Stone walls are a masonry building form that has been used for many centuries. Most of the stones used to construct stone walls are found nearby. Building stone quality varies greatly depending on the stone’s resilience to weathering, water resistance, and ability to be carved into regular shapes prior to construction.
See also: Stone Masonry: Types, advantages, and disadvantages
How to construct a stone wall?
You can construct a stone following six crucial steps.
- It is important to prepare a footing of about 8 inches.
- The next step is to put the base course.
- After laying the base course, it is time to build the wall up.
- The following step is to mark the stone segments that need to be cut out for a perfect alignment.
- Cut the marked portions with a 3 inch carbide and a hand sled. Make sure to wear safety glasses.
- Trowel the joints to make them sufficiently strong.
Factors to keep in mind
There are certain important factors that need to be kept in mind before constructing a stone wall.
- Make sure the walls are built properly. The wall should not be thicker than 450mm.
- Higher seismic zones should avoid using mud mortar. Instead, lime-sand mortar should be used at a ratio of 1:3, and cement-sand mortar should be 1:6.
- Use chisels and hammers to shape the stones.
- At every 600mm along the height and at a maximum distance of 1.2m along the length, through-stones or overlapping bond-stones must be used.
- The roof and gable bands on the stone-masonry homes must be horizontal bands. These bands can be built from reinforced concrete or wood, depending on cost. In stone masonry building, it’s crucial to include at least one band, which could be a roof band or lintel band.
Stone wall: Advantages
Stone walls are quite versatile. You can construct these walls for visual appeal, especially for boundary walls, which can enhance the look of your property. Stone walls are eco-friendly and can provide you with a natural look.
The advantages of constructing stone walls are many.
- It is very easy to hold a stone wall cladding.
- Stone walls are a great choice for protecting your house from natural extremities.
- Stone walls provide good thermal regulation.
- These are natural and eco-friendly.
- Stone walls give your house an attractive factor.
Stone wall: Disadvantages
While stone walls do have a lot of advantages, they are not devoid of disadvantages.
- Stone walls need a properly structured underlying layer that can be costly at times.
- It is difficult to build a stone wall compared to a regular wall.
- Along with low tensile strength, and seismic resistance, it also has a high self-weight.
Dry vs mortared stone wall
| Dry Stone Wall | Mortar Stone Wall |
| Dry stone wall does not use mortar and can be built with varying shapes and sizes of stones. | Mortar stone walls, on the other hand, use well-shaped stones. |
| These are less costly. | Mortar stone walls are more expensive. |
| Does not require expertise when it comes to building a dry stone wall. | Mortar stone wall requires skilled labour. |
| You can use any local stone. | Selective stones need to be used in terms of shape. |
| Can get easily damaged during heavy storms and rain. | These walls can sustain heavy storms and rain. |
| Dry stone walls are usually made for temporary use. | Mortar stone walls are built for permanent use. |
FAQs
What is the advantage of stone walls?
Stone walls are natural and eco-friendly, and can lift the look of your house.
Which stone wall is cheap?
Dry stone walls that do not require much expertise are inexpensive. However, they are meant for temporary use.
How thick should stone walls be?
Stone walls should not be thicker than 450mm.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you.
Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |