Using Jura Limestone on Building Plinths: Key Considerations

Dear colleagues, we are pleased to welcome you back to our website and to share further information about the use of limestone in construction, architecture and interior design. We intend to publish material that we consider interesting and hope it will prove useful and worth the time spent reading it. As you may already have noticed, this website is primarily informational and is not focused on the direct sale of Jura marbled limestone. Nevertheless, we have championed this natural stone for many years and would like to share both our knowledge of the material and our experience of using it in Russia and elsewhere in the world. Previous articles have discussed the varieties of Jura marbled limestone, its applications and distinctive characteristics, as well as projects completed in Russia. We plan to continue the blog with relevant information covering the stone's broad range of possibilities and the problems within the wider limestone family that we have encountered in installation and service. This article considers the use of Jura Limestone, and certain other beige marbled limestones, specifically on the plinth of a building.

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As the photograph shows, water collecting beside the pavement is splashed onto the building plinth by passing vehicles. The exposed face of the plinth therefore remains repeatedly wet. Capillary moisture is another possibility, while accumulated snow and dirt may also be saturated with de-icing salts.

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The photographs show the plinth slab covered with dirt and a white deposit, most likely dried salt from the principal component of the de-icing agent. This Jura stone deteriorated after several years in service because it stood close to the embankment, where traffic volumes are high.

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Here is another section of a deteriorating public-building plinth, now at an advanced stage. The Jura Limestone is beside a broad pavement and well away from the carriageway, yet after seven to ten years it is breaking down, losing not only its appearance but the stone fabric itself. The damage is attributable not only to the location and service conditions, but also potentially to unsuitable quarry material having been selected for this application.