Method of manufacturing stone veneers

Abstract

An efficient method of manufacturing stone corner veneers, veneers, floor tiles and pavers, as well as a method of applying the veneers, is disclosed. The method consists of manufacturing veneer corners from a substantially parallelepiped stone, comprising the steps of: a) making a cut from a split face side of the stone into the stone a distance equal to the dimension of the stone from the surface being cut into to the opposite surface of the stone, less a thickness equal to a desired thickness of the veneer corner; and b) splitting the stone, from the side of the stone parallel to the cut and furthest from it, along a grain to the internal end of the cut whereby the veneer corner is created having an ashler side and a split face side and the remaining stone has only one cut face on an ashler side.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of stone masonry. In particular, it relates to a method of manufacturing stone veneers, corners and pavers and a method of applying the veneers to buildings. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Stone has long been used as a construction material for houses and other buildings. Typically, it was quarried and cut into blocks that were laid as structural components of buildings. More recently, due to the costs associated with materials like granite, it has become popular to cut the stone into thin slabs of about one inch in thickness and to apply these slabs or veneers to the exterior of buildings to give the appearance that the buildings are made from stone. [0003] Stone that is cut with a saw loses its natural appearance on the surfaces created by the saw cut and those surfaces are not visually appealing. It is, therefore, beneficial to maximize the amount of veneer created from a single stone that has at least o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] It is another object of this invention to provide a method of manufacturing that maximizes the output of such corners from a single stone.

[0010] A still further object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing veneers that maximizes the amount of veneer or pavers produced from a single stone that has at least one natural, non-saw cut face.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a simple method of applying veneers to a building wall that allows an unskilled worker to perform the task.

Problems solved by technology

Stone that is cut with a saw loses its natural appearance on the surfaces created by the saw cut and those surfaces are not visually appealing.

Another difficulty in the industry is that, when two veneers are used to make a corner, it is visually obvious, because of the seams between the veneers, that thin stone is being used and this is not desirable.

Cutting the stone across the split face requires a saw and is both more difficult and more expensive than splitting stone.

Often, when the stone is split or cut, it may end up less than 1″ think and be unsuitable for use as veneer.

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