Construction Techniques for Granite Buildings

Traditional Mortared Stone Walls

• Workers can construct buildings using techniques where large stones are placed in the best position and bonded together between the gaps. These traditional mortared stone walls rely on Portland cement --- a mixture of limestone calcium, clay alumina and shale silica --- as the bonding agent. The Portland cement is often mixed with lime to give it a softer, more flexible consistency for use with stone work. Workers who build a free-standing wall must use great care in its construction, and this method takes time.

Veneer Stone Walls

• Veneer stone consists of thin, flat pieces of granite placed up against a structural wall, either as the interior or exterior facing. Workers use metal tabs to keep the granite in place while bonding the stone with Portland cement that is mixed with gravel, sand and water. Workers may reinforce the wall with steel bars to reduce structural cracking.

Slipform Stone Walls

• By combining both construction techniques used in creating a traditional mortared wall and a veneered wall, workers can create a slipform stone wall. Slipform stone walls use a type of form molding in which stonework is placed. The granite faces outward on both sides with a space in between where concrete is poured. Workers place in rebar to provide added strength to the wall. The form molds are then taken down, leaving a stone-covered concrete wall. This technique also permits workers to cover only one side of the cement with granite.

Stone Installation

• Workers must follow drawing specifications when installing granite for any type of structural form. Most construction jobs require the stone to be cut to fit into the building's construction, and workers must perform the proper field cuts so that all edges are true to the measurements. Workers need to use the correct pressure-relieving joints per the architectural drawings guidelines, according to the National Building Granite Quarries Association. Once granite is installed, workers clean the stones with fiber brushes and water.