Sandstone selection and supply

We work with you to help you choose your sandstone to match the requirements of your site and project. We help choose the most suitable stone and where to locate a source of the stone. This may include recycled stone, plus cutting and shaping the stone and the relevant transport, handling and safety issues for the delivery of the stone to your site.

The size, colour, quantity, and quality of sandstone can all impact on the quality and cost of your project. We use our experience to look for discrepancies in the stone selection, colour damage and thickness variation.

If you have any general questions about sandstone selection, please contact us.

Delivery of sandstone to your site

We can also help you with the safe transport of your stone order to the site.

• You may only need us to help you pick up sandstone from one site and move it to another site, or
• the delivery of stone is just the first part of a larger project, of which the stonemasonry may not be required.
• If stonemasonry is required, we may be able to reduce delivery costs of stone using our own transport.

JLS Stonemasonry has a fleet of trucks available for the safe delivery of the sandstone you have chosen onto your site.

For large blocks of stone, we own a crane truck to transport this stone, enabling us to:

• source and supply all types of sandstone from different areas of Australia giving a greater range and variety of stone available to you
• make our own stone pick ups and deliveries, which allows us to lock in timeframes for construction, and manage transport costs, and
• ensure that we can guarantee the safe delivery by our own team onto the site, rather than being dropped on the kerbside and having to be moved for a second time, increasing the chance of damage to the stone.

Sandstone restoration or preparation

The sandstone used in Sydney’s building or landscape stonemasonry requires specific cleaning methods to ensure that the sandstone is maintained, restored or repointed without significantly eroding or changing the colour of the original stone.

Different contaminants, such as air borne pollution and dirt will build up on the surface of the stone causing the sandstone colour to dull. Algae will grow in the pores of the sandstone, blacken the surface and with the right level of moisture and darkness develop into a thriving algal community.

Leaves from surrounding trees may fall and leach tannins into the stone.

Sandstone cleaning

There are different methods for cleaning sandstone depending upon the type of stains, including dirt, tannin, algae, oils and paint.

Please contact us if you need some professional advice about how to maintain or restore your sandstone.

NOTE: Incorrect use of cleaning agents or high-pressured water may cause irreparable damage so care must be taken to test the chosen cleaning agent before proceeding.

Sandstone sealing

We use a sealant, specifically formulated for sandstone, to help maintain the integrity of the sandstone in conditions where the sandstone may significantly weather, age or stain because of exposure to conditions or contaminants in close proximity to the stonework.

Please contact us if you need some professional advice about how to seal your sandstone.

Sandstone construction or restoration

There are different styles of stone construction or restoration that JLS Stonemasonry has used as determined by the requirements of each unique project:

Traditional heritage dry-stack or dry-laid stone walls:

These types of walls are traditionally used in heritage projects where walls of stone are carefully layered without the use of mortar, with gravity holding everything together. These stone walls are broader at the base and then taper in slowly as the height increases. In some projects, the addition of mud or limestone ‘mortar’ is included to stop the flow of air through the walls.

Traditional heritage mortared stone walls:

These stone walls are built similar to dry-stack walls with mortar between the stones setting to form a soft, rock-like substance. Portland cement, mixed with sand and water, and often lime to make a smooth mortar for stone and brick work, makes it possible to build a taller stone wall that ‘glues’ the stones together so that the top of the wall is the same width as the bottom of the wall.

Modern day veneered stone walls:

Today, we use materials such as concrete, cinderblock and steel reinforcement bars to create a structural wall with a veneer of thin, flat featured natural stone glued onto the face of the structural wall. Metal tabs in the structural wall are mortared in between the featured stones to tie everything together.

Slipform stone walls:

We build slipform stone walls that have stone faces on one side or both sides but are a mix between a traditional mortared stone wall and a veneered stone wall. The wall is half concrete with reinforcement bars and half stonework.

Repointing/Tuckpointing:

Repointing or tuckpointing comes from an old method using very uneven bricks: a thin line, called a tuck, was drawn in the flush-faced mortar but left unfilled, to give the impression of well-formed brickwork.

We use two contrasting colours of mortar in stonework, one colour matching the stone itself, to give the impression that very fine joints have been made. This technique requires masonry skills and specialised tools of our trade.

Please contact us if you need some construction, restoration or stone maintenance work or advice.