Bluestone is an attractive and valuable material that’s as versatile in its uses as it is in its beauty. Many contractors and homeowners alike instantly fall in love with the functional value of bluestone slabs or bluestone tiles in their walkways or patios from their installation day to many years down the road. In this article, we’ll provide an opportunity for contractors and homeowners to familiarize themselves with this stunning natural stone and its many uses. We invite you to reach out to Astro Masonry with any questions, quote requests, or orders, or simply stop by our masonry yard on Long Island to check out our bluestone selection in person.
What is Bluestone?
Bluestone is a beautiful fine-grained sandstone that provides an elegant slate-like appearance to a variety of landscaping projects including outdoor walkways, steps, walls, and patios.
The term “bluestone” is used to refer to a number of different types of stone that are used as building material. In the New York area, our bluestone is most commonly feldspathic sandstone and comes from the Catskills and northeastern Pennsylvania. In fact, bluestone got its name from the variety first discovered in Ulster County, New York, which was blue in color. Bluestone is not always truly blue though. It can vary in shades of grays, beiges, and browns.
The bluestone look is very traditional for our region. If you have a home on Long Island or the greater New York area, bluestone is a classic choice that you can’t go wrong with. It’s perfectly at home with a classic colonial house and is especially popular with Hamptons-style farmhouse homes on the East End of Long Island.
Because of their density, bluestone pavers have become known for their ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, while their grip-like texture is perfect for preventing slips and falls when the stone becomes wet. The uses for bluestone pavers are practically endless, however, we’ve arranged a few potential projects in the sections below that homeowners may find bluestone pavers especially perfect for.
Bluestone Paving Stones
Bluestone paving stones are commonly used to create outdoor patios, providing a durable and visually appealing surface for entertaining and relaxation. Whether you prefer a natural cleft, thermal, or honed finish, pavers can be customized to suit your design preferences and functional requirements. The natural variation in color and texture adds character to outdoor spaces, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Homeowners may also find the notable quick-drying ability and gripping texture of bluestone paving stones perfect for installing outdoor steps, preventing potential slips during wet or icy weather.
Bluestone Walkways
One of the things our contractors like most about our bluestone paver selection is the bluestone’s ability to combine a natural look with practicality. Bluestone is easy to keep clean and provides timeless durability in even the harshest landscapes. For this reason, many homeowners consider using bluestone pavers for their walkways or in areas with frequent foot traffic.
As an added bonus, bluestone’s natural ability to minimize heat absorption also prevents bare feet from getting burned in most seasons. The natural look of the bluestone is also a perfect companion to gardens and shrubbery while providing a functional border to protect lawns from stray weeds. Many of our customers even use our stand-up irregular bluestone purely for decorations in their gardens or landscaping projects.
Bluestone Pool Coping
Perhaps the most popular use for bluestone of all is bluestone pool coping and pools in general. Pools and bluestone simply look beautiful together, but beyond beauty, bluestone also serves a variety of functions as pool coping. Their ability to reflect heat is perfect for sitting or lounging on the edge of the pool, while their unique texture provides the perfect grip for getting in and out of the pool. More importantly, however, this feature truly becomes a lifesaver by preventing slips and falls which can easily become deadly with the wrong material. Lastly, many contractors note the easy clean-up when it comes to bluestone’s unique texture – easy to sweep and spray down and quick to dry out even on a cloudy day.
Faux-Bluestone and Bluestone Look
While true bluestone is typically ideal for the variety of benefits mentioned throughout this guide, many contractors also find that products with a bluestone look often provide many of the same benefits at a reduced cost. Many of these faux-bluestone products, such as our Elegance Bluestone Porcelain Pavers, provide clean-looking patios or walkways, while our Silver Grey Porcelain Paver from Hardscape.com makes the perfect bluestone stepping stones. Techo-Bloc also makes a great overlay system designed to mimic bluestone and their extensive Blu collection is a great concrete alternative to bluestone.
Bluestone Pavers Near Me
We hope this guide has provided you with some insight into the type of projects that have our customers raving about our bluestone selection. If you have any questions or would like to request a quote, feel free to use our online quote request form, or simply stop by our Long Island masonry yard in Deer Park.