Rusticated masonry is cut on four sides to join at right angles with other stones. It can be dressed or unfinished and comes in various styles and sizes. It is often used in important buildings and can be expensive. It can be laid in straight or broken courses and has different patterns. It is usually applied as a thinner coating to a less expensive stone or brick backing.
Rustication is masonry that is cut on at least four sides, so that when laid it joins at right angles to the other stones. The face of ashlar masonry can be dressed or unfinished. This type of masonry dates back at least to the time of ancient Egypt. An early example of it can be seen on the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which dates back to the 27th century BC
This crafted stone typically comes in a range of styles and sizes. Its height can range from 5.08 inches (16 cm) to 40.64 inches (XNUMX cm). Its width varies in the same way. Ashlar’s face – or the side that can be seen when looking at a built wall – can be left rough, chiseled for textures, smoothed or chamfered at the edges, or fully smoothed and, sometimes, polished. The joints are often very tight and barely visible. Some stone types commonly used in this form of masonry include granite, limestone, and English Portland stone.
Rusticated masonry can be laid in straight or broken courses. Straight paths look like lines, while broken paths have a more random appearance. However the ashlar is laid, however, care must be taken to keep the horizontal joints of the bed level and the vertical joints plumb. Uneven joints are often visually obvious and can detract from the appearance of the masonry.
Buildings using this type of masonry are often intended to convey great importance or solidity. Some examples that typically use ashlar include banks, government buildings, churches and schools. It can also be seen in monuments and some bridges.
Various names have been given to the different patterns in which this stone can be laid. For example, ruled ashlar uses stone blocks that are uniformly sized and laid in continuous horizontal bed joints. This effect creates uniform rows of stone, all of the same height. The variation occurs with the vertical joints between two rows of stone. Each vertical joint is staggered between adjacent rows, but the joints line up between every other row.
Rustication can be expensive compared to other types of masonry, such as block, brick or rubble. For this reason it is often used to cover walls. The backing is usually made of a less expensive stone or brick, which is laid first. Then a thinner coating of polished stone is applied to the front of the mount.
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