Type of Natural Stone for Landscaping – Pick the Right One for Your Project
Mar 28, 2023
Annie & Shana are veteran landscape designers in our locality. Fortunately, I found both together today. I expressed some concerns regarding materials particularly, the hardscape-like landscaping stones used in my garden design. The entire conversation was highly fruitful. So, I’ve decided to carry on the discussion in today’s post.
Shana expressed, “There is no other material I prefer to use quite like natural rocks and their products, natural stones.” She considers natural stone a robust hardscape alternative with tons of attractions. No other material that carries such uniqueness, organic warmth, and most importantly durability that natural stones enjoy.
Annie is a fan of pebbles, boulders, and marbles! Shana agreed on the first two, but not the last. Marbles are okay with interior design, but we must think of other types of natural stones used in outdoor designing. At that moment, Shana displayed us a list of other natural stone types, which are equally great and somewhat unique for different outdoor spaces.
Let me go one by one with types of natural stones for landscaping to take a glimpse once.
Sandstone for Your Landscaping
Sandstone is the layers of densely packed sand. So, most of the time sandstone appears in a wavy desert landscape. Of course, sandstone is available in various hues and tones that you hardly imagine.
For instance, the following photo is of sandstone, not teak wood! It is an exotic and rare variety of sandstone available at World of Stones USA (WOSU).
You hardly can differentiate subtle differences between the wooden furniture and sandstone patio pavers. The same grains, veins, and patterns of woods are mimicking natural stones.
Not only teakwood but also oak and pine are available in the exotic collection of sandstone patio pavers at World of Stones USA.
Shana also pointed out some tips on the maintenance of sandstone pavers, tiles, and accessories. Being of porous nature, sandstone in most cases tends to absorb water and other fluids including harmful spills.
Thereby, regular applications of suitable sealants can prevent staining and other surface damages beautifully.
The apparent advantage of sandstone is its durability and capability of withstanding the harshness of weather. So, architects, landscape designers, and even stonemasons believe that if marble is king in interior design, the sandstone is unbeatable natural stone pavers for exterior applications.
Sandstone setts are other products that adorn your walkways and driveways with long-lasting beauty. If you look at European architectural history, you will find antiquated floors made of pigmenting of river-washed sandstone.
Apart from paving, sandstone tiles, veneers, stone bricks, and stone blocks are high in demand at World of Stones USA.
Sandstone with tumble finish looks gorgeous on walling. If you strive for a classic look in your outdoor life, tumbled sandstone walling products are enumerated on the list of natural stone fans.
Limestone for Your Landscaping
The next alluring outdoor paving and walling natural stone type is limestone. As its name suggests, it is made of calcites or lime in simple terms. Natural limestone rocks are highly porous. It means you have to seal the limestone products such as limestone slabs, limestone tiles, or limestone accessories with proper sealants, be it the surface sealants or penetrating ones.
The Look-n-feel of limestone pavers and tiles are soft, uniform, and warm with numerous color choices. These properties of limestones make them favorite in traditional to modern landscape designs.
Limestone patio pavers, limestone swimming pool deck pavers and pool coping stone pavers, limestone driveway pavers, limestone garden stepping stone pavers, limestone walkway pavers, limestone steps, and treads are some of the popular products available in beautiful styles, colors, and patterns at World of Stones USA.
Limestone setts on matt are the highly favorite product to embellish your patios, walkways, and driveways with inspiring designs and patterns.
Right choice and installation are the secret keys to winning the immediate attention of your guests, friends, and any onlooker. Proper maintenance of limestone leads to a lifetime charm in your yards.
Slate Stone for Your Landscaping
Slatestone has a typical pattern and orientation that makes it an extremely unique product for paving, walling, and other applications for exterior designers and architects. Slate is quite dense and durable natural rock available in a range of colors and styles.
If you wish to enjoy the natural beauty of slate stones, let it in natural cleft, which means without any finishing. Its uneven surface proves to be an anti-skid paving solution.
Slate tiles on walling applications look soothing to our eyes. We can go for either flamed or leather finishes to bring rustic looks.
Travertine Stone for Your Landscaping
Typically, travertine is a kind of limestone and somewhat akin to marbles. But its different formation process makes it unique in nature. Due to inorganic calcites present in their composition, travertine is tougher in strength and coarse in texture than marbles or other limestones.
Its warm hues are tempting for an outdoor appearance. It is pitted in surface texture, thanks to deep pores in the mass of travertine rocks. Thereby, filling with semi-colored epoxy or any grout materials can give you a smooth surface and uniform look.
Its time-worn effects over time make travertine more robust than a fresh installation. So, it is an extremely popular choice among outdoor stone pavers and stepping stones.
Many peculiarities of travertine stones have made it a natural choice for swimming pool decks and spa paving. Travertine pavers look charming and eye-soothing under your foot and touch on walls.
River Stones for Your Landscaping
River stone is a general term for gravels, pea gravels, pebbles, boulders, and large river rocks. Since the formation of river stones mostly takes place in water like rivers, streams, ponds, and often in the sea.
Therefore, beach pebbles are the most sought-after product in the home and landscape design niche. Jenny Peterson is a renowned designer in our vicinity and she has immense love for gravels and pebbles like mini-stones that she uses in nearly every design she makes.
The crunch under the feet, uniform to discrete to contrasting shades, alluring looks, and extreme versatility in application make these mini-stones exceptionally popular among architects and landscape designer communities.
You can apply gravels and pebbles in paving, edging, paths, stone fillers, driveway formation, and even on walling as pebble tiles.
So, let me introduce you to extremely versatile, sober, and utility-oriented pebble tiles found at World of Stones USA.
If you explore their catalog carefully, you will find eye-catchy and enticing pebble tiles for different outdoor paving applications.
Laying raw form of gravels and pebbles hardly brings uniformity in all aspects and load-bearing strength at desired levels. But mesh-backed pebbles tiles at WOSU feature a strong interlocking system. Thus, you can gain consistency in size, colors, and flatness in profiles. Of course, the churning sound is absent, but you can get a lot instead!
At the end of the conversation, we show gratitude to guide us righteously and introduce us to World of Stones USA and its products. Both are right because we have seen a plethora of natural stone products for landscaping at any budget, style, and level of customization.