APPEARANCE

It is a soft stone, extracted in Oise (north of Paris); these quarries are very old: they date back to Gallo-Roman era; but especially from Louis XIV that this stone will be used extensively in the construction of Paris; finally, it will be very stone-used under Napoleon III by Baron Haussmann for the PARIS which we know today.

There are 3 categories:

• The Liais : it is a hard stone, the only layer that can suit paving; unfortunately its availability is very low.
• Franche : a little softer than the Liais ( and a part could be used also for floor )but there also, its availability is low.
• The Fine: it is still softer than the Franche but much more available; one can find some variation in hardness Fine benches Their color is very homogeneous, and the hardness increases, the texture is fine.

Usual slab sizes are 160-200 cm x 100-120 cm. Quarry capacity allows to supply medium sized project ( in massive thickness).

QUARRY LOCATION

Saint Maximin, F-60740
France

OTHER NAMES OR SIMILAR STONES

St Leu, Sebastopol,…

TECHNICAL DATA

Apart Liais and part of Franche that can be used only in small quantity paving, Fine are masonry stones and  are mainly used in massive gold wall façade cladding (thickness> 8 cm).

They arenot frost resistant enough for outside floor and horizontal  parts ( window sills, corniches, copings… ), is better to associate it with a frost resistant limestone, using it only fir vertical parts It is used for pilasters, window and door frames, fireplaces , wall cladding ( inside , outside).