To ensure you can enjoy your stone design for many years to come, please follow the advice below. ORNAMENTI cannot accept responsibility for breakage or cracking if any of the following instructions and recommendations are ignored.
Weathering and Cleaning
No routine care or maintenance is required for a carved stone design. As a natural product, stone designs will age and weather over time, taking on the appearance of an antique. This is dependent on location and climate conditions. This attractive natural patina will develop without any need for artificial acceleration. To retain a newer look, a stone sealant should be used immediately after installation or a soft brush with mild detergent used at a future date. Pressure washers, abrasive brushes and any form of acidic cleaners must not be used.
Installation
Please be aware of the weight of each stone component and use mechanical lifting wherever possible.
It is essential that any carved stone design is sited on a firm and level area – ideally on concrete or on paving stones with appropriate foundations to suit site conditions and loadings (designed by others).
An 8 to 1 sand/cement bedding mortar (not supplied) must be used between the stone design and the foundation. This is to ensure that the weight of the stonework is spread evenly across the base, thereby avoiding any pivoting or twisting strain.
Between stone components a 1:1:6 cement/lime/sand mortar (not supplied) is recommended, colour matched if desired. White cement and/or sand may be necessary. Using mortar between stone components will ensure that each element of the design bears an equal weight. The same 1:1:6 mortar can be used for pointing if required.
If desired for security or safety reasons, the stone design can be permanently secured using stainless steel dowels (not supplied). When drilling stonework, only use a suitable masonry drill on a rotary setting (not hammer action). For best results, the dowel should be secured by grouting with polyester resin or similar (not supplied).
Water Features
Pump, plumbing and liner are not supplied, leaving the client to select the optimum equipment for each specific project. It should be assumed that the stonework surround will not adequately retain water, especially where there are joints. This means that a waterproof render, butyl liner or asphalt (designed by others) will be required. To ensure frost resistance, it is important to avoid any direct contact between the water within the pool and the stonework surround, whilst also draining down your pool before Winter brings any hard frosts.
Issued: 2/22