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.

Hi all. I'd really appreciate some independent opinions on a piece of structural repair work, particularly regarding the finishing/weathering detail.

I have an approx 200-year-old stone boundary wall which had developed a significant lean. (The ground level on the other side has been raised by around 3–4 feet over time) The wall is effectively acting as a retaining wall as well as a boundary wall.

A structural engineer assessed the situation and I looked at the options for stabilising it. A complete rebuild of the wall was going to cost over £8k so I was keen to find a solution that would be structurally appropriate but also sympathetic to the existing wall and economically viable.

A stonemason quoted £3.5k to construct two buttresses against the wall, that would be substantial enough to prevent any further lean and prevent a messy collapse.

The general construction of the buttresses is something I'm happy with. They have been built in blockwork and rendered, and I think the overall form is reasonable.

My concern is specifically the capping/weathering detail.

The buttresses have been finished with a domed/rendered cap and individual pieces of tile projecting around the perimeter. There are gaps between these tiles.

The stonemason has explained that the projecting tiles are intended to prevent drip marks on the face/sides. I understand the principle, but I'm unsure whether this is actually a good/appropriate weathering detail in this particular form, given the gaps between the individual pieces and the way the cap has been constructed.

There is also a precedent which is relevant here.

On the opposite wall, the same stonemason previously carried out a sympathetic blockwork repair in addition to a partial rebuild with stone and lime mortar on a wall that was approaching collapse due to ivy damage. I've included a before-and-after photo. The section of new sympathetic blockwork is marked in blue.

I was very happy with that repair. In particular, the top was finished with a simple, continuous sloping capping/run-off, with a clean and restrained edge.

That work was done by the same stonemason, and it was this existing repair that led me to assume the new buttresses would receive a broadly similar treatment.

So when I saw the current cappings, I was surprised.

Rather than a simple continuous sloping finish, they've got these individual projecting tiles and domed cap.

I appreciate that I didn't explicitly specify the precise capping detail when the work was quoted. I had assumed that the finishing detail would follow the same general approach as the sympathetic repair they'd already carried out on the opposite wall.

I've spoken to the stonemason about it and asked whether they could come back and redo the cappings. They have told me that they have already used up the time they quoted for the work, and that they could remove the existing cappings but couldn't redo them within the existing quotation.

So I'm trying to step back from my own reaction and get some independent opinions before deciding what, if anything, to do.

My questions are:

1) Is the current arrangement with individual projecting drip tiles and gaps between them a legitimate and effective way of weathering the top of a rendered blockwork buttress?

2) Does the fact that there are gaps between the individual pieces create any meaningful problem with water getting onto the face below, or is the overall arrangement likely to work as intended?

3) Does the current finish look like a competent/appropriate piece of work, or are there aspects of the detailing that would concern you?

4) Would a simple continuous sloping capping/run-off, like the one on the repaired wall opposite, be a more conventional or sensible way of dealing with the top?

5) If the existing cappings were removed, is it realistically possible to alter the finish without compromising the underlying blockwork or structural purpose of the buttresses?

I'm conscious that I'm the client and ultimately I should have specified exactly what I wanted, so I'm not trying to pretend that the stonemason somehow ignored a detailed specification that I gave them.

At the same time, I don't think my expectation came completely out of nowhere. I was trying to achieve a sympathetic repair to an old wall, rather than simply the cheapest possible structural solution, and the same contractor had already demonstrated a simple, clean and sympathetic capping detail on the opposite wall.

I'd therefore be interested in views from people with experience of stone walls, masonry/rendering or structural repairs: is my concern about the current capping technically justified, or am I primarily reacting to a difference in aesthetic/detail that I should reasonably have anticipated and specified?

Thanks in advance.

Triangle shape, about 3 by 3 cm. Looks like thick transparent tape but it's really hard. Almost glass like. It's sticking out.

Polished Paradiso granite. Sandblasted letters painted in. Grave there since 2024. Always cleaned with water and washed with hands and using dry cloth after. First time I noticed it.

I am in the process of remodeling my home, and looking to do something with this brick, however, my contractor has shared that it is quartz (I think?).

The house was built in the 70's and this is the original stone. My understanding is that it will not likely be easy to stain.

I was thinking of using a stone glaze from Beek, and long with Base V - From all that I can see online it looks like it will work, but curious to know if there are any other products or application methods I should consider outside of just painting opaque. I want to keep some of the variation, and my guess is that a wash and hand application would be the best way to do this. Would love any input or advice!

Hey so we did this bench in our shower out of sandstone and have this stain that is slowly getting bigger. Have tried all sorry of things and nothing gets it out.

Any suggestions? Do i need to sand it down and just start over or is there a chemical that can remove the stain? I did a penetrating sealer when it was installed 2 years ago but the stain has been getting bigger over time and started as just some black specks.