Why Limestone Is a Good Building Material
Limestone is an interesting material that’s definitely strong enough to build with, but it’s also soft enough to carve, mold, and shape. This leaves many homeowners wondering, is limestone a good building material?It’s a good question, and I have the answer for you. Limestone is a great building material. In fact, the Great Sphinx, The Parthenon, The Empire State Building, and other famous landmarks were all built out of limestone.Read on to find out why limestone could be the right building material for you.
Limestone Is Versatile
Limestone is a versatile building material. It’s great for both indoor and outdoor projects, indoors it’s a great alternative to wood, and outdoors it’s a great substitute. When it comes to natural stone, all limestone is beautiful in its own right. It’s important to pick a piece that will match your design. There are many variations, like red, pink, gold, brown, and black. This allows you to combine different colors, textures and shades to make unique finishes. Limestone’s soft yet dense nature allows it to be used in many shapes like blocks, bricks, slabs, and more, as well as intricate carvings and molding.
Limestone Has Dependability
Limestone is an excellent building material because it is very durable. The ideal material for an artificial stone is one that’s strong and dense, and has few pores. While limestone naturally corrodes over time, it does so only on a superficial level. It’s not going to affect the structural integrity of your foundation. Your limestone is likely to last for generations.
Limestone Is Cost-Effective
Limestone is much cheaper than most other building materials. And it’s also because it’s so widely available. One more reason is that limestone is easier to work with. Because it’s easier to work with, it’s simpler to install. Consequently, it’s quicker to install, and therefore, it costs less to install. Furthermore, limestone is not as heavy as other materials, so less structural material is needed to support your limestone features.
Limestone Helps Control Temperature
Limestone is a good conductor of heat. It keeps the inside of your house very cool, because it absorbs external heat and doesn’t let it pass through. If you’re concerned about the environment, this is a good choice. It reduces energy usage while keeping your home cooler. Electricity is also a big cost.
4 Limestone Problems that You Might Come Across and How to Avoid Them
Weathering
Limestone is one of the most chemically-weathered types of rock.When the pH of the water changes, it changes how the minerals and trace elements in your limestone are arranged. Rainwater can get acidic because of the carbon dioxide that it contains. If you expose a limestone to carbonic acid, you can see the marks of weathering on it. This is a common problem which is seen especially on the limestone walls which suffer substantial deterioration.
You can help prevent this problem by building a kind of a small shed over the limestone wall in order to catch any rainwater that falls on the wall. These types of weathering might require restoration if it’s a deeper level of damage.
Erosion
This could be a result of the general weathering described above. Erosion can occur when the limestone is exposed to harsh elements, such as wind, weather or human contact. Airborne abrasives which are floated by wind are other reasons of erosion. Also, when this stone reacts with only water, the erosion might also happen.
You can plant trees around the walls to deflect the wind and water from eroding the walls. For this reason you extend the life of the limestone.
Staining
This is also known as ‘limestone discoloration’, and it’s one of the top three most common causes of water pool coloration. This is a common cosmetic problem that staining can cause. It’s such an ugly looking appearance on any decorative stone. Limestone absorbs different types of organic and inorganic oils like castor oil, coconut oil, palm oil, soybean oil, olive oil and grapeseed oil. You should be careful about the paint and color that you choose for limestone surfaces. Cleaning agents should also be appropriate for limestone cleaning. You should clean your pet’s poop and leaves as often as possible.
Crumbling
This is the most critical problem related to the limestone and limestone materials. This rock is already a brittle, which causes it to break. Limestone is naturally porous but because it’s often quarried out of soft rock, it can become disintegrated over time. This process is hastened when the stone is mined from deep within softer formations and subjected to extreme weather conditions. If the damage has been developed, there isn’t much you can do to fix it. The only thing you can do is to detect the potential problems in advance and eliminate the potential sources of crumbling.