Bluestone pavers are a popular choice in the building industry amongst homeowners and landscapers alike for their attractive grey-blue hues, robustness and non-slip features. Their natural beauty and strength give any outdoor paving project – from patios, to pools, to driveways – a contemporary, modern look and feel.
Bluestone pavers are dark, fine-grained volcanic rocks, often with visual columns throughout them. This basalt stone is composed of plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine minerals and like all volcanic rocks, bluestone is formed over millions of years from lava hardening over time. This makes the stone incredibly dense and strong. This resilience has earned bluestone’s popularity, making it a material of choice from ancient pathways to modern poolsides and patios.
Bluestone pavers are naturally dark-blue and grey in appearance. Their cool hues, and consistent colour variance, help add a contemporary touch to outdoor areas, beautifully complimenting the green lusciousness of garden landscaping. This makes bluestone natural stone pavers ideal for garden paths, driveways, patios, stepping stones, and even pool surrounds.
Given its stone structure and volcanic composition, bluestone can withstand both heavy pressure in the form of foot and vehicle traffic, and harsh weather environments. As a durable and salt-resistant stone, with an added flamed non-slip surface as a finish, bluestone is an ideal natural stone for wet outdoor areas like pools. Although bluestone pavers have many advantages for pool surrounds and pool coping, as it is a volcanic stone, bluestone can get quite hot when exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time, making the stone hot underfoot and thus difficult (and even dangerous) to walk on.
Bluestone pavers are available in a range of finishes including sawn, sawn and honed, and flamed. Each finish is practical for different purposes. A flamed finish is ideal for wet areas like pool surrounds, where the stone’s surface needs to be safe and slip-resistant. If you’re unsure which finish is best for your bluestone pavers, contact us to chat with a natural stone expert.
As with all life investments, choosing quality materials helps in the long run because it saves you both time and money. When it comes to bluestone pavers, poor quality bluestone are prone to ‘curling’ – also known as ‘cupping’. This is where the outer edges of the paver lift before the mortar or adhesive have fully set, creating a hollow effect. This ‘curling’ and ‘cupping’ phenomenon in bluestone pavers is affected by the stone’s overall density. To prevent this issue, we recommend investing in thicker and denser pieces of bluestone from reputable bluestone paving suppliers, like Armstone.
When you choose natural bluestone pavers from Armstone, you’re investing in the best quality pavers in the Sydney market. We’re incredibly passionate (and pedantic) about where we source our materials because we want to make sure you’re only getting the best. Our bluestone pavers are available in a variety of sizes, colours, and textures to suit your home project and are sourced from the best quarries from around the world. Browse our bluestone pavers online or, better yet, visit our Sydney showroom in Glebe or Penrith to see them in person.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or need some advice or guidance about bluestone pavers, reach out online or by calling 1300 560 560 to chat with one of our natural stone experts. We would love to help you bring your bluestone project to life!
Bluestone pavers are dark, blue-grey coloured, fine-grained volcanic rocks, often with visual columns throughout them. This basalt stone – like all volcanic rocks – is formed over millions of years from lava hardening over time. This makes the stone incredibly dense and strong, ideal qualities in a stone paver for high-traffic areas like paths and driveways that sustain a lot of pressure. This resilience has earned bluestone’s popularity, making it a material of choice from ancient pathways to modern poolsides and patios.
Due to their density and durability, bluestone pavers are ideal for both residential and commercial properties. They have anti-slip properties, can withstand vast amounts of weight and pressure, and extreme weather climates. Additionally, they are very versatile and customisable. You can choose bluestone pavers in a variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes including crazy paving, stepping stones to more traditional rectangular and square shaped pavers for pool surrounds, and pool coping too.
Bluestone pavers can be cut using a diamond blade. Cutting the stone will generate a lot of dust, so we strongly recommend wearing a mask to protect your lungs. If you want a more manageable solution, we recommend using a blade with a built-in watering system for dust suppression.
Bluestone pavers can be cleaned with pH-neutral dish soap and a soft cloth to keep them looking naturally beautiful. Definitely avoid using acidic cleaners on bluestone pavers as these will damage the stone. The best way to clean bluestone pavers is to use a soft cloth to wipe any dust and dirt from the surface, then apply the cleaning solution as required, mop and clean until your bluestone pavers look as good as new again.
The price of bluestone pavers depends on a few factors like the cut of the stone, the symmetry of the shapes and the dimensions of the area where you will install it. If you need any help with this, contact us online, call 1300 560 560 or visit our Sydney showroom in Glebe or Penrith for an obligation-free, complimentary quotation.
