Stonemason

The stonemason is a building professional who realizes architectural elements in stone walls, arches, lintels, flower bed, arches, pillars, columns, pediments, cornices, balustrades, fireplaces, stairs, etc.

Her professional field is the stone. The stonemason also ensures the laying of its aircraft on the building. He may have to climb on scaffolding. He works in the workshop or on site.

The stonemason must be meticulous and precise in all stages of its work. The accuracy required when the size of the stone is of the order of a millimeter, that is to say, the line thickness made Scribe and pencil. Ideally, the chisel must cut the line in half.

This profession is to differentiate from that of the sculptor. The stonemason carries the elements of a building stone walls, arches, arches doors and windows, stairs ... which are geometric structures. The sculptor, he runs everything related to the decoration of the building, statuary, reliefs, ... which are figurative works (people, animals, plants, etc.).

The stonemason must also know the masonry related to its business in order to establish a structure to the ground, support the equipment during installation, lay the blocks of stone, plaster and make connections. It uses the same tools as a mason and lime mortars. Again the accuracy of one millimeter. A facelift is almost always done to keep perfect junctions.

The knowledge of geometry and stereotomy is paramount in this business. This science is called the art of the line. The stonemason must trace the block prior to the size of it. For this, he created a blueprint.

New stone exhibition in France, Rocalia.

At the initiative of the magazine Pierre Actual living a new stone will be held in France. In Lyon, from 5 to 7 December, 2017.

Use of enamelled lava

The enamelled lava and stoneware are mainly used for reading tables, but can also be used for small-format plates or built-in support.

The lava has a noble aspect, a very nice texture and two centuries of use of this material, little known to the public, proved its absolute immutability signage and outdoor decoration.

Indeed, lava glazed stoneware and have a very long life. These are substances that do not know aging: they are totally unalterable by frost, acid, salt, solar and lunar radiation. They are resistant to scratches like a glass; the most resistant enamel baked several times at high temperature are rayables that diamond. The "tags" can be cleaned without altering the surface. A small downside, however, painting the tag can enter the microcracks crazing and it becomes almost impossible to remove it.

So if we know that the plate will be subjected to graffiti type of damage, it may be best to choose sandstone which does not have this crazing. Shocks pebbles leave only small traces on impact - they do not change over time inerte- on the substrate. The shotgun pellets ricochet. But a plate of enamelled lava or stoneware will not take more than another material in a violent attack to ground or chisel!

This sustainability is both an advantage and a disadvantage: it is useful in risk environment (urban area), although not resistant cases of violent vandalism, but we must take into account that any communication style old ...

The building market  could stabilize in 2016 in France.

The activity of the building industry (including markets of mirrors and marble) in France could stabilize this year, which would end a "continuous slump since 2012," said Thursday the Confederation of Crafts and small construction companies (Capeb).

With a decline of 2% in volume last year, reduced to -1% last quarter, 2015 "ends with less degradation of the activity of the building crafts," announced during a Capeb press conference.

However, this is the fourth annual decline of activity in the sector, which lost another 15,000 jobs last year, lamented Patrick Liébus, president of Capeb.

"Fortunately, the 2016 outlook is less dramatic, thanks to devices for the energy performance of new and accessibility of the built," he has said.

If it is "hard to be optimistic" vis-à-vis 2016, for Capeb, it's a little more confidence, building on "a change in volume of 0-1%".

Indeed, a "less degradation in new markets and the energy renovation and accessibility, should create more favorable prospects", which would "stop the continuous slump since 2012".

For Capeb, "speak of real recovery is premature, however, while the unfair competition and lack of consumer confidence ostensibly inhibit the growth of the activity of the building crafts."

In the fourth quarter 2015, the activity in the nine still yielded 2.5% (against 5% in Q3), while it remained sluggish in eco-renovation (against -1%).

Over the whole of last year, the activity in the nine fell by 4.5%, but the sector has benefited from the growth of energy performance works (+ 1%) and the resumption of sales of existing homes .

Despite this, the maintenance and renovation activity fell 0.5%, as in 2014.

As for the improvement seen since August 2015, sales of new homes, it "should take effect sometime in 2016," said Capeb.

In early January 2016, the order books represent 72 working days, or seven days from a year earlier.

For 2016, Capeb expects a decline in activity of 0.5% to 1.5% in the nine offset by an increase of 0.5% to 1.5% in the maintenance and renovation.