irregular rough cut pennsylvania blue stone question Bought your DVD

by Chuck
(Tacoma, Wa)

Hi,

We bought your DVD, very helpful thank you. We are laying a 250 sq foot patio and 20 ft sidewalk over concrete, with Penn. Blue with natural irregular cut, the variety with more browns and other colors mixed in, like you show on this site. We like the natural look of a stone courtyard you might expect to see at a ski lodge in the Rockies. But since it is varying thickness and irregular on both sides top and bottom, do you have any tips on how to install it / cement it to guarantee a level surface other that using a lot of cement.The stone varies in thickness from alot of 3/4" to over 1 1/2". I'm trying to chose stones of a consistant 1 1/4"-1 1/2" but even so there are surface irregularities on both side often. Also the stone we found comes in mostly larger standup pieces, some as big as 3'-5'. is there such a thing as too big, especially in this 12 by 20" area. Thanks for you're help.
Chuck and Kat.

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irregular rough cut pennsylvania blue stone question Bought your DVD

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use the cement
by: David

Dear Chuck,

I'm glad the DVD could help you out. That makes my dad happy that he can use his knowledge to help people.

Many times stone comes in different thickness, so unfortunately, you're going to need to add more cement under the thinner stone. If you lay a half an inch of cement under the stone in certain spots, then you'll be ok.

A lot of your cement use will depend upon your layout. Make sure you lay out your line like we did in the DVD. That will prevent a lot of over-cement use.

The big pieces are just a matter of taste. Some people like the look of bigger sized stones, but you'll have to lay it in a cut the other pieces around it. You can always cut the stone to your desired effect.

With Pennsylvania Bluestone, you'll probably want to rent a diamond blade saw. Those stones can be tough to cut with only a chisel.

Before you lay your stone, read this posting we got from a mason who has laid a lot of blue stone. He has a special mix that will keep you're stone down longer. Read it here.

I hope that helps you out and great luck with your project!

David

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