The prices of different building materials and stones in every country and market, like the local market of Kenya, highly depend on some factors such as types of stones, quality, quantity, texture, color, and other parameters.
Building stone is a type of stone used to build structures or buildings and maintain them for many years. But what is the full definition of building blocks? Which are the most famous ones? What are these stones used for and how are they used in structures?
Among the materials used in the construction of buildings, only some stones are made under the pressure and heat that the inner layers of the earth have exerted on lime and sediment over thousands of years. There are more than 100 types of natural stone, but only a few can be used as building stones.
The stone used in construction must be resistant to high temperatures and weather changes, of course, there is a good reason for that. They must withstand wear and bending from heavy traffic and have good aesthetics and color. Stones with these properties are suitable for buildings.
Building stone has many uses. But in a general classification, they are used in three parts of a building: the interior of the building, the exterior of the building, and they are also used as decorative stones. Inside the building, natural stone is used for floors and walls.
Depending on the type of stone, it can be used in kitchens, bathrooms, bathrooms (on floors and walls or as stone sinks), bedroom floors, entrance floors, stairs, elevator frames, counters, etc. The main use of building stone on the outside is to decorate the facade of a building. The entrance stairs are also decorated with these stones. For paving in open spaces, especially terraces, natural stone is very beautiful and gives it a special color and shine.
Types of building stones in Kenya
There are many different types of materials and stones, which are used for building purposes, available in the market of Kenya.
As a building material, stone is used to build walls, floors, and sometimes even ceilings. Stone is used nationwide and is readily available, especially in areas with large rock formations. There are two types of stone used as building materials in Kenya which include:
- Machine cut stone:
Machine cut stone refers to unprocessed slabs that have been cut with a large saw. Machine-cut stones are generally used as capstones, curbs, garden walls, stair risers, etc. where pedestrians and vehicles are not allowed to pass. Machine cut marble cutting machine surface stone has its advantages and disadvantages.
- hand cut stone:
as the name suggests, it is cut by hand and the size of the stones can be different. In other parts of the world, stone has been used for centuries. The stone’s popularity as a building material is attributed to its durability and beautifying effect.
Building stones prices in Kenya
We already know that the prices of the building materials and stones in Kenya can vary due to some factors and it changes by changing the stone specifications. In general, natural stones are more expensive than man-made stones, but the naturalness of these stones is not the only reason why they are more expensive; instead, there are several factors that can effectively determine the price of building stones.
Whether the stone is mined domestically in the country or it comes from foreign countries is a very important factor in determining the price of building stone. Obviously, if it is imported stone, the price may be higher than the price of similar stones, because not only the price depends on the US dollar or other world currencies, but the cost of importing into the country also affects the price.
The difficulty of stone extraction is another factor that affects the price of the stone. Some stones are difficult to extract and require special and expensive equipment. In general, the harder the stone is found and the more difficult and complex it is to extract, the higher the price is.
The stone’s natural properties such as porosity and water absorption, wear resistance, compressive strength and weight can affect their final price. Some rocks, such as granite, are inherently very resistant to compression, abrasion, temperature changes, chemical penetration and weathering. Stones with less resistance undergo longer processing steps; therefore, the more durable the stone, the higher its quality; therefore the price will be higher.
An important and universal thing you should know about all building stones is that the presence of halos and fewer streaks of color means that the stone is purer; in other words, the purer the stone, the more uniform the color.
Building stones for sale in Kenya
In the above context, we already mentioned some factors for choosing the right stones for your project, in the Kenya sale market of building materials and stones. These factors are generally divided into three categories:
- physical factors
- chemical factors
- mechanical factor
After examining these three factors in the stone, according to the requirements for the use of the stone, the best building stone is selected. The decorative stone of the facade is considered more from the aspect of beautification, and attention must also be paid to the resistance of various parts, such as the floor stone of the building, stairs, passages, etc.
The set stone must withstand various physical loads, such as environmental conditions which are temperature and weather changes, so when buying a building stone, make sure you choose a stone that is suitable for the environment of the application. This work prevents premature failure of the building stone, extends the life of the stone, and preserves its beauty.
Building stones are natural elements, and unlike man-made materials, they are not identical and homogeneous, but these stones are variable, and the degree of variation is very important during the explosion. A homogeneous substance is a substance in which its components are distributed in the same way and behave the same everywhere.
In this way, each component represents the whole substance. But stone is basically not a homogeneous material. Also, stones with the same appearance do not behave the same as each other, nor do they necessarily have the same properties. The main factors contribute to differences in stone structure include:
- composition
- pressure
- heat
- Time of formation
Although these stones have the same shape, they will have different structures and properties. Likewise, stones from the same condition and origin can differ in different ways. Therefore, when buying building stone, you must pay particular attention to the location and use of the stone in relation to the weather conditions of the environment and the place where the stone is installed.
Dimensions of building stones in Kenya
The meaning of stone sizes and dimensions, in Kenya and other countries, is the costumery length, width, and height of the building stones that the machine cuts according to standard sizes. When the stone is extracted from the heart of the mountain and from the mine, it is raw and weighs several tons. To use it, it must go to the cutting factory.
Copestone is a rough stone cut with a cutter from the center of an ore mountain. Coping stones are blocks of hundreds of tons that are cut by machines with special skills. Rock piles can be regular or irregular in shape, so they can be seen as square or hexagonal.
Rectangular cubes and square cubes are the most popular examples of squares for buying, selling, and exporting abroad. After common and regular stones enter the stone cutting factory, they are cut into slabs. Slab stone is a product of Copestone, which is cut and processed into slabs.
The shape of the sheet stone is rectangular in appearance, with length and width as well as the thickness of the stone. Slates of various sizes can be seen, ranging from one and a half to two meters in width and two and a half to three meters in length. The size of slab stone entering the market must be large as it doubles the appearance of the stone.
The large size of the slab makes it suitable for floors in luxury buildings, floors in halls and walls, and various parts of conference halls. The factors that determine the final price of the slab are related to the size of the slab, the slab’s material and color coordination.
Price of machine cut building stones in Kenya
Machine cut stones are now used more for building houses than the brick and the price of this product mostly depends on the size of the stones. The intention of using machine-cut stone is due to the reason that they usually build long-lasting and beautiful homes.
These stones are now easily available in most parts of Kenya and there are many people and companies selling these stones. They just ship them from primary sources and store them in cities where they can easily sell them and deliver them to the customers.
You might be surprised to know how much these stones cost before shipping. What really makes these stones expensive is the shipping cost. This means that if you are able to have your own transport, you can get them at a very cheap price. In Meru, most building stones come from a well-known place, Mutonga. This is the largest quarry that supplies building stone to Meru.
In Mutonga, these stones are usually sold according to their size. Most of these stones are cut to one foot and a half. The price for a stone in the quarry is 30 shillings. People living in this place usually get these stones at very cheap prices. Due to shipping costs, the further you are from the quarry, the higher the price. There are many people who supply these stones at low prices. You can get one of these stones for between 40 and 55 shillings depending on your location.
Where to buy building stones in Kenya
Machine cut stones are now used more for building houses than the brick and the price of this product mostly depends on the size of the stones. The intention of using machine-cut stone is due to the reason that they usually build long-lasting and beautiful homes.
These stones are now easily available in most parts of Kenya and there are many people and companies selling these stones. They just ship them from primary sources and store them in cities where they can easily sell them and deliver them to the customers.
You might be surprised to know how much these stones cost before shipping. What really makes these stones expensive is the shipping cost. This means that if you are able to have your own transport, you can get them at a very cheap price. In Meru, most building stones come from a well-known place, Mutonga. This is the largest quarry that supplies building stone to Meru.
In Mutonga, these stones are usually sold according to their size. Most of these stones are cut to one foot and a half. The price for a stone in the quarry is 30 shillings. People living in this place usually get these stones at very cheap prices. Due to shipping costs, the further you are from the quarry, the higher the price.
There are many people who supply these stones at low prices. You can get one of these stones for between 40 and 55 shillings depending on your location.
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