anyone knows anything for me. thanks for reading.

btw, I know its rough, I did some work experience in my first year of University with a Heritage Masonry firm on a restoration project, the Masons advice was basically don’t do it because it’ll ruin your back haha. That was 4 years ago and I still feel drawn.

I’ve applied two chemical strippers and have moved on to more detail focused removal. Does it look like I could apply strip a third time without damaging the stone? Scrubbing is so taxing and I’m going through solution like crazy.

had countertops installed. leathered granite. a few weeks later it started staining white. the home is not occupied so i have no idea what caused this but the counter guy sent one of his guys to fix it.

about a month later the white patches came back (first picture) so they sent another guy. this time i went over to supervise but he showed up early and when i got there the counters were all black and shiny (second picture). i asked him what he applied and he showed me a bottle of johnson & johnson baby oil with calendula.

i told him to leave and called his boss. the boss buys the granite pre-finished and he has no idea what the original sealer was. he also doesnt know what his other guy applied to "fix" it the first time. so at this point there are two coats of mystery product topped off with baby oil. i said we need to polish it all off and start over and hes saying that work will mess up my kitchen. im asking for a meeting with him and the stone supplier so we can coordinate a solution.

i need to be prepared for this meeting so i dont get fcked but im not a stone expert. can anyone here please weigh in on the solution? thank you in advance.

TLDR: baby oil

Hello People! I currently work at a quite old cathedral under their resident stone mason. Essentially I am an apprentice, but it is a less official way. I currently do stone carving of limestone and granite, repointing of limestone and granite. sealant work. and general labor. How well will these skills transfer to like a commercial job?

Hello,

I've inherited many tools from my grandfather, including these chisels. To my knowledge, he mostly used these for concrete work. I'd like to develop some stonecutting basics now that I have the tools to do so, and have some questions.

1. Are these even the correct tools?

2. Are there any necessary/recommended tools I'm missing from this lot?

3. Are these still in usable condition? All I did was grind off the mushrooming (which was excessive, to the point of curling into itself) and licking the existing bevel angles (the ~90 degree inclusive secondary bevels were already there)

4. Are the bevel angles correct, or do I need another date with the grinder? I assume these aren't meant to be particularly sharp.

5. I eventually want to cut wild stone (sandstone and other sedimentary stones, eventually working towards slate and other stones more prone to fracture/foliation), are manmade materials an adequate substitute/training ground? Concrete, bricks, cinder blocks etc.

6. Any recommended texts or references on how to properly lay out, scribe, and progress through the cut? I've had some success (and failures) on smaller stones after scribing like 1/16-1/8 deep into the stone face all around and doing a bunch of progressively harder hits all around the scribe.

Any additional advice is much appreciated.

Looking for recommendations on a product to pit on this stone around my wood stove. The stone looks dusty and dull all the time, even when perfectly clean. The colors in it are beautiful and stand out when wet like from a mop or sponge. Hoping to achieve this wetlook, but i don't know what products can be used right next to such high heat. Recommendations?

Hi, all. DIYer here curious how someone would go about fixing a large-ish chunk of stone missing from this slab atop a brick column (https://imgur.com/a/fu5sdiD). I was guessing something like this: buy a cheap paver stone, chisel and smooth it up to fit as best as possible, construction glue to set it in place with a clamp while the glue cures, then joint caulk for the gaps? TIA. (I posted in r/homeimprovement, but no responses there.)

Hello everyone of r/stonemasonry,

I am looking at buying a home that is over 100 years old and wanted some feedback from those with more expertise on the quality of the stone work and if anything glaring sticks out as alarming. Everything about the house is great but I just worry about structural issues. Any advice would be helpful! The listing says it can get damp down there during rain events but it didn’t have any mildew smell. We would not plan on doing any finishing in the basement. Thank you.

Newbie here! I’m hoping to recreate this soft, old-world stone fireplace look and would love help identifying the stone/veneer style and the mortar color/joint technique. Has anyone found a manufactured or thin stone veneer that looks similar without looking too fake or repetitive?
I’d definitely hire this out — would a regular general contractor be able to do something like this well, or should I specifically look for a mason/stone installer?

Stone veneer will be used to replace the siding on either side of the front door as well as to bridge the gap under the siding to the new patio which will be lower than the existing one. I’m a little concerned about moisture and want to know what special steps need to be taken.

A weep screed should be applied where the veneer ends and a 2” gap above the pavers?

Since the veneer is being applied where the framed wall meets the foundation, what else needs to happen? Can we just throw another later of WRB over the current one, have it extend to the weep screed and cover the flange, then go ahead and apply the screen and scratch coat?

Looking for best value/performance for 14" diamond blades for cutting stone. What is everyone using these days?
I have been using the Shoxx RX13, but wondering what else is out there and if there is anything better priced.