A place where exposed surfaces of good quality natural stone are available in abundance is called ‘quarry’ and the process of extracting stone from the natural bed is called ‘excavation’. This is done with the help of hand tools like pickaxes, chisels etc. or with the help of machines. Blasting using explosives is another method used in excavation.
After excavation the stones are to be cut to suitable size and with suitable surfaces. This process is known as stone dressing and is done for the following purposes.
- To make the transport from the quarry easy and economical.
- To suit the requirements of stone masonry.
- To get the desired appearance for the stonework.
The different stages of dressing are:
- Sizing: This is reducing the irregular blocks to the desired dimensions by removing extra portions. It is done with help of hand hammers and chisels.
- Shaping: This follows sizing and involves removing of the sharp projections. Many stones are used in common construction after shaping.
- Plaining: This is rather an advanced type of dressing in which the stone is cleared off all the irregularities from the surface.
- Finishing: This is done in case of specially dressed stones only and consists of rubbing of the surface of stones with suitable abrasive materials such as silicon carbide.
- Polishing: This is the last name in dressing and is done only on marbles, limestone and granite.
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