You have recently taken a loan to buy a bigger house where your family could live comfortably and enjoy a private life. Finally, you have purchased a house in a good neighborhood and started work to completely furbish it. When the time came to select tiles, you wanted the Natural Stone tiles that can stand the test of time and be affordable too. Your wife wanted to buy Marble tiles as they are easier to clean.

You and your wife started hunting for the granite tiles that offers highest luxury and superior quality. Luckily, you came across a reliable online destination that offers you a wide selection of Slate tiles and Paving stones. Some of the websites are simply a one stop shop for all your needs related to Natural Stone tiles.

These websites are committed to offering you high quality Travertine, at rock bottom rates. Quality is the nerve center of all the products offered by the website. With their help you can remodel your bathroom and kitchen, exactly as required by you. These web stores offer Slate tiles and other products for both domestic and commercial use. The products are ordered from reputable suppliers and are of superior quality. The professional at the website even have close contacts with major quarries which enables them to buy Marble tiles at a low price and so they are in a position to pass some of the savings to you in the form of highly competitive rates.

You want to renovate your kitchen completely. Your earlier kitchen was not user friendly and you used to spend a lot of time in completing the work which if the kitchen was designed properly would take half the time. One major and important aspect of the kitchen that you were not at all satisfied with was the floor. It looked dirty in spite of regularly cleaning it. That is why; you have decided that this time you will not compromise on the quality of the Natural Stone tiles.

To ensure that Paving stones and Travertine ordered by you are of superlative quality, opt for Natural Stone tiles store on the internet. Make sure that the website offers you excellent customer service and ensure safe and secure delivery of the orders placed by you. Browse through the different pages of their website and view the wide selection of different tiles they have on offer. Choose the Granite Tiles that you feel are the best and place the order. Your order will be delivered right at the destination specified by you with the assurance that all your needs and requirements will be met at any cost.

These marble tiles are easy to clean and retain their appearance in spite of the frequent use and abuse of chemicals, hot water and other objects. They will make your house attractive, elegant and aesthetically appealing.

A simple look at the wide array of Natural Stone tiles available at the website is enough to make you realize that you have found what you really need. Browse through the website right now and give an amazing look to every area of your home!!

David L. Chacon is the author of this article on Natural Stone Tiles.

Find more information about Granite Tiles here.

A fire pit can be simply a hole dug into the ground or it can be a composition of stone, brick or metal and can be either charcoal or gas burning. Having a fire pit in your backyard may be a really useful element when you are having friends over and choose to do some grilling. Sitting by the fire is no doubt one of the most relaxing things in the world, whether on a warm summer evening or on a cool autumn evening. Building a fire pit is a pretty simple do-it-yourself project. So here are some tips on putting a fire pit together for your upcoming social gathering.

Required Tools
Shovel
Hammer
String
Level
Brush
Required Materials
Bricks
Stake
Gravel
Sand
Metal grate
Cement (optional)
Steel pit ring with tabs

Instructions
If you are using stones they must be as smooth as doable but for now we will presume that you are using landscaping blocks. In the location you select for your pit, dig a hole about 2 feet deep and around 4 inches in circumference and load it with gravel to drain away water that may otherwise settle inside the pit.

Dig a hole around the area where the fire pit will be around 2 feet wider than the fire pit will be. To make sure that this hole is completely round, use a hammer and drive a stake into the very center of where the pit will be and tie a string around 3½ feet long onto the stake. While holding the string walk in a full circle around the stake and mark out a circle. Your circle ought to be more or less perfect after this.

Dig down about 12 inches right around your fire pit location using the circle as a outline and fill the hole with 4 inches of gravel and 4 inches of sand. Press the sand as level as you are able and place your first set of bricks on top of it. Use the level to make sure that this layer is completely flat and then completely fill the hole outside of the bricks with gravel. The blocks will be nearly fully covered but this will make sure your fire pit has a strong base.

Carry on with setting more rows of bricks. You can use the steel ring every couple of layers to ensure that the grill is still round and the ring fits inside. You may use cement if you want to keep the bricks in place. But not using cement makes it simpler to remove lone blocks if necessary later on. The cement may give off fumes when the fire is burning therefore it is advised to simply lay the bricks with nothing between.

Use the brush to remove debris from the bricks while you place them and leave random gaps between the stones to allow air to pass through or the fire will stifle and die. When you have set a few layers of the bricks, throw gravel inside the middle and spread it over the floor of the fire pit.

Around 6 layers of bricks should be sufficient thus when you have laid 5 layers, set the steel ring in place and lay the final layer of bricks on the tabs of the ring to hold it firmly in place. Finally place the metal grate in place and you’re ready for a fire.

Tips and Warnings
Make sure the bricks or stones you use were not in water because heat from the fire can cause them to explode.

It is in every instance recommended to saturate the area around the pit with water before you make a fire to guarantee that there are no stray fires. You should furthermore keep a bucket of water and a shovel handy every time you are going to light a fire.

Please visit these links for more information on: How To Build A Fire Pit and Build A Fire Pit.

There are various type of Natural stones available in INDIA. Main categories are: GRANITE, MARBLE, TRAVERTINE, SLATE, QUARTZITE, SANDSTONE AND LIMESTONE.

We should choose the stone depending upon the area environment (Look of the area) and its usage.

SLATE STONE: These are the softest stone and can be pealed out with any regular pressure. These are recommended for wall cladding and low activity floors with proper sealing. Slate stones are available in Natural, Tumbled and polished finish, but the beauty of this stone is more visible in only Natural finish. These are available in Tile and small slab size.

QUARTZITE STONE: These are harder then slate, due to quartz particles in it and are mostly used for interior cladding and flooring. Used also for Table tops. Quartzite Stone are available in Natural, Tumbled, Polished and Brushed Antique finish. Natural, polished and Brushed all these types have there different look and pull out the beauty escaped in the depth of stone. Sizes available are Tile and small slab size.

TRAVERTINE STONE: It is a soft stone and mostly used to give an antique look to the wall. It look antique in the natural finish and mostly available in tile size.

SANDSTONE: It is a soft stone and mostly advised to use outside the building in Natural finish for Cladding and garden/pathway flooring. Interior walls in Natural, polished, sandblasted n brushed finish. It absorbs water very fast and it can take heavy hot and cold temperatures. Outside floors are recommended in Natural finish only. These are available in Tiles, Natural small slabs and medium size Gangsaw cut slabs.

LIMESTONE: Harder then Sandstone, used as sandstone but it is more brittle. The flooring interior is recommended in Polished/Honed finish and exterior in Natural finish. Cladding can be of Natural, polished or honed finish. Due to the smoothness of this stone, these are very much recommended in Natural Steps, Benches, Garden Table tops etc. These are available in Tiles and small slab sizes.

MARBLE: Marble is a type of Limestone, it is basically more smooth in Natural and give an attracting antique look to the floor, wall or any top. Polished and Brushed Antique finish is available. These the available in tiles and Gangsaw size slabs. Some of the Marble like Rainforest Green n Rainforest brown have a classic brushed antique finish.

GRANITE: Very Hard stone, Used in interior n exteriors. These are available in Tiles, small and gangsaw slabs. These have varies finishes, like, Honed, Polished, Brushed, leather and flammed. These are recommended based on the area of use.

Contact http://WWW.DHARTICRAFTS.COM for FREE detailed advise with recommended finishes on each type of Natural stone. It will be our pleasure to receive COMMENTS on this article about Natural Stones from India to explain better in future displays. We should thanks to all the skilled and non skilled Labour force for their great efforts, behind mining and processing the Natural stone and getting the tremendous Stones available to the world market.

Nagendra Singh Naruka
Cell: 0091 9414077044
email – dharticrafts@gmail.com

A retaining wall must be strong enough to hold back the pressure of a great weight of soil, yet it must be porous enough to allow for drainage. The most popular types of walls are built of stone. In using stone to build a retaining wall, there are two basic types of construction: the dry-wall, which uses earth as a filler between the stones, and the mortar type, which uses cement as a bonding agent.

First, the base of any retaining wall must be sunk below the frost line. This is about 6-12 inches in the northern half of the United States but may be more in some areas. For a flat wall (one without buttresses or projections), the width of the base should equal one-fourth the height of the wall. The wall can taper to a width of about one-fourth of the width of the base.

For buttressed walls, the base should be approximately one-fourth as wide as the wall is to be high. This refers to the widest points, when buttressing is to be used. In the narrower areas, the base may have slimmer proportions

Drainage pipes should be imbedded in the wall at intervals of about 24 inches, and about 6 inches from the lower ground level of the retaining wall,. In some walls, it is possible to eliminate these drains, if the wall itself is porous enough, but any construction using mortar as a bonding agent, makes drainage pipes essential.

In dry-wall construction it is possible (though not advisable) to start the wall at ground level, and not sink it below the frost line. The most inexpensive way to construct a dry wall is to choose local stone, picking large stones for the main ones and smaller stones for the chinks. The largest stones should be used to form the base of the wall with the smaller ones leading to the top.

The side of the wall facing out should be as level as possible. Any obstructions and edges of outside stones should face inward. This gives the wall a better footing on the soil it retains and insures a good appearance. Stones with round surfaces do not form a good wall and should be discarded.

Stones should be placed in a good bond, which simply means that the edges of stones on one course should overlap spaces in the lower courses. Where a stone on an upper course is crooked or does not fit firmly, earth and small stones should be packed in to improve the bond and no vertical crevices should be left.

The wall itself should slope back against the soil that it is retaining. This gives it greater strength. As a rule of thumb, the width of the base should be one-third of the height. Although this degree of slope is not essential, it is the practice in many areas to slope the wall as much as five or six inches for each vertical foot. Soil should be firmly packed into all pockets in the wall and should be continued back into the earth being retained.

Both the strength and attractiveness of a dry stone wall may be enhanced by using it as a wall garden. It may acquire a mossy and aged appearance simply by green-planting in the crevices. More color can be obtained, however, by planting any of several flowering plants, whose strong roots will serve the added function of holding the wall together.

Plants which may be used to good effect are: flowering types such as phlox, garden pinks, sedum, snowy rock cress, azaleas, alyssum, evergreen candytuft, heather, and creeping veronicas; spreading plants such as moss, phlox, lavender and hardy verbenna; small rosettes as well as little tufts that need sun and room for roots like sempervivium, yarrow, dwarf iris and dwarf pinks; and plants you can grow from seed sown among the rocks such as some ivies, bleeding heart and varieties of poppy and phlox. Semperviviums, prostrate, junipers, azaleas and dwarf azaleas could keep a rock wall green all winter long.

Mortared and Concrete Walls

Mortared walls are simpler than dry walls. The mortar serves as the bond so it is not as essential to make the stones match. For a masonry wall, a cement mixture of one part Portland cement and two parts sand makes for a good bonding agent.

Apply the mortar liberally to form a bed for each stone as it is added. Chinks between stones should be well filled with smaller pebbles or gravel. The mortared wall is more permanent than a dry wall and, in fact, easier to build.

The top of every stone wall, whether dry wall, or masonry, needs protection. This is accomplished by using broad, flat stones as capstones. These can either be slate or other flat stones acquired in the course of collecting the material for the wall.

If you are planning on adding landscaping rock to your yard, the
following tips will help you with your plans.

First, you need to know what exactly you want to do with your
landscaping. If you are trying to add depth and texture to your
landscape, natural stone is a great choice. The size, color,
textures, and type of rocks vary greatly however. You will have
to narrow them down based upon your design.

For example, small rocks or stones are used for things like
accenting paths or as a border for a garden. Larger rocks or
boulders are permanently placed and can be for decoration or used
as a place to sit and relax.

Planning Rock Placement

In order to be successful with your rock landscaping, you should
place the larger rocks and boulders in places where they will
become focal points. If you are trying to hide a certain area,
do not put the rocks there. Every rock that you place should
have a purpose, based upon balance, looks, and design. You
should not haphazardly place them. Instead, you should plan
exactly where each rock will go ahead of time.

Stones are very natural, so they should look that way. You can
bury part of the base of the rock to give an extremely natural
look. Large boulders can be planted deeper into the ground than
smaller landscaping rocks. Four to six inches is a good general
depth to use as a guide. It will blend in better with the entire
landscape if it is somewhat in the ground, instead of looking
like you just rolled a rock into your yard.

You should dig a hole a little bigger than the size of the rock,
place the rock inside, then fill in the rest of the hole that is
still open with dirt. It’s as simple as that.

When you are thinking about

where to place landscape rocks, you need to consider how they will get to
that position. If you are placing large boulders, you will need
a loader or bobcat. You will have to be careful though, that the
equipment does not destroy any part of your landscape. You may
have to seek out other options if there is no way to bring a
large boulder in.

Overall, you should try to imitate nature with your rock
placement. You should go on a nature hike and observe how rocks
naturally sit in the ground an strive to make your yard look
similar.

My dad has been a mason for over 50 years and has been laying flagstone since the late 1960s. He has mostly laid sandstone from Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico and he’s dealt with some slate from the East Coast, like Pennsylvania and New York. Owners are usually ecstatic after their flagstone masterpiece is installed. I think you’ll be happy after you install some flagstone around your house.

Flagstone is a sedimentary sandstone rock that is quarried out of mountains. I’ve been to a few quarries and it’s cool to watch them cut out huge chunks of stone and pry off ½ inch to 2 ½ inch thick stones that will eventually end up on or in someone’s house.

Flagstone is usually cemented together with iron, calcium, or silica. Those bonding materials are what make for the many great colors of flagstone. We’ve see colors from red, rose, pink, beige, white, to chocolate. There are also some amazing streaks and patterns in some flagstone that can make a house look like an exotic palace from ancient Egypt or something. If you’re into evolutionary history, we’ve seen stone with ancient leaves, bone prints, and animal foot steps. Imagine how unique your house would be with some exquisite, prehistoric flagstone beautifying your residence?

We’ve had great luck with the durability of flagstone. My dad and I visited a job that he did twenty years ago. The stone aged greatly and even the cement joints that hold the stones in place were in good shape. If you compare the long-term savings of stone over wood, than there’s no competition. Stone wins hands down!

What’s nice is that if you spill some food on stone or some tree sap drips down on it, it just blends right in. You don’t have to worry too much about cleaning it. However, you’ll want to seal your stone every few years. It just keeps it preserved better.

Your house can be decorated with stone anywhere from walls, fireplaces, posts, patios, and even driveways (although that will be a feat). It is even very elegant inside. My father-in-law laid it inside his study and it looks stunning. Everybody remarks about how great it is. He just put a few throw-down rugs over it to give it some soft spots.

If you lay a horizontal surface, you’ll need to decide whether you’ll have pre-cut, or some call it dimensional stone, or irregular stone. Dimensional stone is a little easier to lay, because there are not as many cuts. Most modern looking houses go with dimensional stone. It fits the architectural style better.

However, if your house is older or more traditional, then irregular cut stone is usually a better fit. It costs cheaper, but you’ll have more cuts.

If you’re fairly good as a “do-it-yourselfer,” then laying it yourself will save you thousands of dollars. My dad charges about $10 a square foot for labor, so if you have a 300 square foot patio, then you’ll potentially save $3,000.

If you do contract it out, make sure you get references. We’ve seen many so-called “professionals” lay some pretty shoddy work.