Columns: contrasting styles
Friday, March 13th, 2009
We have been working on these four columns for the last few days, when the weather cooperates. They are built of a Virginia sandstone that we are taking pains to lay in the bedded plane. That can be difficult in a narrow veneer. The wooden timbers are not on center or square to the house, meaning we have varying amounts of room to work on each side of the column. It gets very narrow on the back and we have been using the diamond blade to get stones down to a settable depth. These columns are set on a very solid footer and we have used brick ties throughout the work. This is not the Unturned Stone’s typical project, but it’s been fun. Hornets have been hatching out of the column over my head on the suddenly hot days and I have become a trowel foo expert at dispatching hornets.
I found this column in progress on a construction site near my house. This is what is called cultured or faux stone. As a mason working almost exclusively in natural stone, I can’t help but have some strong opinions of this material, which is colorized concrete. It is becoming increasingly common because it is cheaper and faster to install and I’ll venture requires less skill than stone. The area is generally prepped as for a tile application, which saves time and money as well.
My favorite part of this picture is how the column appears to be levitating. Stone is often added to commercial buildings like this to give a sense of presence; it’s a solid, reliable, grounded, permanent institution, that just happens to hover a few inches off the ground. Is that false advertising?