What sandstone is
Sandstone is a sedimentary stone made of sand-sized grains, mostly quartz and feldspar, cemented together by silica, calcite or iron oxide. That grainy structure gives it a naturally textured, slightly sandy surface with good grip, and its color depends on the minerals in the grains and the cement: blue-gray and gray from dense, fine-grained beds; buff, gold and rust from iron oxides.
Sandstone's quartz grains resist acids, so silica-cemented sandstones are not etched the way marble and limestone are; sandstones bound by calcite cement can still react. It is generally more porous than granite or slate, so outdoor sandstone is commonly sealed, and its density, which varies by quarry, decides how well it handles freezing climates.
From quarry bed to paver
Sandstone forms in beds, layer on layer of sand laid down by water or wind and then compressed into rock, and it is quarried along those beds. Splitting a block along a bedding plane leaves a natural cleft face, the slightly uneven, textured surface of a traditional flagstone. Sawing gives flat, calibrated pieces whose face can then be flamed, brushed or left sawn.
The bedding also explains why sandstone can show fine layers or bands of color across a paver, and why the most durable outdoor sandstones are the dense, fine-grained beds, such as the blue-gray stone sold as bluestone.
Mountain Bluestone pavers
Most of this collection is Mountain Bluestone, a blue-gray sandstone with a flamed face, in pavers from 12x12 to 24x48. Most Mountain Bluestone sizes come in both 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch thickness; the 12x12 and 24x36 come at 1 1/2 inches only. The thinner paver suits a mortar bed over a slab, the thicker one a sand or gravel base. Larger formats, such as 24x36 and 24x48, give a calm, contemporary terrace with few joints.
Blue-gray sandstone of this kind is what most people in the United States know as bluestone, the traditional stone of East Coast patios, walkways and front steps. Its cool, even color suits both historic and modern houses and pairs well with brick, white trim and green planting.
The flamed finish
A flamed finish is made by passing a high-temperature flame over the surface of the stone. The heat causes the top layer of crystals to burst, leaving a rough, slightly sparkling texture. On sandstone, flaming produces a uniform, gripping surface that is well suited to wet areas such as pool decks, steps and walkways.
A natural cleft sandstone face keeps the stone's split texture and its full color variation; a flamed face trades some of that variation for a consistent, gripping surface across every paver.
Pool copings in long lengths
Mountain Blue and Mountain Bluestone come as flamed pool copings, the stone edge that caps the top of a pool wall, in sizes from 12x24 up to 12x72, 14x96, 16x96, 18x96, 24x72 and 24x96. Long copings mean far fewer joints around the pool, which gives a clean, continuous edge and fewer places for water to reach the wall below.
A coping in the same stone as the deck pavers gives the pool surround a single, unified material, and the flamed face provides grip where swimmers climb out. Long pieces this size are heavy and are placed with care, which is planned with the installer.
Sandstone colors
Sandstone covers a wide palette. Mountain Bluestone and Mountain Blue are the cool blue-grays. Laguna Blonde is a pale buff, close to sand. Durham Fall and Sable Hills mix warm browns, rust and tan, the colors of autumn hillsides. Fossil Rustic blends warm tones with fossil-like marks, and Rainbow Teak shows bands of yellow, brown and red. Venetian Grey and Rustic Canyon add a soft gray and a warm, canyon-red option for natural pavers.
Color in sandstone comes from the minerals between the sand grains, so it is often banded or mottled; a single paver can carry several tones. Laid together, those variations give a natural, hand-quarried look that a uniform manufactured paver does not.
Natural cleft pavers
Alongside the flamed bluestone, Venetian Grey and Rustic Canyon come as natural sandstone pavers in 12x18, with the stone's split face left as it formed. Fossil Rustic pavers, named for the fossil-like marks in their face, mix warm tones. Natural cleft sandstone has more texture and color variation than flamed, which suits rustic gardens, cottage paths and informal patios.
Sandstone ledger panels
Sandstone ledger panels are strips of split stone bonded into interlocking panels that cover a wall in a stacked stone look. Durham Fall comes in Ledgestone, Fieldstone and Squares and Rectangles patterns, in split face with natural corners; Laguna Blonde in a 9x24 split face panel with a 9x18 corner; Sable Hills and Fossil Rustic in ledgestone and square-and-rectangle layouts; and Mountain Bluestone in 6x24 and 6x12 split face panels.
Ledger panels suit garden walls, outdoor kitchens, fireplace surrounds, columns and accent walls indoors. Matching corner pieces wrap outside corners so the wall reads as solid stacked stone. The full range of ledger panels in other stones is in ledger panel.
Rainbow Teak sandstone tile
Rainbow Teak is a gauged sandstone tile in 12x12, named for its bands of yellow, brown and red that resemble the grain of teak wood. It is used for interior floors, walls and covered patios, and its banded, wood-like pattern gives a warm, natural floor with more movement than a plain stone.
Outdoor kitchens and fire features
Sandstone ledger panels are a natural cladding for outdoor kitchen islands, built-in grills, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces, and bluestone pavers make a matching floor around them. A long flamed coping can also cap a seat wall or the edge of a raised planter, so the same stone runs from the pool edge to the garden walls. Stone around a fire is noncombustible, and the fire feature's maker sets the clearances.
Patio sizes and layouts
Large bluestone pavers, 24x36 and 24x48, give a modern patio with long, clean lines and few joints. Mid sizes such as 18x24 and 12x24 in a running bond give a traditional, brick-like rhythm. Mixed sizes in an ashlar or random rectangular layout recall old flagstone terraces and suit cottage gardens and historic houses. The natural 12x18 pavers suit paths and smaller courtyards.
Sandstone floors indoors
Indoors, sandstone gives a warm, earthy floor in sunrooms, entries and rustic kitchens, with a matte, slightly textured surface that is comfortable and grippy underfoot. It is softer and more porous than porcelain, so interior sandstone is usually sealed against stains and develops a natural patina. A gauged tile such as Rainbow Teak lays flat like any manufactured tile.
Patios, walkways and steps
Sandstone's natural grip makes it one of the traditional choices for patios, garden paths, front steps and stair treads. Thick bluestone pavers can form steps and landings as well as the surface of a terrace, and a single stone across the patio, the pool coping and a ledger panel wall gives a garden a unified, architectural look.
For steps, a 1 1/2 inch bluestone paver can serve as a tread on a short garden step, and the long flamed copings, up to 96 inches, can run the full width of a wide step or cap a low wall in one piece. Light buff and gold sandstones tend to stay cooler underfoot in sun than blue-gray bluestone, which matters around a pool in a hot climate.
Sandstone in cold climates
Dense sandstones such as bluestone have been used outdoors in the Northeast for generations, through freezing winters. Porous sandstones can absorb water that expands when it freezes, so the density and the supplier's guidance for a specific stone decide whether it suits a cold climate. Sealing, drainage and a proper base all help a sandstone patio last.
Sandstone, slate and limestone compared
Sandstone, slate and limestone are the three classic stones for outdoor paving. Sandstone is grainy and gripping, built of quartz grains that resist acid, though calcite-cemented types can react. Slate is a layered metamorphic stone with a finer cleft face, usually in darker colors. Limestone is smoother and often paler, a calcium carbonate stone that reacts to acids. Choosing among them comes down to color, texture and the climate, and many gardens combine them. Natural slate is covered in slate floor tile.
