P – W
P
palletizing A system of stacking stone on wooden pallets. Stone delivered palletized is easily moved and transported by modern handling equipment. It generally arrives at the job site in better condition than unpalletized material.
panel A single unit of fabricated stone veneer.
parging Applying a coat of mortar to the back of stone units, or to the face of the backup material.
parapet 1. a low wall to protect the edge of a terrace, roof, or balcony. 2. The portion of wall above the roof of a building.
patina When the surface of a material has changed in color or texture due to age or exposure to various elements, it is referred to as patina.
paver A single unit of fabricated stone for use as an exterior paving material.
paving Stone used as a wearng surface, as in patios, walkways, driveways, etc.
pedestal In classical architecture, the support for a column or statue, consisting of a base, dado, and cap.
pediment The gable end of a roof in classical architecture. Located above a horizontal cornice member, it comprises the raking cornices and the tympanum. It is typically triangular, but can also be curved when applied as a decorative element over windows.
pergola Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.
pilaster A shallow, engaged pier or column projecting from a wall, typically decorative.
pillowed A tile finish that features softly rounded edges, thus giving the tile a pillowed look.
pitched stone A rough stone face or edge, cut with a pitching chisel.
plinth 1. The base block at the junction of the stone base and trim around a door or other opening. 2. The bottom stone block of a column or pedestal.
plutonic Applies to igneous rocks formed beneath the surface of the earth, typically with large crystals owing to the slowness of cooling.
pointing The final filling and finishing of mortar joints that have been raked out. polished finish A glossy surface finish that brings out the full color and character of the stone.
porphyry An igneous rock characterized by distinct and contrasting sizes of coarse and fine-grained crystals. Used as a decorative building stone.
portico A porch formed by a roof supported with columns, similar to a temple front.
privacy partition A thin stone panel between urinals. See urinal screen.
producer Company or person that quarries and supplies dimension stone to the commercial market.
Q
quarrier Company or person that extracts natural stone from a quarry.
quarry block Generally, a rectangular piece of rough stone as it comes from a quarry, frequently dressed (scabbed) or wire-sawed for shipment. pergola Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.
quartz A silicon dioxide mineral that occurs in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses. One of the hardest minerals that compose stones such as sandstone, granite, and quartzite. pergola Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.
quartz-based stone A stone that may be either sedimentary in formation (as in sandstone, or metamorphic, as in quartzite). Definitions of the classes of stone which form the quartz-based stone group are explained in ASTM C119.
quirk-miter Linear edge work for corner joints. pergola Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.
quirk-miter joint An external corner formed by two stone panels at an angle, with meeting edges mitered and with exposed portions finished. pergola Garden structure formed by two rows of posts or pillars with joists and open framing above, often covered by climbing plants and shading a walkway.
quoin One of the decorative dressed stones or bricks used at the corner of a building. Quoins are usually laid so their faces are alternately large and small.
R
random slab A trimmed slab with a width and length that is not preset, but variable within certain limits.
rabbet A groove cut into the surface along an edge so as to receive another piece similarly cut.
rake An angular cut on the face of a stone.
rebated kerf An additional cut that countersinks a kerf from the back edge of the kerf to the back edge of another piece of stone for the purpose of additional anchor clearance. It is not a gauged cut. If used for a bearing surface, it must be shimmed to allow for tolerance in the cut.
reglet A narrow, flat, recessed molding, or a kerf cut to receive flashing.
reinforcement A fabrication technique, often called “rodding,” that refers to the strengthening of unsound marble and limestone by cementing rods into grooves or channels cut into the back of the stone unit. Another method of reinforcement is the lamination of fiberglass to the back of tile
units.
relief Carving or embossing raised above a background plane, as in a bas-relief.
reprise Inside corner of a stone member with a profile other than a flat plane.
resin A chemical product, clear to translucent, used in some coating processes.
return The right-angle turn of a molding.
reveal The exposed portion of a stone between its outer face and a window or door set into an opening.
rift The most pronounced direction of splitting or cleavage of stone. Rift and grain may be obscure, as in some granites, but are important in both quarrying and processing stone.
rise The height of a stone, generally used in reference to veneer stone.
rock (pitch) faced Similar to split faced, except that the face of the stone is pitched to a given line and plane, producing a bold appearance rather than the comparatively straight face obtained in split face.
rodding See reinforcement.
rough sawn A surface finish resulting from the gang sawing process.
rubble A term applied to dimension stone used chiefly for walls and foundations, consisting of irregularly squared pieces, partly trimmed or squared, generally with one split or finished face, and selected and specified with a size range.
rustication Exterior masonry cut in large blocks with deeply chamfered joints. Surfaces can be smooth or rough-textured, and joints and faces can have various treatments.
S
saddles See thresholds.
sample A piece of dimension stone, usually 12″ x 12″, showing the general range of color, markings, and finish of a given variety of stone.
sandblasted A matte-textured surface finish with no gloss, finished by application of a steady flow of sand and water under pressure.
sandstone See quartz-based stone.
sawed edge A clean-cut edge generally achieved by cutting with a diamond blade, gang saw, or wire saw.
sawed face A finish obtained from the process used in producing blocks, slabs, or other units of building stone. It varies in texture from smooth to rough, and is typically named for the type of material used in sawing, e.g. diamond sawn, sand sawn, chat sawn, and shot sawn.
scabbing See dressing.
schist A loose term applying to foliated metamorphic (recrystallized) rock characterized by thin foliae that are composed predominately of minerals of thin platy or prismatic habits and whose long dimensions are oriented in approximately parallel positions along the planes of foliation. Because of this foliated structure, schists split readily along these planes and so have a pronounced rock cleavage. The more common shists are composed of mica-like minerals (such as chlorite) and generally contain subordinate quartz and/or feldspar of a comparatively fine-grained texture; all gradations exist between schist and gneiss (coarsely foliated feldspathic rocks).
scotia A concave molding
sculpture The work of a sculptor cutting a three-dimensional form from a block of stone.
sealant An elastic adhesive compound used to seal stone veneer joints.
sealing 1. To make a veneer joint watertight with an elastic adhesive compound. 2. Application of a treatment to retard staining.
sedimentary Rocks formed of sediments laid down in successive strata or layers. The materials of which they are formed are derived from preexisting rocks or the skeletal remains of sea creatures.
serpentine A hydrous magnesium silicate material; generally dark green in color with markings of white, light green, or black. Considered commercially as a marble because it can be polished. Definition of serpentine is given in ASTM C119 under the marble group.
setter An experienced journeyman who installs dimension stone.
setting The trade of installing dimension stone.
setting space The distance from the finished face of a stone unit to the face of the backup material.
shim A piece of plastic or other noncorrosive, nonstaining material used to hold joints to size.
shop drawing A detailed fabrication and installation drawing showing dimensions and methods of anchorage.
shop ticket Also referred to as a “cutting” or “cut” ticket, it is generally produced by the stone fabricator or shop for in-house use and reference. A shop ticket is produced for each differing piece of stone required for a project and is referenced to shop drawings, which are used for communicating intent with parties outside of the fabricating team or shop.
sill The bottom horizontal part of a window or opening in a structure.
simulated stone An artificial manmade product that resembles stone.
slab A lengthwise-cut piece sawn or split from a quarry block prior to fabrication.
slate A very fine-grained metamorphic rock derived from sedimentary shale rock. Characterized by an excellent parallel cleavage, and entirely independent of original bedding, slate may be split easily into relatively thin slabs. See definition of slate in ASTM C119.
soapstone A massive talc with a “soapy” feel, used for hearths, tabletops, chemicalresistant
laboratory tops, stove facings, and cladding; known for its stainproof characteristics. Classified in ASTM C119 as part of the greenstone group.
soffit The underside of any architectural element, such as an arch, beam, lintel, or balcony.
soundness A property of stone used to describe relative freedom from cracks, faults, voids, and similar imperfections found in untreated stone. One of the characteristics encountered in fabrication.
spall A chip or splinter separated from the main mass of a stone.
spandrel 1. The triangular area between an arch and a wall, or between two arches. Often decorated. 2. In modern high-rise construction, the blank wall panel between the top of one window and the bottom of the one above it. Can be made of stone, metal, or glass.
splay A beveled or slanted surface.
split Division of a rock by cleavage.
split-faced stone Stone on which the face has been broken to an approximate plane.
spot or spotting The mortar applied to the back of dimension stone veneer to bridge the space between a stone panel and the backup wall. Used to plumb a wall.
stacked bond Stone that is cut to one dimension and installed with unbroken vertical and horizontal joints running the entire length and height of the veneered area.
sticking The butt edge repair of a broken piece of stone, now generally done with dowels, cements, or epoxies. The pieces are “stuck” together; thus “sticking.”
stool A flat unit of stone, often referred to as an interior windowsill.
T
TCA (Tile Council Of America) An organization of manufacturers serving the ceramic tile industry. Its programs include promotion of the uses of tile, improvement of product standards and quality, development of new installation methods and techniques, and publication of the annual Installation Handbook. Many of the installation techniques detailed in the handbook can be used to set stone tile.
template A pattern for a repetitive marking or fabricating operation.
terrazzo A flooring surface of marble or granite chips in a cementitious or resinous matrix, which is ground and finished after setting.
texture Surface quality of stone independent of color.
textured finish A rough surface finish.
thermal finish A surface treatment applied by intense heat flaming.
thin stone Dimension stone units less than 2″ thick.
threshold A flat strip of stone projecting above the floor between the jambs of a door. Also known as a “saddle.”
tile A thin modular stone unit, generally less than ¾” thick.
tolerance Dimensional allowance in the fabrication process.
translucence The ability of many lighter-colored marbles to transmit light.
travertine A variety of limestone that is a precipitate from hot springs. Some varieties of travertine take a polish and are known commercially as marble. ASTM C119 classifies travertine in both the limestone and the marble groupings.
tread A flat stone used as the top walking surface on steps.
trim The framing or edging of openings and other features on the interior or exterior of a building, including baseboards, picture rails, cornices, and casings.
tumbled finish A weathered, aging finished created when the stone is tumbled with sand, pebbles, or steel bearings.
U
unit A piece of fabricated cubic or thin dimension stone.
undercut Cut so as to present an overhanging part.
urinal screen A thin stone panel used as a privacy partition between urinals.
V
vein A layer, seam, or narrow irregular body of mineral material different from the surrounding formation.
vein cut A cut into quarried stone perpendicular to the natural bedding plane.
veneer An interior or exterior stone wall covering layer.
venting See cavity vent.
W
wainscot An interior veneer of stone covering the lower portion of an interior wall.
wash The slope on the top of a stone unit intended to shed water.
water-jet finish A surface treatment performed by using water under extreme high pressure.
waxing The practice of filling minor surface imperfections such as voids or sand holes with melted shellac, cabinetmaker’s wax, or certain polyester compounds. In the dimension stone industry, it does not refer to the application of paste wax to make surfaces shinier.
weathering Natural alteration by either chemical or mechanical processes due to the action of constituents of the atmosphere, soil, surface waters, and other ground waters, or by temperature changes.
weep holes Openings for drainage in veneer joints or in the structural components supporting the veneer.
wire sawing A method of cutting stone by passing a twisted, multistrand wire over the stone. The wire may either be immersed in a slurry of abrasive material or be fitted with spaced industrial diamond blocks.
wyth The inner or outer part of a cavity wall.
