Message
Christopher,
The definition of sandstone depends on your
understanding of sand. The more I study the geology the less relevant
information I can keep straight. The important issues for us builders and
designers is where it is from, what quarry, what area of the quarry, a basic
understanding of the stones make-up and performance characteristics. It is
great to have the stone selected at the quarry prior to shipping. A good
book on that subject is Practical Stone Masonry by Hill and David. If you
want a good, basic definition of the geology try Sand and Sandstone by
Pettijohn, Potter and Siever, intro and then chapters on grain size, weathering,
etc.. When you've memorized that, you can teach. There are over 100
basic sandstone types: brownstone, redstone, arkose, flagstone,
greywacke, and sandstone are most common around New Haven. Then you have
all the variations and composits.
Stoned in the Elm City,
Leland
"All happy families are happy alike, all
unhappy families are unhappy in their own way."
Leo Tolstoy, Anna
Karenina
I have always admired the dense,
olive-colored graining of Nova Scotia sandstone, which complements so nicely
tan and straw colored brick. It was in frequent use in New York City in
the 1870's and 1880's by "educated" architects like Henry Hardenbergh, as on
his Dakota apartment house. From this I infer that Nova Scotia was more
expensive.
Sandstone. Brownstone is
sandstone. Are all sandstones - whether happy or unhappy - alike?
The surviving examples of NS sandstone are in pretty good shape, far
better than the typical example of brownstone.
But is this perhaps a flawed sample - that
is, the more expensive projects (using NS) simply had more budget for better
quality sandstone? Or is NS itself "better" than
brownstone? If so, what is it that makes brownstone so much worse
than NS? Do our northern neighbors - of whatever province - even
have any brownstone?
Christopher