Stone
Types of stone used in landscaping:
Limestone - Our native stone in northern Illinois. Limestone is sedimentary, and varies (by quarry) from white, cream, tan or grey in background color. It can have brown, red, pink, lavender or rust veining.
Granite - A very hard stone that is great for countertops, wall stones, & pavers due to its strength, durability, and smoothness (after polishing). It's colors and patterns vary again by quarry. Granite pavers or walls are expensive.
Bluestone - The trade name for slate. Bluestone is a sedimentary rock and is made in layers. It is used for pavers, steps, and stair treads.
Flagstone - Limestone or slate pavers or steppers that are irregular in shape and size.
Tumbled Pavers - Stone fashioned into paver shapes, and are mechanically tumbled to smooth sharp edges of the paver.
Dimensional or Patterned - Pavers that have been cut into particular rectilinear shapes.
Boulders - Large, more rounded natural stones (from 4" to 6' or larger) for accents, bed edging, or walls.
Outcropping - Large horizontal pieces of natural stone, used to retain slopes, build walls, make steps, or as accents. They vary in size from small to very large.
Drywall - Stone pieces that have been snapped by hand or machine and used as wall blocks or bed edging.
Veneer - Machine-cut pieces of stone used for construction and are lighter in weight.
Cobblestone - Naturally rounded stones used for bed walls or retaining walls.
Gravel - Small pieces of stone from pea gravel size to 4".
Pebbles - Gravel that has been rounded naturally by water, ice, or wind.
Dry Stack - Stacked stone wall with no mortar.
Mortared- A cement product used to cement stones together and necessitates a concrete base.
Top and Wall Caps - Smooth machine cut, to natural edges or surfaces.
Steps - Either machine cut, natural snapped, or outcropping.
Thermal finish - Heat process applied to bluestone to make a more even thickness or surface finish to the paver.
Snapped - Mechanical process that snaps off the face of the rock, leaving a more regular surface.
