The Basics about stone
Natural stone is bound to elevate your landscape. It evokes a sense of calm and immediately warms up a space. But it can be overwhelming and knowing the basics can make you feel more at ease with your decision.
The majority of pictures shown are taken by Modern Builders, one of the premiere stone yards here in San Diego County. Check them out!
Types of stone
Quartzite
A metamorphic rock, quartzite is usually at a more affordable price point than the other options. You can usually tell a quartzite by it’s sparkly look: there are flakes of metal that give it a shimmer. I think it could look good in a craftsman style design, but it’s not my usual go-to.
Porphyry
An extremely dense stone, it has a rustic and heavy look. Or can lend to a tropical design. It can usually be used for driveway or heavily trafficked areas. I’ve mostly seen in as cobble paving (as shown here), but it has other forms.
Sandstone
A sedimentary rock, sandstone is a favorite for landscape. However, the range of sandstone is vast. Low grade sandstones will be flaky and continue to flake after install. Try to find a dense sandstone that will hold up to the test of time. This is usually the stone I go for. It has a soft quality that is nice to walk on barefoot. Especially if you get it water tumbled.
Shape - Paving
Flagstone
This natural form of stone is rough and organic. It could be used as individual steppers in a landscape, or put together as a patio. Size varies, but is mostly sold in large sheets on pallets (as shown here) that can be broken up to be smaller pieces. You can get them tumbled or water tumbled for a softer and more even tone, but it comes at a fairly steep cost. Try to scale the size of your flagstone to the size of the space. You don’t want patio-sized (usually 8-10”) for a 200 SF pad.
Cut Stone
Much like pavers, cut stone consists of rectangular and/or square shapes that can be tumbled (as shown) or not. The size ranges and can usually be custom. They usually start at a 12”x12” and increase in one foot increments as a standard. They’ll usually be finished with a process that creates a safe slip coefficient (refers to how slippery the surface can be). This is a more formal look that can lend clean lines to an organized design.
Shape - Wall
Dry-stacked & Wet-stacked
Often reminiscent of cottages and historic European homes, this type of wall consists of large stones stacked on top of each other; a bit like imperfect Legos. The craftsmanship is key. Dry stacked refers to relying solely on the shapes of the stones to fit together, while wet stacked refers to the use of mortar to help glue it all together. Both types can be used as low retaining walls: they depend on the weight of the stone to solidify the grading. Extremely expensive and time-consuming, but you can’t really cheat this style.
Ledge stone
The most common for exterior walls, whether they’re freestanding or retaining. The structural wall is usually CMU block and stone is then attached to the wall with mortar. There’s a large variety of shapes, cuts, and stone for ledge. Some come in a thinner veneer if so desired. Limestone (such as this one, my favorite: Sydney limestone) is a common stone for ledge. But there is quite a variety of stone types as it’s less reliant on density and size than paving.
And that wraps it up! It’s not an incredibly in-depth master class, but hopefully it’s enough information to get you started. See you in the garden!
