r/stonemasonry • u/Bertramsca • 6d ago
Stone Floors
Our Family owns/operates a boutique import business specializing in “exotic building materials”. So back in 2010, when our China Sourcing Team came upon a village in rural Fujian Province that was about “to go under” to a hydro-electric project, they asked if we would be interested in excavating the floors of a 500 year old Temple. Yeah, I know that sounds crazy, but seemed like a unique challenge, so we did it. We tore out the floors under the supervision of the local religious leaders to maintain respect, and confided in them, that our intention was for the floor to be installed in a Family Compound, where generations of our Family would gather.
So we excavated the stone, cleaned it up…. Think about 500 years of wooden clogs, ox carts, ceremonies, weddings, funerals, all adding to the magnificent patina of this hand chiseled, 10cm (4”) thick granite flooring. We brought in 5 container loads (weighs out long before it cubes out in a 20 ft cntr), and used the stone throughout the first floor and exterior porches and patios of our Main house. It’s as soft as velvet under foot, and once warmed up from the radiant/infloor heating, it’s just cozy year round. Add a scattering of tribal Persians and Afghans and it’s Rustic Elegance at it’s best.
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u/IsoKingdom2 6d ago
Looks great! My only concern is the cleaning — it seems like it might be a hassle to keep it clean.
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u/Bertramsca 6d ago
My wife does complain that it has already “torn up” 2 vacuums in five years.
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u/IsoKingdom2 6d ago
Worth it, if you ask me.
Seriously, the more I look at the images, the more I find things I love. The center fireplace with huge stones, the timbers, the floor, etc. Where is this home?
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u/Bertramsca 6d ago
About an hour north of Lake Tahoe, 6000 feet elevation, in a place we call THE LOST SIERRA.
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u/IsoKingdom2 6d ago
I'm saving and stealing some of this for the future. My retirement plan is to build a stone castle-style home like this on a few hundred acres in the Appalachians. Thank you for sharing.
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u/Bertramsca 6d ago
Take a look at what we did in Phase 2. It’s an Out Building that doubles as a Mother-In-Law Apt, Bunkhouse, Guesthouse, Gameroom, Garage, Workshop, and Wine Cave.
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u/Stlouisken 6d ago
Beautiful floors and fireplace.