+44 (0) 1422 374222 sales@api-stone.com
API Stone API Stone
  • Home
  • About
    • Company History
    • Our Partners
  • Products
    • API Beige
    • API Vein
    • API Laguna
    • API Crema Sanza
    • API Portland
    • API St Bees
    • API Walling
  • Services
    • Ethical and Sustainability Policy
    • Glossary
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Contact

Two Main Natural Stone Cladding Types

  • Home > Blog > Uncategorised > Two Main Natural Stone Cladding Types
  • 05 Oct

    Two Main Natural Stone Cladding Types

    By:   Jon Bennett Uncategorised Comments:   No Comments

    Stone Cladding Types:

    The two main types of anchoring back stone in the construction of large buildings is either: 1) traditional handset (also known as “ashlar”), where the stone pieces are held back by fixings and applied in courses, or: 2) rainscreen, where the stone is positioned on a metal railing system. The design choices for anchoring can be determined by the style and use of the building.

    Handset / Ashlar

    Traditional handfixing the stone is still the most common use in cladding, particularly in the North of England and Scotland. The stone is held back by restraint fixings with horizontal load bearing being situated every floor or every other as determined by a specialist structural engineer. The load bearing fixing can be anchored with a pistol back rebate to the bed of the stone cladding. It takes a specialist fixing team to apply dowel pins to each stone piece anchored to SFS or block substrate.

     Dowel pins such as the one illustrated here serve to hold back an entire floor level before horizontal is needed. Pin holes are usually drilled on site by the fixing team. The joints between courses can either be left as expansion gaps or filled with a matching stone mortar grout.

    In estimating cost for a project with handset consideration should be given to supply of the natural stone, cut, dressed and sent to site, and also anchoring pieces and the fixing fee of a specialist stone subcontractor.

    Rainscreen

    A natural stone rainscreen system is a means of cladding by which stone panels are supported on a steel or aluminum frame. Such a frame consists of helping hand with vertical supports and horizontal ”T” bar the stone is pinned back by.

    These systems have stronger pull-out load bearing capabilities such that the stone panels can be thinner than their handset equivalents; where handset tends to be 50-100mm thick, rainscreen stone panels tend to be 20-30mm thick.

    The advantages of the rainscreen are in ease of application and simplicity of loadbearing; each course is independent – compared to handset that needs horizontal supports to each new floor level. The disadvantages of rainscreen is the necessity of procuring the rail, usually at an equivalent to the thinner stone cost, the saving tends to be on the application labour. Handset is still the only way to go for complicated designs with quions or radius features.

    Contact

    +44 (0) 1422 374222
    sales@api-stone.com

    Categories

    • Sandstone
    • Uncategorised

    Recent News

    Conroy Brook Developments Award

    13 November 2018

    RIBA Sterling Prize Winner

    12 October 2018

    Two Main Natural Stone Cladding Types

    05 October 2018

    The natural stone supply experts

    API Stone Ltd was established in 2008. We are the leading UK supplier of high quality masoned sandstone, quartzite, limestone and granite.

    Privacy Policy

    Our Products

    • API Beige
    • API Vein
    • API Laguna
    • API Crema Sanza
    • API Portland
    • API St Bees
    • API Walling

    Quick Links

    • Services
    • Portfolio
    • About Us
    • Our Partners
    • Company History
    • Blog
    • Contact Us

    GET IN TOUCH

    API STONE

    44 Rose Lane, Norwich, NR1 1PN, UK

    +44 (0) 1422 374222
    sales@api-stone.com

    Copyright © 2018 API Stone. All rights reserved.