Do you remember the cartoon 'The Flintstones'? One of the main characters was named Barney...
Barney Rubble wasn't it? The cartoon writers used stone industry terms for the descriptive names in their production and also used these terms to name their characters.
Barney's last name was Rubble which is a common type of stone, so it was appropriately used as the last name for a common type worker.
Common rubble stone walls have been built since the beginning of ancient civilizations.
Early rubble stone walls were constructed by the first builders and likely the Egyptians built rubble stone walls from the pieces left over from the task of forming the giant pyramid stones.
Barney would have been impressed! What is rubble stone? - Rubble stone are the rough and irregular fragments of broken stone formed by a geological or quarrying process.
For the sake of simplicity we do not include in this definition any stone that has been altered by hand or machine to change its appearance.
To give you a better picture of rubble stone, think of taking a large piece of concrete gravel and hitting it with a hammer.
What's left over after the dust settles are pieces of gravel of varying size and shape.
Now think bigger.
Think of one large stone getting hit by another large stone, in a rock slide, an explosion or a seismic event.
The pieces that chip off or the pieces that the larger stones break up into are call rubble.
So by definition rubble stone will have irregular and random widths, lengths and thicknesses.
So any stone that fits this description regardless of the color or type of stone would be considered rubble stone.
That was simple now wasn't it? Why is rubble stone so common? - Broken, chips or chards of stone are just more plentiful naturally and if you add in the effects of explosives on rocks during the quarrying process, well you begin to understand why this stone is so plentiful.
Since it is plentiful and considered a common stone, it is generally less expensive than hand formed, split or cut stone.
However this does not change the beauty one can create with rubble stone and is typically used where a rough, earthy appearance is desirable.
Common uses for rubble stone - Some common uses for rubble stone today are retaining walls, garden walls, house walls, fireplaces etc.
Rubble stone is also used extensively for landscaping and can provide a dramatic, natural compliment to border and bed plantings.
Building with rubble stone can be a highly skilled proposition requiring experienced stone masons or can be placed less skillfully by mason apprentices or sometimes even landscapers.
This is determined to a large extent by the finish desired by the architect and the owner which will determine the skill level of the mason needed to achieve their goals.
Whom do you hire to set rubble stone? - Think in the following terms and you will be able to choose the appropriate installer for the project at hand.
Consider that any installer you hire will begin the project with the exact same pile of stones...
just like any artists begin a painting with the same paints and brushes.
Even though the masons, like the artist, start with identical materials their final products can differ dramatically.
As with any artistic endeavor it will depend on conditions, situations and knowledge to numerous to mention here.
Only you or your architect understand the final appearance you are looking for, so it is up to you to relate this information to your potential masons.
You must take the time to inform them of what your expectations are if you ever hope to achieve your goals.
So your time should be spent in the search for the right mason for your project than searching for the right stone.
If you use these tips, take your time and discuss your expectations fully you should end up with that beautiful stone wall you that you desire for your home or business project.
Be patient and good luck!