Whether as fascia for an exterior wall or a decorative walkway, natural stone products add a level of regal elegance to your home or office. Depending on the style of natural stone you use, it can also create an intimate scene reflecting the splendor of nature. From your patio to paths through your garden, natural stone also adds value to your landscape.
While there are facsimiles of natural stone, none fully capture the essential beauty of natural stone. Natural stone visually transforms your property as the surface of a patio, a path to the front door, a walkway through the garden or as a decorative garden retaining wall. Coupled with other quality landscaping materials, and composed with an artistic flair, you can transform your property into a virtual paradise.
Many types of natural stone are literally cut out of the strata of hillsides where the natural stone was compressed by the weight of mountains over the course of centuries. Types of natural stone have varying degrees of uniformity and, therefore, are often better suited to particular uses – where one natural stone works well as fascia on the front of your home, or in the den by a fireplace, another is ideal for a patio. When choosing the best natural stone for your project, considerations include color, shade, uniformity and surface. The following photographs and descriptions should help you to decide.
Bluestone – comes in cut slabs of varying dimensions, including 12” X 12” or 12” X 18” all the way up to 36” X 36”, but does not come in uniform thickness. This requires shims below thinner pieces to achieve a flat surface. Like its name, bluestone is generally blue in color. However, it also comes in shades of red and brown. Typical uses include:
- Counter Tops
- For a Patio
- For a Walkway
- Inside Porch Floor
- Pillar or Wall Caps
- Fireplace Outer Hearth
Flagstone – is harvested but not cut. It comes in varied thicknesses and light colors, such as natural, tan and gray, depending on its place of origin. In fact, the types and colors are named after the place of origin – such as the varieties we carry - Lannon Natural Stone, Fon Du Lac Natural Stone and Chilton Natural Stone – all from Wisconsin. Uses include:
- Decorative Retaining Walls and/or Garden Retaining Walls
- Edging
- Walkway
- Steps
- Patio
- Fireplace Outer Hearth
Cut Drywall – has a deceptive name. It has little in common with the sheetrock drywall used in your home, and it’s not cut; it’s snapped. Cut Drywall is snapped at particular dimensions to create uniformity. The thickness is also generally uniform and depends on the vein where it was harvested. Cut Drywall natural stone is rectangular in shape with lengths running to about 18 inches, widths of up to six inches and thicknesses of up to 4 inches. It comes in color choices similar to what you’ll find in flagstone, as the Cut Drywall we carry also comes from the same locations as the flagstone we carry. Cut Drywall is often used for:
- Fire Pits
- Fireplace
- Decorative Accent Pieces in Brick walls
- Decorative Walls, Small Garden Walls
- Garden and Retaining Accent Pieces – a very popular use
Cobblestone – are rounded granite boulders from 3 to 8 inches, 8 to 18 inches and 18 inches or larger. Colors include red, browns, gray, pinks or deeper earthy tones. Some are solid in color and others are speckled. Uses include:
- Retaining Walls
- Edging for Planter Beds
- Embedded in the Ground
- Driveway Ribbons
- Larger Boulders as Garden Features or Accent Pieces
- As Memorials where you can mount a Plaque
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Bluestone
A variety of sizes are available. All blue or full color. |
Flagstone
Assorted flat surfaced sizes for walkways and patios, as well as drywall boulders. |
Walls - Cut Drywall
Residential and commercial retaining walls, garden walls, seat walls and shoreline retention. |
Cobblestone
Boulders of
3 - 8 inches;
8 - 18 inches;
18 inches or more. |