Bluestone is not just blue

Bluestone is a fine-grained sandstone from Pennsylvania and New York, characterized by its grey-blue color—but it’s not always blue. “There are so many color variations,” explained Bill Mirch, Vice President of Tompkins Bluestone. “Light blue, grey, green, brown, lilac…” Mirch ticked down the list of colors expressed in bluestone. “There are a lot of nice choices.”

Ancient rivers gave birth to bluestone, and this sandstone is the result of a region-wide river system. As with all sedimentary rocks, the particulars of the stone reveal details about its formation. For example, the different colors tell us if the stone was exposed to oxygen during or after its formation. Orange, red, or brown colors are caused by an oxygen-rich environment. Green, turquoise, or blue tones are a result of oxygen-poor conditions, which can occur when decaying organic matter in the sediment uses up all of the available oxygen.

A variety of different ingredients make up bluestone: feldspar, quartz, mica, clays, and rock fragments. In geologic terms, this stone is called a greywacke (pronounced “gray whacky”), which is a sandstone made of a mixture of different particles. Furthermore, ‘greywacke’ is yet another example of how geology is rich with unusual/ridiculous vocabulary terms!

But this jumble of ingredients tells us something about bluestone. As sediments are transported farther from their source, they sort themselves out into similar minerals of similar sizes. But bluestone, being made of a diverse mix of ingredients, is made up of sediment that travelled a relatively short distance down a river. It also hints at the fact that all bluestones are not identical. The range in colors, layering, and texture is one of bluestone’s best assets.

Bluestones are the remnants of an ancient mountain range

Let’s do a little time travel back to the Devonian Period, nearly 400 million years ago. A mountain range, called the Acadian Mountains, was being uplifted along the east coast of North America. As a tectonic collision cranked the mountains upward, erosion sought to wear them back down. Rivers carved out valleys and carried away the sediment. At the foothills of the mountains, the rivers met an inland sea, the currents slowed, and the rivers laid down blankets of sand, gravel, and clay. More sediment piled on top of that, and the pressure from the overlying layers helped glue the particles together to create solid rock.

A huge range of rocks got deposited in this manner, and all together they are called the Catskill Delta Formation. This deposit is up to 10,000 feet thick, and covers parts of eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The Catskill Formation includes black shales, thick beds of coarse red sandstone, occasional limestones, and lenses of bluestone. The bluestones were formed from sandy deposits in river channels and river banks. Layers of shale and siltstone are usually found above and below the bluestone layers.

Bluestone was not laid down in a continuous blanket. Instead, rivers and deltas left behind pockets of sand. As rivers shifted across the landscape, the sandy layers did too. As a result, bluestones are found in small, discontinuous layers scattered throughout the region.

It’s amazing to think that the Acadian Mountains that shed their sediments to create the Catskill Formation no longer exist at all. They’ve been erased by erosion and overridden by the Appalachian Mountains, which formed in a similar way, about 50 million years after the Catskill Delta. The Appalachians, of course, are still with us today, but at some point they’ll lose the battle with erosion too, and will be worn away by restless rivers.

Geologic variability leads to a versatile stone

The geologic origins of bluestone conspired to create a particularly useful material. The sand grains of bluestone have been tightly cemented together, yielding a strong and durable stone. It has a consistent texture that can be left as-is, or can be worked into a variety of different finishes.

Bluestone’s natural layering allows the stone to be cleaved into agreeable flat shapes, and variations in the thickness of the natural layers provides a range of stone for different uses, from chunky blocks to thin sheets.

The way that bluestone was deposited in individual layers and pockets gave rise to small quarries scattered throughout eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The small scale of the operations favored close-knit crews working by hand rather than with heavy machinery. “Information was handed down from generation to generation,” explained Mirch. “It was a family thing.”

Because bluestone layers fade in and out across the landscape, quarrying it “is really an art,” said Mirch. In some places the sandstone beds are thick, which are useful for stair treads, curbing, and sills. Thinner layers are well-suited for paving or patio stone. Broad slabs are ideal for sidewalks. Because of the variability, “it’s harder to understand how to extract it,” offered John Malyshko, owner of Natural Stone Resources, Inc., but the upside is that, “different products come from different parts of the formation.”

“The precursor to concrete”

Bluestone has been a useful stone since the 1800s, when it began to be quarried for curbs, sidewalks, door sills, window sills, and paving stones. Much of the stone was shipped to nearby New York City, where “it was the precursor to the concrete sidewalk,” said Malyshko. “You can still see 200 year old bluestone steps and paving material.”

A spectacular example of early bluestone construction is the Starrucca Viaduct, a 1,000-foot long, stone railroad bridge in Lanesboro, PA. The viaduct was built of Ashlar bluestone in 1848, and was completed in only a year, thanks in part to the fact that the quarry was just 3 miles from the viaduct. If you had any doubts about the strength and durability of bluestone, take a look at that structure and appreciate that it’s still being used for commercial rail freight today.

Many uses for bluestone

Today, bluestone remains a popular choice and is one of the most abundant American natural stones. Patios, stair treads, stone walls, and pool coping are common uses of bluestone. In part, bluestone remains in demand because of its versatility. Daniel Wood, natural stone consultant for Lurvey Supply and chair of the Natural Stone Institute’s education committee, described the many facets of bluestone. “You can work it and craft it. You can have different sizes, different surface textures. It can be layered or not.”

The natural layers of bluestone can be “cleft,” or broken apart, yielding a naturally flat surface with just a hint of texture. In the early days of bluestone, its tendency to break along flat layers was part of its appeal.

But now, Mirch explained, diamond-blade saws have transformed the industry and ushered in myriad new uses for bluestone. No longer reliant on natural layers, stone cutters can saw the stone into specific sizes and thicknesses for architectural use, and mill it into thin tiles. “We’ve expanded our market to the [home’s] interior,” said Mirch.

Different finishes can mesh with different parts of a home. Bluestone can be tumbled to give it an antique look, it can be brushed or honed for smooth floor tile, or a ‘flamed’ finish can be applied, which leaves a planar surface with a slightly rough texture. Mirch summed up bluestone’s adaptability: “It goes from rustic to contemporary, very easily.”

Using the same stone in different ways can unite different parts of a project. “There’s a rhythm; a simplicity of materials,” said Wood. “It ties together into a cohesive design.”

Even bluestone’s leftovers are useful. Thinner layers can be made into tile, and crushed bluestone can be used as gravel. “There’s so many things you can do with it, or to it,” remarked Wood.

‘The industry is thriving’

Even though the bluestone industry is made up of small and medium-sized quarries, the stone has a huge reach. Demand for bluestone is highest in the northeast. “It fits the vernacular of the region,” Wood said.

But bluestone is shipped far and wide. “It’s very popular, nationwide,” explained Malyshko. “It’s like bread or butter. People know the material. It’s a safe choice.”

“The industry is thriving. The quarries are doing great,” observed Wood. “They can’t make it fast enough.”

Malyshko echoed this sentiment: “Every block that’s extracted is sold.” Mirch added, “We never have a surplus. Ever.”

For example, Tompkins bluestone supplies 6,000 to 8,000 square feet of bluestone sidewalks for historical neighborhoods in New York City every year. Mirch appreciates the continued use of traditional natural stone. “I really can’t get jazzed over a concrete sidewalk,” he quipped.

Furthermore, this American stone fosters American jobs, and not just in the quarry: “Trucking, machining, diamonds, blades…” Malyshko counted off the ways that bluestone stokes the local economy.

Perhaps bluestone is the quintessential American success story. A geologic remnant became a useful product, and small-scale quarrying fostered a bustling industry. Over time, quarriers, masons, and architects innovated new ways to use this old stone. And all the while, customers have flocked to it, keeping the industry vibrant and allowing the cycle to continue. Bluestone’s easygoing versatility shows us that sometimes the simplest ideas are the most durable.

Photos courtesy of Natural Stone Resources, Inc.

More from the Geology Series

Outdoor kitchens afford homeowners extended livable space and whether you’re considering installing a simple pizza oven or a full-scale outdoor kitchen, experts agree that advance planning, from where to place your pieces to the types of natural stone you choose, can help families make the most of their investment.

Choosing Your Natural Stone

Photo courtesy of Lurvey Supply.

When designing your outdoor kitchen, Daniel Wood, natural stone and material consultant for Lurvey Landscape Supply, recommends consulting a professional such as an architect, landscape architect, landscape contractor, or mason. This can help homeowners make crucial decisions that take into account scale and safe placement, since other uses for the adjacent space may need to be modified to accommodate a kitchen. Might the dining area need to be moved, for example? How will the space account for a higher-level entertainment, or components such as pergolas, fire pits or fireplaces, chairs, tables, umbrellas, heaters, and other accessories?

By working with a professional, the homeowner will be less inclined to “just plop the kitchen into the landscape somewhere close to the house that really doesn’t conform to good design, traffic flow, and usage sense,” says Wood.

Photo courtesy of Tompkins Bluestone.

Choosing the type of natural stone to use is just as important as placement. According to Wood, most natural stone options, whether granite, sandstone, limestone, or other type of stone, are now available in a full veneer and a thin veneer format for vertical work.

“For countertops, some distributors stock 2 inch thick slabs (instead of 1 ¼ inch interior thickness), which look and perform better in the outdoor environment,” says Wood. One thing to note is the color of the natural stone. “Darker-colored material will be hotter on the surface in the sun than a lighter colored material.”

To protect countertops from stains from meat juices, wine, coffee, leaves, berries, and other outdoor elements, Wood recommends sealing the surface with a penetrating sealer. Protecting it also means it will be easier to wipe off anything that makes contact with the stone countertop.

Calcitic stones such as limestone, marble, onyx, and travertine will react to acids. Homeowners should use caution when using acidic liquids (such as citrus juice and wine), because they can etch the stone’s surface. A siliceous material, such as granite, basalt, or quartzite, will not react.

Location, Location, Location

Photo courtesy of Lurvey Supply

Location isn’t restricted to just real estate. While the types of natural stone you choose is important when building out your stone pizza oven or outdoor kitchen, where it resides is key.

Dan Marquerite, owner of The Backyard Barbecue Store in Wilmette, Illinois, doesn’t design outdoor kitchens but often plays matchmaker to customers visiting his store filled with grills and grilling accessories and looking for advice on how to create their own outdoor oasis. Often, he says, customers come in looking for ideas so he helps connect them to a landscape designer with whom he’s worked in the past, or they’ll come to his shop on a landscaper’s recommendation and he’ll show them grills and accessories that fit their budget and project.

Over the years, he’s learned a thing or two on what homeowners might want to consider when building out an outdoor kitchen, whether it’s just adding a stove or pizza oven or something more substantial. First and foremost, he says, is to consider the location of their outdoor kitchen in proximity to their indoor kitchen since many of the items they’ll likely be using will be coming from indoors. “How much room they have for their island [will] depend on if they are using an existing patio or expanding,” he says.

Photo courtesy of Tompkins Bluestone

Homeowners should consider whether they are going to use a gas or charcoal grill (or both), and determine whether or not they can get natural gas to the location. “They should also make sure they are going to have enough counter space as they will need it for prep, cooking, and maybe even serving,” according to Marquerite.

Storage should be addressed early in the planning process, too, especially if a charcoal grill is involved. Homeowners tend to forget about including outlets for blenders, speakers and phone charging, especially if they plan to spend a lot of time outdoors, says Marquerite. They should be aware of when and where the sun shines and whether the grill will be built into a structure that faces a prevailing wind, he notes. Those elements, whether it’s heavy sunlight or strong winds, can create problems for the burners.

Consider your use. One can do more on a grill, and prepare a lot of items easier on a grill, than in a pizza oven. Marquerite also points out that ovens can take up to two hours to heat.

Regardless of whether you choose a pizza oven or full-blown outdoor kitchen, what better way to gather around with friends and family and enjoy the comforting warmth of a delicious pizza or meal outdoors.

Read More Articles About Exterior Projects:

Bluestone Cladding & Pavers

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Building Stone Magazine.

Photo ©Nic Lehoux Architectural Photography.

When a trained architect was looking for a beautiful landscape on the West Coast to build a vacation home for his family, he looked no further than the Santa Lucia Preserve. The site, previously a historic cattle ranch, is now a sprawling 20,000-acre private preserve located in California’s coastal mountains, which is home to 300 private residences and high-end amenities.

The rugged and pristine site has a rolling topography and panoramic views of the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Los Padres National Forest— making it the ideal location for a vacation home, according to Greg Mottola, FAIA, principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in San Francisco.

“We began working on this project in 2005,” said Mottola. “Our client had seen a number of our previous projects and admired how we incorporated stone, and was inspired to design a compound of buildings that featured stone prominently in the design.” This building was the first of several phases that incorporated stone in a meaningful and rich way.

“Our client grew up in the East and went to school at Cornell University,” Mottola continued. “Their campus has a lot of remarkable stone buildings, which he appreciated, and wanted to make a family retreat that celebrated the material.”

The wall cladding, composed of a unique type of Bluestone known as Llenroc stone, was used extensively for the exterior and interior of the home. Thousands of these stones were placed by hand to create the massive wall that frames the entire house and backyard, which relays a rugged texture since the stones are sporadically placed. Photo ©Nic Lehoux Architectural Photography.

The master plan for this vacation retreat involves three buildings that relate to the site’s ridge-top setting, each anchored to the land with a series of massive Bluestone walls and fireplace chimneys, marking the passage along the ridge and culminating in a stone court at the future main residence.

“The site is remarkable where it sits —on a ridge overlooking the Santa Lucia Mountains with rolling topography,” Mottola explained. “When you enter the site, you arrive on the ridge and don’t see the whole site at first; you see it as you continue to ride in. The plan is for three structures — a guest house, main house and barn structure — utilizing stone walls to help mark progression across the site. All structures will have strong vertical stone chimneys that become landscape markers.”

The first building constructed onsite is a 1,500-square-foot guest house which flanks the winding entry drive and is anchored to the sloping site with a massive stone wall that blocks the house and pool from the surrounding sights. A simple timber-framed shed roof springs from the stone wall, supporting naturally weathered zinc roofing over cedar-clad volumes.

A little over 3,000 square feet of Bluestone wall cladding and 800 square feet of Bluestone paving were used for the interior and exterior of the home, supplied by the Finger Lakes Stone Co. Inc. in Ithaca, NY. “The wall cladding is Llenroc stone, which is ‘Cornell’ spelled backward — something the Finger Lakes Stone Co., Inc. cleverly took into account when developing the name of the locally quarried stone,” said Mottola. “It is the Bluestone that has been traditionally used on Cornell’s campus and [which] exhibits that mix of blue-gray and rust color.”

The paving stone was Pennsylvania Bluestone. “The Bluestone flooring is in a linear path that runs adjacent to the stone wall; it marks the end of the pool and entrance, and the circulation hallway down the house,” explained the architect. “Once you step off of that path, you’re onto a wood floor. There are also notable boulders onsite that we used for benches and lintels, but the main design feature of the project was the Bluestone.”

SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT STONE

Pennsylvania Bluestone boulders onsite were used for other features such as benches and lintels. Photo ©Nic Lehoux Architectural Photography.

Mottola and his team ultimately found their stone on the East Coast. “We looked in Montana and Wyoming first, but ended up at a quarry in Upstate New York,” he said. “[Finger Lakes Stone Co.] supplies a lot of stone to Cornell University, and they were able to supply the wall cladding as well as larger stones, thresholds, and lintels. They also supplied the stone flooring. We used natural cleft on the exterior and a thermal finish on the interior.

“We have used a lot of Bluestone in the past — there was a home our client liked that we completed in Pennsylvania for which we used reclaimed Bluestone,” explained Mottola. “It had a beautiful quality, and we wanted to achieve the same kind of appearance for this project, but weren’t able to find a source. Ultimately, the client’s connection to Cornell and the location of the quarry was a good connection.”

Since the homeowner was also trained as an architect, it was a collaborative project. “He understood how to read drawings, so it was a nice back and forth with him,” Mottola said.

Although the most challenging aspect of the project was the stone selection process, the distance between the architectural firm and site was also an obstacle. “When you’re working on a project that’s not really far away — but not a 10 minute drive — you have to be able to communicate well with the contractor and stonemason,” he said,. “We made a fair number of site visits during construction. We relied on field visits, so then we would sketch things out.”

The Bluestone that frames the fireplaces is more toned down, with less texture and a thermal finish. Photo ©Nic Lehoux Architectural Photography.

INSTALLATION OBSTACLES

When it came to the installation — which was completed by an independent, fourth-generation stonemason and craftsman, Jamey DeMaria of Jamey DeMaria Masonry in Carmel, CA — there was an entire other set of design hurdles to overcome. One involved a main design feature of the home — a massive Bluestone wall that frames the residence and blocks it from the surrounding views.

“The general contractor found a stonemason who could really pull off what we were trying to achieve,” said Mottola. “It required an artistic eye. The wall looks like it was there before we started to build.”

The wall was one of DeMaria’s favorite parts of the project. “I liked the concept of the wall,” he said. “It was a great way to get started. We began the wall with large boulders in key locations. They grew out of the ground and worked their way into the wall we built. At the tops of the wall, instead of terminating them with a straight top cap, we let it sort of crumble away and work its way down to look like it sort of eroded over time.

When constructing the home, installers pieced together a little more than two dozen pieces of large-format Bluestone flagstone paving at the entry of the home to create a one-of-a-kind walkway. Photo courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

“The Bluestone we used was rather unique,” DeMaria continued. “It created a very interesting look that was different from the other Bluestone jobs I’ve done. The color combination and the sizing combination worked very well together.”

Although Mottola’s office was about a three-hour drive from the project site, he and his team were onsite often to ensure that everything ran smoothly during the 18-month construction of the home. “We were there every two to three weeks, and it was a very fun project to work on.”

DeMaria said the home is one of the more interesting designs he’s been involved with. “It was an interesting job, starting with the early design process,” he said. “Working with Peter Bohlin and Greg Mottola has been a treat. I respect their design and vision. They came to the site early on and discussed the overall concept. I got a good sense of what they were trying to achieve. I took the vision and did my best to turn it into a reality. I think we created something very special.”

Top 3 Reasons Landscape Architects Use Stone

An outdoor kitchen built of natural stone with granite countertops is the perfect addition to finish an outdoor entertaining space. Photo courtesy of RTK Design Group.

Natural stone is durable, readily available, and comes in a variety of textures and colors. No wonder it’s considered a darling among landscape architects and designers. For these reasons, and more, they often turn to natural stone when creating their designs, even when they have a wide range of materials at their disposal to use.

We dug deeper and asked three experts to share with us how and why they turn to natural stone for their projects. Some of the reasons might surprise you.

Natural stone is durable & versatile

“Great design is often centered around the structures and patterns created by elements like stone work,” says Robert Kaye, landscape architect and owner of New Jersey-based RTK Design Group. Kaye has spent the last 35 years working in all aspects of landscape design and construction, including teaching in academia.

“In order to create these beautiful patterns, the stones must be cut and shaped perfectly,” Kaye adds. “With cultured stone, this can be very difficult as the concrete aggregate begins to show through as you chip away at each piece. With natural stone, cutting and shaping it is not only possible, it often unearths even more of the stone’s natural beauty.”

This outdoor fireplace was built of natural stone, decorated with a travertine mosaic inlay to create a one-of-a-kind look. Photo courtesy of RTK Design Group.

Stone’s heft taps into our need to feel grounded and safe. Jan Johnsen, co-principal of Johnsen Landscapes & Pools, works primarily with clients on the East Coast and has more than 30 years of experience in landscape design and building. She appreciates stone for its useful durability, adding that part of its appeal is that stone is a steadying, grounding force in a landscape.

She often uses the material for its rustic beauty and ability to be molded into many things, from a solitary garden feature to a mosaic wall or quiet dry stream.

Larry Cavender, ASLA, a landscape architect based in Portland, Oregon, often uses natural boulders in his projects because they’re great at handling grade changes in the garden. “Well-placed boulders create interest and strength that no other material can match,” he says.

Natural stone is abundant & rich

Unlike other building materials that have to be fabricated or produced using harsh chemicals, natural stone is abundant in quantity, bountiful in colors and designs, and eco-friendly.

“Natural stone, as its name expresses, is just that: acquired from nature,” notes Kaye.

Stone paving set in a random pattern makes a great garden walk. Here it is bordered by low bluestone edging. Design and installation by Jan Johnsen, Johnsen Landscapes & Pools.

He agrees with Johnsen’s sentiment about feeling grounded but also notes that it’s also a physically strong material and made to withstand the elements. “It won’t fade or change color over time,” he adds. “It wears beautifully and will continue to do so as it’s used and loved outside the home.”

For clients who want the best possible way to achieve an authentic, rich look, natural stone is the way to go.

“As natural stone is extracted directly from the great outdoors, it allows for a landscape design to easily emulate nature, often creating the most serene space,” Kaye adds. “When I design, I want the spaces I create to exude both luxury and tranquility, natural stone allows me to achieve that balance.”

Cavender’s local stone yards and quarries offer a diversity and richness in stone products that allows him to choose materials which complement other landscape and architectural features within the garden.

Since there is a range of natural stone options, from local quarries to international sources, it can also be as affordable or extravagant to meet different kinds of budgets and looks.

Natural stone is visually appealing in landscape designs

The beauty that natural stone affords in projects is that the material is beautiful and can be used in so many different ways to create texture and interest. Sometimes finding that perfect stone can make the space come alive.

Curving grass steps add an elegant accent to a sloping garden. Belgian Block act as the step risers. Design and installation by Jan Johnsen, Johnsen Landscapes & Pools.

Johnsen often finds tall vertical stones in her local stone yard that she enjoys using as accents in her projects, such as standing stones in a garden.

She often uses stone to create garden steps because it makes the journey through the garden a special experience. “I love to use stone – granite pavers, Belgian blocks, or bluestone – as the risers in grass steps,” Johnsen adds.

Cavender appreciates how natural stone can be an interesting counterpoint or contrast to more refined landscape elements, creating an interesting tension within the landscape.

An overriding theme among our experts on why they love using natural stone in their landscape design projects is it often allows artistic liberties unlike other types of materials or treatments available in the marketplace. From walls and flooring to water and garden features, natural stone allows a homeowner and designer the opportunity to experiment with using different types of stones within the landscape in unique ways.

Not only is natural stone beautiful, accessible and versatile for landscape projects, but “stone is a premium material and brings a higher value to the overall project,” adds Cavender. He and his client also like the fact that it’s a natural material that makes a strong connection back to nature.

From its ability to be formed into different shapes and sizes to being aesthetically appealing, landscape architects and designers also appreciate the range of offerings, both in regards to stone variety and the wide range of price points that natural stone provides. Regardless of the type or price of the material used, natural stone enriches the design.

Stone Pavers Design Ideas | Unique Walkway for Landscaping

Whether it meanders through your garden or leads guests in a beeline to your front door, a natural stone pathway forms an eloquent bridge between a home and its surroundings. Design possibilities are almost endless, allowing homeowners to unleash their creativity and make a statement that is truly their own.

To build a pathway, you’ll want to use flagstone, which is not a type of stone, but a generic term for stones that naturally have a flat surface and break into irregular pieces a foot or two in length and ¾ of an inch to three inches in depth. Flagstones can be limestone, bluestone, sandstone, quartzite, and even some granite, and each type of rock comes in an array of shades and textures.

Chilton dolomitic limestone flagstone. Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone.

A Kaleidoscope of Colors and Shapes

Limestone is typically grayish, with some multicolor purples and reds, said Aaron Thieret, owner of Earthworks, Inc., a natural stone distributor in Perryville, MO. Bluestone is typically grayish-blue, as the name implies, but individual stones can range from reddish to green-tinted. Sandstone comes in earth tones of browns, tans, and oranges, but can also have a charcoal hue. Quartzite can be gray, gold, green, or yellowish, and often contains particles that sparkle or shine.

But before you get carried away with a color palette, consider your climate. If you get freezing temperatures in the winter, you’re best off using a dense stone like bluestone or quartzite that can withstand the cold. Sandstone and limestone are more porous, and can absorb water that could crack the stones when it freezes, though there are exceptions, such as Eden, a hard Wisconsin limestone that’s a popular choice at Earthworks.

You can design a pathway to lead to a home or a garden feature like a fountain, or use it as a border around planting beds. You can lay your stones in a straight line or an S-curve, or widen or narrow the pathway along its course to create an hourglass effect. You can also make purely decorative designs, like a nautilus shape or a flagstone starburst surrounding a circular stone.

For a pathway, you’ll want to plan for 30 to 36 inches in width to be comfortable for one person to walk along. For two people walking side by side, you should have at least 48 inches of width.

Fond du Lac dolomitic limestone flagstone and landscape edging. Photo courtesy of Buechel Stone.

Laying Your Bed

Once you have a design in mind, it’s time to prepare a bed for your stones. Use a sod cutter or a shovel to dig four to six inches deep, rolling up the sod if you’re using a shovel. If you have a complex design, it’s a good idea to mark the path’s definition by using stakes, then filling in the contours with upside down spray marking paint.

In the bed you have dug, lay a base of crushed rock that contains “fines,” or fine stone dust. Todd Darnell, manager of Cascade Stone Supply in Burlington, WA, recommends using 5/8th-inch minus, which gives you plenty of powder to compact and allow your path stones to stick in their beds. Fill the bed to two inches below the surface so that you can raise or lower stones of varying heights to make them even. Tamp the base down or wet it to compact it.

Sandy Creek dimensional quartzitic sandstone. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

Setting the Stones

After laying your bed, select stones in the color and texture of your choice. Stone is sold by the ton. Calculate your area and assume you’ll get 80 to 100 square feet of stone per ton, depending largely on its thickness.

“After you get your stone, then the work really begins,” Darnell said. Set the stones in the bed, adjusting them to create an even height. Use a level if you need to, especially for a high-traffic area like a home entrance, so that people won’t trip.

You can space your stones half an inch up to four inches apart, depending on the look you want. Some people even use a skill saw with a diamond blade to cut their stones and fit them tightly together, almost like a jigsaw puzzle.

Thieret recommends putting polymeric sand, available under various brand names, in the joints between stones to bind the base material together. As an added precaution to keep stones in place, you can use plastic or aluminum paver restraint, also called paver edging.

Once it’s set, your stone pathway will last as long as your home or even longer, providing many years of enjoyment for your family and inspiration for your guests.

Bluestone outcropping and irregular natural cleft bluestone, full range color. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

It would seem like a misnomer to think technological advancements have helped improve a product like natural stone valued for its organic look and properties. Yet those advances are among the reasons natural stone is becoming more popular among homeowners looking to add a timeless classic into their landscape projects.

Technological Advances to Natural Stone

Many homeowners love the look of natural stone but want more options. Thanks to recent technological advances in stone fabricating equipment, once very labor intensive surface treatments being applied to natural stone are now done through computer automated equipment.  This automation provides us increased flexibility in aesthetics and shorter production time due to faster processing. “You could have sandblasted, bush-hammered, natural-cleft, thermalled, honed, polished, the list just can go on and on,” says Daniel Wood, LEED GA, of Lurvey Landscape Supply. The company, with locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, sources natural stone from more than 50 quarries around the world and is one of the largest natural stone suppliers in the country. “We move a huge amount of natural stone,” Wood admits.

Pennsylvania Fieldstone. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

Those textural options are just skimming the natural stone surface. “They have ones that they’re making that look like linen,” he continues. “Ones with little chevron patterns in them, and there’s a lot more. Then you can mix and match those designs, too. You can have part of the pattern with one texture, and some with another, and I’ve seen that trend start to appear within the concrete realm, too. They have about five different surface textures and some installations being blended on the same job and it looks really cool.”

It used to be that if homeowners wanted the look of natural stone but couldn’t afford it, or sought options that just weren’t available in the marketplace yet, they’d opt for faux natural stone in the form of concrete.

Pennsylvania Fieldstone. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

However, the cost of concrete is rising. This, coupled technical advances for natural stone and the fact that the production of cement (which forms the binding agent of concrete when mixed with water) contributes approximately five percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions have made the real thing more attractive than concrete alternatives.

On the surface level, choosing natural stone might seem straight forward. Wood says it’s anything but and comments on how amazed people are to learn how vast the selection of natural stone can be when considering incorporating it on a project. He admits that even he, a veteran in the landscape design industry, is surprised at how much there is to learn about opportunities that incorporate natural stone with plants, drainage, irrigation, lighting, fabrics, and fertilizers, among other variables. “It’s just constantly evolving and growing, and changing as new technologies are coming in,” he adds.

Valders dovewhite rock faced veneer, Thermal Lilac bluestone paving, coping, and treads. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

There is even variation within a certain type of stone to consider, notes Kris Barker, a registered landscape architect, LEED-certified designer and co-founder of Chicago-based Barker Evans Landscape Architecture, who works with clients all over the country. Within bluestone alone you can have a blue bluestone, or a mixed color of bluestone which has some russet coloration in it and is more variegated, not to mention the range of finish options, she says.

Natural Stone Is Eco-Friendly

Valders dovewhite rock faced veneer, Thermal Lilac bluestone paving, coping, and treads. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

By definition, natural stone is eco-friendly but looking beyond the fact that it’s a natural product, natural stone can also make a space more eco-friendly. When undertaking a project, Barker takes note of how integrating stone into projects can be part of a solution rather than just aesthetically pleasing.

In areas like California, for example, the drought is affecting hardscapes designs. In some cases, rather than creating tight joints, they’re integrating gravel with stone so there are opportunities for the water to infiltrate in the location rather than allow the water to inundate an area because they’ve put so much impervious surface down. Or they’ll integrate vegetation within the hardscape or look for opportunities to capture water within the hardscape. A side benefit of these types of solutions is that the final product often comes across looking softer and more appealing, Barker says.

On the opposite side of the country, you have other types of climate issues, including heat and rain, with which to contend. Local natural stone is a good option in Florida since decks, in general, are expensive to build and often need to be on pylons.

Natural Stone is an Affordable Sustainable Material

Valders dovewhite rock faced veneer, Thermal Lilac bluestone paving, coping, and treads. Photo courtesy of Lurvey Landscape Supply.

Everyone can afford to have some stone on their projects, says Wood, whether one is planning to blend it into the landscape, as steps, or for something more elaborate like a sculptural piece. Depending on the project, most stone can also be cut to a specific size off-site. The benefits of having the stone cut off-site are significant, according to Wood.

• You get a precise cut. If you order a 12” x 12” stone for a project, it’s really going to be an 11 ½” x 11 ½” stone, leaving a half inch border for a joint or other type of jointing material.
• More environmentally friendly. Less dust and debris on the jobsite.
• Less Labor = Lower Cost. Since the cutting can be done in advance, it’s more cost-effective than cutting on-site because installers can focus their time on installation, not cutting to size. Having the stone pre-cut to a specific size makes it easier to line up stone on-site, making it less labor intensive and, therefore, less costly to install.

Another benefit most homeowners don’t consider when choosing natural stone are its inherent sustainable qualities including that it’s a totally reclaimable resource. “From cradle to cradle, you can continue to use stone again, and again, and again,” notes Wood. “You can’t do that with almost every other material.”