Bluestone Pavers Overview
NOLASCAPES installs bluestone pavers throughout Greater New Orleans and South East Louisiana. In this region, specification also needs to account for direct sun, heavy rainfall, drainage, local soil conditions, and the fact that bluestone must be transported to Louisiana from quarries in the Northeast.
Thermal Bluestone
Thermal bluestone is sawn to produce consistent dimensions and then treated with intense heat to texture the surface. Compared with natural cleft stone, it provides a flatter, more uniform surface, consistent thickness, and a smooth, even appearance that allows pieces to be installed with tighter joints.These characteristics make thermal bluestone particularly useful for contemporary patios, walkways, courtyards, and projects where clean lines and controlled finished elevations are important. Its dimensional consistency can also simplify detailing around thresholds, steps, pool edges, and adjoining construction.
Where bluestone will be regularly exposed to water, brushed thermal is a practical choice. The thermal treatment provides the initial texture, while brushing modifies the surface further to produce a finish suited to exterior wet areas.
Natural Cleft Bluestone
Natural cleft bluestone is split along the stone's natural bedding planes rather than sawn to create a completely uniform face. This produces the textured, slightly irregular surface associated with traditional bluestone.It also typically provides greater variation in color and character. Full-range material can include blue-gray alongside brown, green, rust, lilac, and other natural tones rather than presenting as a fixed catalogue of individual colors.
The tradeoff is dimensional variation. Natural cleft pieces can vary in thickness across an individual stone as well as from piece to piece. Installers therefore have to compensate during setting to maintain finished elevations and avoid unwanted high or low points.
For projects where natural variation is part of the architectural or landscape design, that irregularity can be an advantage. Where tight joints, controlled elevations, and a more uniform plane are priorities, thermal material will generally be easier to specify and install.
Honed & Polished Bluestone
Honed bluestone has a smooth, refined surface that gives the stone a more formal appearance. Polishing takes that process further, creating an even smoother finish.These finishes should not be treated the same as textured exterior bluestone. Honed or polished bluestone can become slick when wet, making it unsuitable for pool surrounds and other exterior areas that are regularly exposed to water.
They are better suited to dry or protected applications where the smoother surface is appropriate and wet-area traction is not a primary requirement.
Bluestone, Sun & Bare Feet
Surface temperature is another consideration when specifying bluestone in South East Louisiana. Dark bluestone exposed to full summer sun can become hot under bare feet. This is particularly relevant around pools, patios, and other outdoor areas where people are likely to walk without shoes.Where barefoot comfort is a priority, lighter-range bluestone or placement beneath shade can be a better choice. Shade structures, covered outdoor living areas, and the orientation of the paved surface can therefore influence material selection.
A dark blue-gray terrace exposed to afternoon sun will perform differently underfoot from lighter stone installed beneath a covered area, so heat should be considered during specification rather than after installation.
Sourcing Bluestone for Louisiana Projects
Much of the bluestone used for architectural paving in the United States is quarried in Pennsylvania and New York rather than locally in Louisiana. Material used on NOLASCAPES projects therefore has to be brought into the region.That distance has practical implications for contractors, architects, and builders. Freight contributes to the cost, making bluestone more expensive to bring into Louisiana than paving materials available closer to the project. Availability can also affect lead times, particularly when a design calls for specific finishes, dimensions, thicknesses, color ranges, or fabricated pieces.
For larger installations or projects with tightly controlled specifications, material selection and approval should take place early enough to accommodate transportation and availability. Representative samples can also be reviewed before ordering to establish an acceptable range of color and surface variation.
What Goes Under Bluestone in New Orleans?
The finished stone is only part of a successful bluestone installation. Greater New Orleans has soft and variable soils, making proper subgrade preparation and a stable paving assembly particularly important. Bluestone should not simply be placed over inadequately prepared native soil.One option is installation over a properly prepared and compacted aggregate base. The site is excavated to the required depth, the subgrade is prepared, and compacted crushed stone creates a stable, graded foundation beneath the paving. The required depth and construction of the base depend on site conditions and intended use.
Bluestone can also be mortar-set over a concrete slab. This approach may be appropriate where greater control of elevations is required or where paving interfaces with structures, steps, thresholds, pool construction, or other fixed elements. The slab itself must be properly designed, constructed, sloped, and drained for the application; a mortar bed cannot compensate for an unsuitable or unstable substrate.
The appropriate assembly depends on the site. A compacted aggregate base may suit some landscape paving, while a properly designed concrete slab can provide greater control where bluestone interfaces with fixed construction.
Plan Your Bluestone Paving Project
NOLASCAPES works with contractors, architects, and builders throughout Greater New Orleans and South East Louisiana on bluestone paving for patios, pool environments, walkways, courtyards, and larger hardscape projects.Contact NOLASCAPES today at 504-330-8479 or via our online form to discuss the bluestone finish, material requirements, and installation approach for your upcoming project.