Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex; a second pair of third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex; a third pair of fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex; wherein the sides of at least one of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational images of each other, and the artificial flagstone has no rotational symmetry when rotated about a central axis.

Abstract: An artificial stone is disclosed for use in creating a covering for a supporting surface. The artificial stone includes a body for placement on the supporting surface, which is shaped for mating engagement with like stones with intermediate perimeter joints to produce a continuous surface covering. The stone has a facing surface on the body, which facing surface has a contour defining a surface area and is subdivided by at least one simulated joint into a major surface portion and at least one minor surface portion. The major surface portion is free of simulated joints and extends over at least about 60% of the total surface of the facing surface. The stone further includes at least one perimeter recess in the body for generating a gap between the stone and another like stone in mating engagement therewith, which gap is wider than adjacent the adjoining perimeter joint.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex; a second pair of third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex; a third pair of fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex; wherein the sides of at least one of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational images of each other, and the artificial flagstone has no rotational symmetry when rotated about a central axis.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex; a second pair of third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex; a third pair of fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex; wherein the sides of at least one of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational images of each other, and the artificial flagstone has no rotational symmetry when rotated about a central axis.

Abstract: A covering unit for use in combination with similar units for covering a surface with a natural random look, the unit having an hexagonal body comprising first, second and third pairs of opposed and parallel sides. Each side has a central point of angular symmetry. The second and third pairs are similar to each other while the first pair is different from the others. The sides of the second and third pairs are provided with at least one split deviation along their length arranged so that each side of the second pair is a rotational image of the sides of the third pair, whereby in use in combination with other covering units: each side is matingly engageable with the sides of an equivalent pair of a neighbouring unit; and the unit has a central point of angular symmetry and is matingly engageable with a plurality of neighbouring unit.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex; a second pair of third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex; a third pair of fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex; wherein the sides of at least one of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational images of each other, and the artificial flagstone has no rotational symmetry when rotated about a central axis.

Abstract: A covering unit for use in combination with similar units for covering a surface with a natural random look, the unit having an hexagonal body comprising first, second and third pairs of opposed and parallel sides. Each side has a central point of angular symmetry. The second and third pairs are similar to each other while the first pair is different from the others. The sides of the second and third pairs are provided with at least one split deviation along their length arranged so that each side of the second pair is a rotational image of the sides of the third pair, whereby in use in combination with other covering units: each side is matingly engageable with the sides of an equivalent pair of a neighboring unit; and the unit has a central point of angular symmetry and is matingly engageable with a plurality of neighboring unit.

Abstract: A wall panel for retaining masonry units is provided. The panel has a front face provided with a plurality of tabs for supporting the lower lateral face of the masonry units and a plurality of resilient clips for resiliently biasing the upper lateral face of the units against the tabs. In an embodiment, the clips include a frontward curved hook with a downwardly pointing edge to bit on the upper face of the masonry unit and an inverted U-shaped cut-out including the curved hook and providing resiliency. In another embodiment, the clips include at least one downward resilient wing having a longitudinal axis parallel to the plane of the panel. The masonry unit is maintained in place on the panel against the tabs partly by a resilient force applied by the wing and partly by friction of the wing against the upper lateral face of the masonry unit.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of generally congruent irregularly-shaped first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; a second pair of generally congruent irregularly shaped third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; a third pair of generally congruent irregularly shaped fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; wherein the sides of each of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational image

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for aging a stone, preferably an artificial stone. The aging device comprises a rotary support operatively connected to a rotary shaft, at least one abrasive tool mounted to the rotary support for roughing and/or polishing a surface of the artificial stone when the rotary support is brought into functional contact with said surface, and biasing means that biasingly connect the abrasive tool to the rotary support. The biasing means urge the abrasive tool away from the rotary support while allowing the same to move toward the rotary support when the rotary support is brought into functional contact with the surface of the artificial stone, thereby allowing the abrasive tool to follow a surface profile of the artificial stone while roughing and/or polishing its surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for molding dry cast products having a textured side surface is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an open compartment for receiving a dry concrete mixture and a plurality of walls laterally enclosing the compartment. At least one of the walls has a multilevel surface with a plurality of sections in an overhanging relationship with each other and transitional curvilinear steps bridging adjacent one of the sections to impart a textured side surface resembling a natural rockface and allowing stripping of the dry cast products from an open bottom side of the compartment.

Abstract: An artificial flagstone for use in combination with other similar flagstones for covering a surface with a natural random look, the flagstone having a generally hexagonal body comprising a first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth consecutive vertices; a first pair of generally congruent irregularly-shaped first and second sides extending radially from the first vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; a second pair of generally congruent irregularly shaped third and fourth sides extending radially from the third vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; a third pair of generally congruent irregularly shaped fifth and sixth sides extending radially from the fifth vertex and being rotationally spaced from each other by an angle ? of approximately 120°; wherein the sides of each of the first, second and third pair of sides have at least one split deviation along their length and are respectively rotational image