EH Smith

Natural Stone

Natural stone often offers more strength and weathering resistance then other artificial man made materials. Buildings constructed centuries ago can provide a good guide to how a new building will look at a similar age if constructed in similar materials. There are just not the examples present of structures built from artificial products of comparable age.

Natural stone, although sometimes more expensive than man made alternatives, can be said to give better lifetime value. The maintenance of a natural stone structure or project may often be less than artificial materials, and the design life of the project may also be extended. When the lifetime and maintenance factors are added in you often find that natural stone is the cheaper alternative. In this respect it can be said to represent the choice of the specifier with a longer term design life in mind.

As a rule of thumb, when specified correctly natural stone will last longer than the design life of a project.

Using natural stone makes a "prestige" statement for a building. Used in landscaping it makes for a more pleasant urban environment, and clearly defines a gentrified area that in its own right often acts as a lure for further private investment.

Natural Stone can be used for most forms of building and landscaping, but the selection of which stone to use for which form (paving, ashlar, cladding, steps, coping etc), is a combination of the inherent qualities of the stone, the design and situation of the product in question, the required design life of the product and the thickness of the stone. There is an old adage in the Natural Stone world "There is no such thing as using the wrong stone, but rather a stone used wrongly".



Sandstone	Limestone	Granite	Slate	Stone Finish

A large range of stones from UK and worldwide.	From Portland through Bath to Lincolnshire. Limestones to suit all projects	A full range of granites from across the world.	Silver flooring slate	There are many and varied finishes available on stone. This can give your project an added dimension

If you would like some specialist advice, please contact us on specifications@ehsmith.co.uk for further information.