"The Consultant" is a monthly column in the Natural Stone Specialist magazine written by Barry Hunt of IBIS. The column answers questions on all aspects of stone construction, a selection of which are provided below.

Click on the question to find the answer at the bottom of the page.
 

Someone told me that my cement mixer is not good enough for making screeds
and bedding materials, is that true?

My Architect is insisting on using Ordinary Portland cement, but I was taught that grey cements were bad for stone, am I correct?

A roofing slate I want to use has 'Fool's Gold' in it, should I look for something else?

When installing flexible jointing media such as silicones, how can I check
that they are doing what is claimed?

How do I increase the slip resistance of my polished floor?

Is flame-texturing better than bush-hammering or other tooled finishes?