# Ideas for stone in brickwork



## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Im doing a brick chimney through a 2 story family room. The owner is determined for me to put in some natural stone in the brick. I mentioned little bluestone shelfs but no go. He wants actual rocks.

Does anyone have any ideas for this? Or some pictures of stone mixed with brick that doesnt look horrible?


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

I quite like small panels of squared knapped flints in brick walls, but it's not to everyone's taste.


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## JD3lta (Nov 22, 2009)

Stone accenting such as quoins+bands, or stone faced randoms, or stone shelflets(trademarked)?


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## HgWhiz (Mar 13, 2009)

JBM said:


> Im doing a brick chimney through a 2 story family room. The owner is determined for me to put in some natural stone in the brick. I mentioned little bluestone shelfs but no go. He wants actual rocks.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas for this? Or some pictures of stone mixed with brick that doesnt look horrible?


You are wise to approach with caution. I seldom see stone and brick mixed together that, like you said, doesn't look horrible.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

JD3lta said:


> Stone accenting such as quoins+bands, or stone faced randoms, or stone shelflets(trademarked)?


He went to the local yard and came back with a few pieces of stone, like veneer stone, but rough. He wants them under the granite mantle, supports, which I can deal with, but he wants a few of them sticking out of the chimney. I dont have any idea what to do for him, Ive never seen stone and brick mixed together that looks good.


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## 2low4nh (Dec 12, 2010)

It was popular in this area late 70's-80s I think it looks like garbage. Just throw a few random pieces of stone in some in the lead and some in the field. mix and match make them have nice faces do your best to make it look nice. Find a nice round rock and do a mini arch or something my concern would be the depth you have to work with but when I have seen it there is usually a 2"+ reveal on the stone.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

HgWhiz said:


> You are wise to approach with caution. I seldom see stone and brick mixed together that, like you said, doesn't look horrible.


I agree.

I was kind of thinking of making four pieces that look like diamonds, but make a larger square, other then that I dont know.

I was also thinking of a granite sill with a granite keystone, but that would mean I would have to do a bricked in window, with an arch on the top. He is already at the end of his budget for this as it has 2 rumfords in it as well.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

How about a stone relief arch somewhere.


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## HgWhiz (Mar 13, 2009)

Not very many pics containing a stone/brick mixture appear when searching on bing.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

JBM said:


> I agree.
> 
> I was kind of thinking of making four pieces that look like diamonds, but make a larger square, other then that I dont know.
> 
> I was also thinking of a granite sill with a granite keystone, but that would mean I would have to do a bricked in window, with an arch on the top. He is already at the end of his budget for this as it has 2 rumfords in it as well.


My personal feeling is either make it something (why I suggested the relief arch even if it isn't functional) or random. The diamond stuff is subdivision fancy. I do like brick voussoirs with a stone key amd maybe skew backs.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

HgWhiz said:


> Not very many pics containing a stone/brick mixture appear when searching on bing.


That is actually really cool!


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

dom-mas said:


> My personal feeling is either make it something (why I suggested the relief arch even if it isn't functional) or random. The diamond stuff is subdivision fancy. I do like brick voussoirs with a stone key amd maybe skew backs.


I agree.


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## dakzaag (Jan 6, 2009)

I have seen it and did a sign once with bedford stone cut the size of brick or random lengths. Since the stone is designed to layout basically like brick it works in easily. I like the approach as it gives the wall some character. I have seen some that look like crapola also so I guess it's kinda like the Supreme Court Judge said, "I know it when I see it...":thumbsup:

Looking for the sign pics... don't hold your breath.:laughing:


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## stonecutter (May 13, 2010)

HgWhiz said:


> Not very many pics containing a stone/brick mixture appear when searching on bing.


That almost looks photo shopped to me. If not photoshopped something was done to the stone..like color editing.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Some row homes from the late forties through mid fifties used this technique around here. 

It does look punky...


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## lukachuki (Feb 11, 2005)

HgWhiz said:


> Not very many pics containing a stone/brick mixture appear when searching on bing.


That looks real nice...but I agree with SC....something looks a little off.

I'll see if I can drum up some pics. I have seen brick and stone combos that look horrible and some that look really nice.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

I think im going to turn him down. I just dont think it can be done without making a real effort at it. Putting ugly rocks into a fantastic center chimney is about the last thing I want to do.


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## lukachuki (Feb 11, 2005)

Upon further reflection the nicest and most attractive picture of masonry I have ever seen was a combination of stone and brick. To this day I wish I had saved a copy of it.

I think in order to make it work you almost have to think Old World. Most of the pictures that I have seen over the years where the two have worked have that old world feel.

Here are a few scabbed off the internets.

In the second picture the one with the hodgepodge of everything if you just look at the chimney detail and imagine the little brown stone as brick that would look good. Old World is the key as far as i'm concerned. 

Is Mr. Old World himself Stuart around?

I'll do some more looking later...i'm up to my eyeballs in kids tonight.


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## TheItalian204 (Jun 1, 2011)

they have told me never to use pain program,but I gave it another shot :laughing:...insert smooth limestone pieces every foot or two into brickwork..kind of like this...(btw it meant to be proportional rectangles and in straight line)..you can also move the rectangle over couple of bricks as you ascend/descend.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

That "old world" look where brick and stone and various masonry products are mixed to gether is often called "tuscan". I was looking at a job similar and while cruising the internet that came up again and again from designers. It has something to do with Tuscany and how many times it's been ravaged by war and how many times it's been rebuilt using the leftover materials


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

If I was building a cottage with materials found on site, I would make the edges, sills and corners from the straightest material available. It doesn't have anything to do with being a mason, it has to do with common sense.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Tscarborough said:


> If I was building a cottage with materials found on site, I would make the edges, sills and corners from the straightest material available. It doesn't have anything to do with being a mason, it has to do with common sense.


You have a dozen bricks. Not much of a corner. Throw them in anywhere they fit. That's common sense


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## TheItalian204 (Jun 1, 2011)

masonry runs in our blood...dont compare ontarian farmers to central italy where every kid knows how to hold trowel from age of 10.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

If you just want to argue, Dom, we can discuss politics.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

TheItalian204 said:


> masonry runs in our blood...dont compare ontarian farmers to central italy where every kid knows how to hold trowel from age of 10.


Yeah, Scottish farmers wouldn't know the first thing. The work they did makes me sick. No offence (maybe you were joking)but being Italian doesn't make a mason.


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## TheItalian204 (Jun 1, 2011)

dom-mas said:


> Yeah, Scottish farmers wouldn't know the first thing. The work they did makes me sick. No offence (maybe you were joking)but being Italian doesn't make a mason.


think i was just pointing out cliche ppl have in their minds :laughing:

Thought you enjoy a good joke.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Tscarborough said:


> If you just want to argue, Dom, we can discuss politics.


I don't get it. how am i arguing. You made a blanket statement that the "Tuscan style" is done a certain way and I disagree. The origin of the style as I understand it is from the reuse of materials. I've heard many older masons say that in rubble work you install the stone your hand has touched. It's rubble work and it's main function is to exist and often as quickly as possible. Sure if you have several hundred brick, make your corners or window surrounds from them but if all you have is a dozen or even a hundred, it's useless. They won't tie in all that well and will slow things down. treat them as any other unit and just install them.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

TheItalian204 said:


> think i was just pointing out cliche ppl have in their minds :laughing:
> 
> Thought you enjoy a good joke.


Ok, I see that. Glad you're joking. Some people take the cliche as truth


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

And I am telling you that that is wrong, Dom. They were not picking rubble up and building, they did and do what any sensible person does: They collect the materials required, either by buying or scavenging them. In the "Tuscan" meme, that means they scavenged or bought the brick to do only the areas that required them and used rubble rock for the rest. They did not randomly put brick in the wall.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)




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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)




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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

I do understand what your talking about. I'll see if I can find picture of what I'm talking about. Then I'll see if I can figure out how to post them.


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## TheItalian204 (Jun 1, 2011)

dom-mas said:


> Ok, I see that. Glad you're joking. Some people take the cliche as truth


s***,last check a lot of those were French :laughing:


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)




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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

And, Dom, they reason they needed to use brick was that the stone they had available was rubble, stone that did not naturally cleave to square shapes.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

http://www.tuscanyrealestate.co.uk/
http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=09&salerent=0&pid=2832187
http://www.findaproperty.com/displayprop.aspx?edid=09&salerent=0&pid=9360901

All right, this is the best I can do with my limited computer knowledge. They aren't villas, they are simple homes, this is what I'm talking about With the first one scroll down to the slide show, you'll find one with a random brick repair. 

The site I found the other places in was a similar type for sale site. It was 4 or 5 years ago so those places wouldn't be around anymore but there were several that i saw at the time tat had one brick in here and another over there, a cluster here, more rubble, another cluster... Maybe that was common in a particular county or something I don't know but that's what I found when looking for "Tuscan" cottages.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Find the picture you want to post, right click and select "save image location". Then come back to your post, type in: "







". No quotes.

I can find Tuscan buildings with random brick as infill or repair, but in every case those buildings were designed to be stuccoed, and they all have brick at the edges. In cases where brick was available, why not use it, but the point is that in duplicating the Tuscan style, unless you are also duplicating distressed stucco, you will only find brick on arches and edges, sills, etc. not in the field.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

In the 2nd picture the brick was used randomly as repair, no brick elements anywhere else, no stucco. I'm not trying to have a huge argument about this and it really has no bearing on JBM's project because he was never asked to do the chimney in a "Tuscan" style. I brought the term up as something that I had found in searching years ago for a particular style that a client wanted.

While I do feel that brick used as quoining or window/door surounds is more attractive generally than randomly, the mix of masonry materials is what was the focus in the examples I had found.


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

Interesting discussion. Heres a picture of a house we built a couple years ago where the designer lady said she was after a "Tuscan look" It was just a blend of 3 different types of natural stone veneer with "antique" bricks around the doors and windows.








I haven't been able to find a representative picture, but there's really cool looking work in the Caribbean that likewise uses scarce bricks only around arches and windows. You see lots of it in the US Virgin Islands and I was told craftsmen there today still can match the work. It has rubble stone and pieces of terra-cotta in the field - really unique looking. These walls were built using the ballast of ships that had come over from Europe. 
Dave


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

There were some walls built with a mix of stone and brick in Regency times known as Bungaroosh. They had formwork erected, and then filled in with shovels of lime, stones, old bricks, bits of wood and anything that came to hand. When the formwork was struck the external was stucco, and the inside plaster.


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