Susan Schlenger

Bluestone Patio Paving Tips



Posted: Friday, October 05, 2007

by
Susan Schlenger Landscape Design

Bluestone paving is a wonderful choice for a patio. I am partial to natural stone as paving materials, and bluestone certainly is that.

Bluestone is available in both a natural stone shape and also rectilinear. There are quite a few different bluestone patio ideas to consider.

Natural Shaped Bluestone

Building a patio out of this type of stone will result in an irregular paving pattern, which can be very attractive. The stones may be set in mortar or they may be dry laid. If dry laid, the joints can get quite wide due to the uneven edges of the stones, but can be filled with sand or a material that hardens over time. The edges of the patio are usually curvilinear or straight, but they can also be designed so that the outer stone edges become the patio edge.

Patterned Bluestone

This stone is rectilinear in shape. You may use stone that is all one size or it may be a combination of sizes. Stones that are 18x18 or 24x24 create attractive designs. The stone pattern may be laid perpendicular to the house, or it may be on a diagonal. This stone also may be wet laid or dry laid. If dry laid, try to keep the joints between 1/4 and 3/8 for a tighter fit. You have a little bit more flexibility in joint size if setting the stones in mortar.

Bluestone comes in a few different colors. The two nicest are all blue and full range. All blue is where the stones are blue with little color variation. Full range is my favorite. There is a mix of colors within each stone consisting of blue, gold-brown (from iron) and some other tones.

Problems with Patterned Bluestone

The pieces of bluestone when rectilinear should be perfectly square, meaning that the stone form a perfect square. If you fit two together, they would meet perfectly and all lines would be straight. That is in a perfect world, of course!

Most of the time, they are not square. Look at a bluestone patio, and stand at one end and look at the lines of the joints. They should be straight and even. Yet because bluestone is not always cut properly at the quarry, the pieces are not exactly straight. If used as is, your joint lines will not be straight either.

So, what is the solution?

  • The contractor can assume there will be waste on the job and only use the best shaped pieces, ordering extra. This should be figured into the costs.
  • The pieces of bluestone can be saw cut to make them perfectly straight, also an extra cost due to the time involved.
  • Let your contractor know you are aware of this problem and that you expect a good job regarding this situation.
    • There is a type of bluestone called thermal finish. This bluestone is supposed to be very square. However, at times it is not.

    Susan Schlenger is a Landscape Designer with a degree in Landscape Architecture. You can read more about her professional landscape design ideas and see some beautiful projects at http://www.landscape-design-advice.com/patio-designs.html

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