Masonry Materials: More Variety than Ever Before!

For many years masonry materials meant just a few things to most people: brick and stone.  They were used to build houses, public buildings, and other community projects.  As more and more people began owning homes and custom-creating their own landscaping and home designs, however, the variety of masonry materials grew with the need. Now, a homeowner looking to renovate a room or living space has dozens of different materials—like brick, stone, clay pavers, tiles, concrete pavers, to name a few— materials—and thousands of different colors, textures, and shapes to choose from. You can now cover floors and ceilings with brick, use clay pavers around the edges of doorframes, and find creative ways to use masonry materials to create unique home designs.

In outdoor living applications, masonry materials have also grown with the demand.  Hundreds of different options are possible in every yard and lawn space with the right application of masonry materials.  For example, you can terrace sloped yards with stone or brick retaining walls. You can build raised flower beds or add in water features like ponds and fountains.  You can even build a large outdoor custom kitchen or fireplace with the right materials.

With all the variety available, it is safe to say that if you can dream it, you can build almost anything out of brick, limestone, and other masonry materials! Dream big and start planning your next masonry project today!

Brick Paving: Make a Driveway Worth Talking About!

Brick paving is a great choice for driveways, but it is not used that often due to costs and installation time. Still, over time, a driveway made of brick paving can save you time and money. 

Consider the fact that most driveways are made of poured concrete slabs of some asphalt mixture. While these choices make sense initially, they also have some disadvantages. In a poured concrete driveway, for example, if part of the slab cracks, you will have to replace the whole surface. This can be expensive and time consuming (not to mention that it is a project that can only be done in warm weather).  Asphalt covered driveways need to be resealed often, which is a time consuming, smelly hassle. 

If you choose brick paving for your driveway, you will have a surface that is made of closely placed bricks that never needs resealing and can easily be repaired in any weather. If one of the bricks in the driveway cracks, simply pull it up and replace. This is a simple fix with a negligible cost. 

Brickpaving also looks fantastic on a driveway! You can choose from a variety of colors (red, cream, tan, grey, and many others) and also you can consider different textures.  You can complement the colors and design of your home or make a statement with a contrasting color of brick paving.

 

Before you spend many more time and money on your driveway, head on down to the local masonry materials store and examine their brick paving options. Soon, you’ll see how a driveway can be both economical, functional, and a beautiful part of the design of your home!

Limestone and Bathroom Beauty

Limestone is such a fantastic masonry material because it is strong, versatile, and lovely! You can use it in outdoor or indoor projects and it is easy to find in a variety of colors and shapes. It can be cut into tiles, for mosaics, patios, pool patio edges and surfaces, and hundreds of other applications. It can also be used inside the home to vary the looks of different rooms. 

One of the most interesting places for using limestone is in the bathroom. In this room, it is very hip to think beyond porcelain or all-over ceramic in terms of masonry materials.   One way to spice things up a bit is to use different sized limestone tiles all over the bathroom.  Apply large ones to the floor and in the shower.  Smaller tiles can cover the counter top or the outer surface of a raised sink. If you coordinate the colors and focus on limestone’s gray, brown, or tan hues, you will end up with a very organic, earth-tone space that is soothing and lovely. Of course, you can also create a dramatic look if you vary limestone tiles with ceramic ones, in blacks or blues for example, which will add both pops of color and an interesting texture contrast. 

Before beginning to dream your next bathroom renovation, rethink things from the ground up—and consider the many ways you can bring a natural, sustainable material like limestone into the room!