Bluestone flagging around a pond

by Rebecca Davis

In the early 1800s, as New York City became more and more populated, Brooklyn Heights became the refuge of choice for Manhattan's professionals. There the lawyers, bankers, and stock brokers built their comfortable rambling homes, surrounded by elaborate iron fences, in what has come to be known as New York's first suburb. If you visit this historic district today, you'll be walking down the original sidewalks. If you stop to look, you'll find that they fit in perfectly with the elegance of the two-hundred-year-old homes, naturally, because they are made of bluestone.

Not far from Fairfax, Virginia, in a secluded community, you'll find the Eakin Community Park, which, with a series of trails meandering through woods along a creek, connects several smaller parks. Though the peaceful atmosphere here is far removed from the old-world air of Brooklyn Heights, you'll find that the paving stone on these winding paths fits in the perfectly with the rustic surroundings, naturally, because they are paved with bluestone.

Bluestone flagging in a patio application.

From the Victorian grace of the sidewalks in Van Vorst Park to the modern elegance of the patios in the prestigious condominiums of Port Liberty (both in Jersey City), bluestone belongs. In outdoor applications, it is the natural choice to lend the impression of understated, artistically charming beauty.

The Appeal of Bluestone
The obvious first reason a landscaper might choose bluestone for walkways and patios is the eye-catching appeal. With the color range from blue to green to brown to even shades of lavender, with variegated pastel mixtures, bluestone gives a subtle but striking effect of simple elegance. Its resistance to discoloration also strengthens its appeal, as the observer will notice that bluestone retains its initial beauty year after year.

	Bluestone flagging in a patio application.

Of course when you're talking about a walkway, you also have to consider foot traffic. How well will the stone hold up? Bluestone answers perfectly to this one too. Its hardness and durability will see it through many hundreds and even thousands of footsteps. Its non-slippery surface makes it ideal for pool patios. Its resistance to cracking will keep it intact through all kinds of weather in any climate.

The fact that bluestone is actually a type of sandstone is just one more reason that landscapers and architects find it made to order for patios and walkways. Because of its composition (sand, held together by a mineral, usually quartz), bluestone can be split into slabs as flat as slate, without slate's undesirable qualities. In fact, bluestone can be split to precision within up to a quarter of an inch, making it, with its unusual flatness, much easier for a skilled mason to lay a level walkway of outstanding beauty.

Bluestone flooring at a wellness center

Paving Patterns
For outdoor applications, bluestone is usually laid in one of two ways. The "random pattern" consists of rectangular blocks of various sizes that are, in fact, laid in a pattern that is anything but random, as masons will usually follow a template in order to achieve a pleasing effect. The casual observer, though, would never guess the careful precision that goes into the pattern's planning and execution.

The alternative to the bold geometric look of the random pattern is bluestone irregulars: sharp, angular pieces of stone of all different sizes that must be skillfully matched together like puzzle pieces. Stone masons will break off stones to precision of fractions of an inch in order to keep the joints small, in order to maintain the integrity of the patio through bluestone's durable surface. Some landscapers believe that the natural cleft surface and rich colors of the stone are shown to best advantage in the irregulars.

Bluestone patio.

A Variety of Finishes
The way that the bluestone is finished is one more factor in its final appearance. According to Harry Triebe of Sonny and Sons Stone Company in Downsille, New York, new equipment make the possibilities limited only by one's mind. "We have polishers that hone bluestone to a finish that makes marble blush," he says, as well as saws for precision cutting and lasers for cutting intricate patterns. "The bluestone industry has entered the twenty-first century even more viable because of modern technology."

"Bluestone has come a long way," since the early years, agrees Annette Senior of Endless Mountain Stone in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Now, a pav0ing project can be given that enormously popular Old-World look with tumbled Bluestone Belgiums or antique pavers, which resemble cobblestone, complete with a rounded, weathered finish.

For rustic appeal, though, nothing can beat the natural cleft finish, which is still used most often in terraces and around swimming pools, displaying the beauty of bluestone's striking earth tones. Often, immediately around a pool, the landscaper will choose not only the rounded edge of bullnosed coping, but also the rougher surface of the thermal finish, which produces appropriate slip-resistance.

Varieties of bluestone flagging.

The Natural Choice
In 1999 Endless Mountain Stone won the local Business of the Year award for their county in Pennsylvania. The company then used that award money to produce and distribute a video to display the beauty and versatility of bluestone. "Bluestone is becoming more popular throughout the country," says Robert Coleman, president of Endless Mountain Stone. "And the more people can learn about it, the more they can appreciate it."

In its natural beauty, its hardiness, and its ease of use, in geometric blocks or irregulars, smooth or rough, bluestone remains the stone of choice for walkways and patios. No wonder prestigious communities of the past and present, Victorian brownstones and contemporary townhouses, landscape their property with bluestone. It's only natural.

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