Do you want to be a stonemason or stone craftsman? These instructions will guide you through the process of becoming one of the best stoneworking and laying artists, revealing the best tricks of the trade.
Steps
Step 1. Distinguish the profession of the mason stonemason from that of other building craftsmen
The profession of the stonemason mason, who performs masonry or stone cladding, is completely different from that of a mason who works with bricks, concrete blocks or tiles, or "fake stone cladding"; a "faux stone cladding" is exactly what the name suggests - a fake that claims to be what it isn't. Faux stone masonry consists of a concrete wall covered with a thin layer of stone, to simulate a wall covered or built in this material. However, the stone film is just a decoration, and is prone to flaking off within 15 years or so. The stone artisans, or masons stonecutters, instead build massive walls and coatings of real stone.
Step 2. Learn to build stone walls
The most common type of work that the stone craftsman does is the lining of walls and other building elements with natural stone masonry. As the name suggests, it is a masonry that is put in place by binding the stones with mortar.
Step 3. Build a stone cutting work surface
Prepare a scaffold with two vertical metal frames (uprights), joined by two or three horizontal boards (crossbars), reinforcing the scaffolding thus obtained with diagonal bars assembled in the shape of an X (X-brace). Arrange a board at hip level and another on top of the scaffold, to be able to put a bucket full of water on it. This way you can build a siphon to water cool the saw blade and the stone while cutting, to have on hand when needed. You will most likely need it every day.
Step 4. Get the tools, plug them in and place them where you need to use them
In some cases you will not have to use all your work tools, but you can select the ones you will need for a specific work. If you don't know what tools you will need, get them all.
Step 5. Consider the container from which you will take the concrete
I advise you not to keep the concrete in a wheelbarrow: it is better if you pour it on a resulting plank that you find in any construction site. Put the concrete on top of the board after wetting it.
Step 6. Get a good amount of stones and arrange them in line to cut them
Select good stones to work with, but don't take all the best ones if there are other stonemasons working with you who may also need top quality stones. Take only the best quality stones that you really need.
Step 7. Before mixing the concrete, think about what else you will need to keep on hand
If you need to build a pillar or something else that has an edge, you will need to create an alignment or a series of alignments with string. This means that you will need to stretch a very taut string, kept under tension from a point above the element you are working on to an end point, at a given distance. For example, suppose you have to place stones around a pillar, so that the cladding ends about 6 centimeters from the wall. Cut a 5x10cm piece of wood about 15cm long. Take a hardboard and cut a long strip out of it. Drill and screw the 5x10 piece of wood onto the chipboard strip so the 5x10 doesn't rotate around itself. Drill the chipboard strip to the wall. Measure 6cm away from both corner walls and mark the distance on the two long sides of the 5x10 by 15cm. Extend these marks with a team, to the point where the measurement lines intersect. Drill a screw at the intersection point, but do not drill it all the way. Let part of the vine protrude a little from the wood. Now, tie a strong and durable twine to the screw you just drilled. Make sure that the twine reaches the lowest end, and that it is left over to go a little further.
Step 8. Dig to the foundation foot or base of the structure you are going to work on
If there is no real foundation foot, dig a groove about 30 cm deep and pour concrete into it to make your own foundation foot for the stone cladding.
Step 9. Place the first facing stone of the corner
Make sure it ends 6 cm away from the end of either side of the pillar or corner walls you need to tile. You can measure the distance of the stone from the walls with a square or with a tape measure. If you work with a corner, you usually need to create either a natural corner, or a chiseled corner. Make sure you do not leave one of the saw cut corners of the stone in sight, unless requested by the customer … but it is unlikely that you will find yourself in this situation.
Step 10. Take another screw and tie it to the end of your string
Make sure that it is well secured under the first corner stone: enough to keep the twine under tension, but not so taut as to lift the anchoring corner stone at the base, in case the concrete is still fresh. If this is the first time you are doing this step, you will probably go unnoticed. You will learn how to deal with experience.
Step 11. Make sure the alignment is correct
Measure, measure, re-measure and measure again. When you work with edges, it is a fundamental precaution. If the alignment is not correct, you may have to redo the work of two or three days - if not more - which obviously is not a pleasant consequence if you are paid by the square meter, and it is even more frustrating if you are paid by the hour., because you risk losing your job for not having finished within the time agreed with the client. Make sure you take measurements continuously - both during important work steps and those that seem to require less attention. Measure, measure and measure again. It is difficult to get to the point where you measure too much.
Step 12. Keep the joints as tight as possible
Sometimes this involves the need to further chamfer the stone instead of cutting it directly from the rock. Without creating too accentuated an angle, but only just enough to arrange the stones in a beautiful pose and create a good overall composition, avoiding that the stones overlap each other. Unless a rustic finish is required of you, make sure each stone is flush. (The way to understand if you are a good craftsman is to check if you are organized and if you meet the expectations of your customers).
Step 13. Know that there will be times when you will have to work with difficult cuts and places where it will be difficult to match the stones
For example, when you have to collect a given large and heavy stone, you can roll it and mark it in different places to cut it a little, repeating this process until the stone is finally ready to be laid. The more a stone is worked, the more likely it is to break. You can either work with lots of small cut stones or use a template. This is a trick of the trade!
- Buy a type of metal cable that is not too stiff. (You need a cable that you can move and shape easily; this usually involves choosing a thinner diameter cable. However, if it is too thin it will not hold the shape and will eventually sag, wasting your time.) Find a type of cable. wire that meets these needs.
- Take the wire rope, cut a long enough piece and wrap the two ends together. You should then get a circular cable. You can lay this cord on the areas where the stone is difficult to cut in order to be installed, and shape it according to the contour you want the new stone to take. Give it the shape you deem appropriate so as not to overlap any of the other stones already in place. Take a few extra minutes to make sure it's the correct shape. Working a little longer on a piece of wire is much faster and easier than having to pick up a heavy stone, mark it in multiple places, cut it, then mark it again, cut it, and repeat this process many times for the stone to take shape. necessary to be properly in place. The important thing is that he has modeled the wire correctly.
- Place the cord on the stone. Take a pencil or marker that writes on all surfaces, lay the wire on the stone and mark it from the inside according to the profile of the cable. (Make sure not to reverse the model, otherwise your stone will be useless. Sometimes you can save your work by turning the stone, but if it has been shrunk to shape it probably won't be possible to re-fit it; therefore there are disadvantages to chiseling stone as well. but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages). Once you have marked the stone, mold it to that shape, and you will be able to fit it perfectly into the desired position.
Step 14. When preparing the stones, make sure they will form T-shaped, not I-shaped joints
Let me explain. You saw how the bricks are put in place, right? Each layer is offset from the underlying. Suppose they weren't staggered. You would end up with a bundle of X-shaped joints. That is, if the pattern formed by the joints represented streets on a map, the streets would appear as four-way intersections rather than T-intersections. acceptable. They are not aesthetically pleasing to look at and usually create continuous joints. A continuous joint occurs when the commissure extends uninterrupted for more than 90 cm. These are incorrect. Because? Because over the years this type of joints contribute to the formation of cracks in the masonry. The first place where cracks form is at X-shaped joints and continuous joints.
Step 15. Understand that there is so much more to this job
There is always a weird little unexpected thing to solve. Hopefully, you will be able to work around the problems that arise from time to time by reflecting on them and with perseverance.
Step 16. Learn to master horizontal work
Horizontal work is the one done on the floors. This is faster, so you can complete larger sections in a single day and get paid more for the workday. But it is rarely done, so admire the customer who requests it.
Step 17. Set up the cutting operation
I think you could use scaffolding for this job, but it's more practical if you're just using a wheelbarrow. Place a chipboard panel inside the wheelbarrow that extends beyond the length of the wheelbarrow, letting it lie on the thinnest part of the wheelbarrow. Take your water-cooled saw and lay it out on the table. This is your work area.
Step 18. Find out how best to arrange the stones to make the floor design
Start laying stones. Obviously you will have to make some complex cuts.
Get some cheap clear plastic sheets. Sometimes you can use the waste material that you find there, otherwise you can buy it. Also buy permanent markers. Arrange the cloth on the area where the stone you will have to cut will go. Make sure the tarp is taut. Draw the outline of the shape of the stone you will need to cut. Write "on top" of the plastic template in the middle so that you don't reverse the shape when you cut the stone. Find an appropriate size stone for the pattern you need to cut. Wet the stone with water and place the plastic model on the wet surface so that it sticks to the stone without moving. Cut the stone to the shape you need
Advice
- As long as you are an assistant to the craftsman who sets up the stone masonry, buy only conventional tools. Don't buy them all; it would be a waste, while if you buy them gradually the expense does not weigh too heavily on your financial resources.
- You may be wondering what qualifications you need to become a stone masonry craftsman. Well, usually you have to be the assistant of a qualified craftsman for a consistent period of time. No education is required, but by working as an assistant you can learn so many specific things that will spare you difficulties in the learning process to become a skilled craftsman. If you choose this line of training to enter the profession, expect to be an assistant for about a year, or maybe even 2 or 3.
