An attractive and functional addition to any yard is a stone patio. Stone patios can be made from a range of materials that all function similarly but have differing appearance and costs.
Bluestone is a natural stone that is quarried mostly in NY, PA, CT. It gets it’s name from it’s blueish-gray hue. Bluestone is readily available and commonly used for patios, walkways, and other flatwork. Bluestone comes cut into various sized rectangles that can be installed randomly or with a regular pattern. There are different grades of bluestone that vary in price and ease of installation quite a bit:
Deeper down in the earth there is more pressure and the bluestone is completely solid. For this reason the stone can’t be split and must be sliced to the appropriate thickness with a saw. The saw cut leaves a very smooth, unnatural surface so the stone is wet down and then treated with a super hot flame. This process flakes off little bits of stone to return it to a rough, natural stone surface. This ‘thermal’ treatment is what gives it’s name. Thermal Bluestone is consistent in color and thickness and the surface is rough like sandpaper but completely flat. Thermal Bluestone is more expensive than Natural Cleft Bluestone but is faster to install.
