There are many different ways to craft a beautiful-looking, unique patio. If you’re looking for inspiration for your upcoming patio project, you’ll need to answer one question first: what type of stone should I build my patio out of? To help you find the right choice for your particular tastes, here are the five types of stone you should consider when having a custom patio built:
1. Fieldstone
Are you looking to make your patio feel as though it could have naturally arisen from the ground around your home? Fieldstone uses naturally occurring stone, with natural cuts, to help you achieve this aesthetic. Fieldstone is perfect for people who live out in the country and want a hyper-natural look on their property. Because fieldstone is fairly inexpensive to gather, it’s also one of the more budget-friendly patio stone building options on this list. If you want a stepping-stone pathway that leads to one of the most eye-catching patios you’ve ever witnessed, you’ll get a ton of bang for your buck by investing in a custom Fieldstone patio. Any type of quality flagstone and natural stone can help you achieve your dream patio.
2. Bluestone
Many people go with bluestone due to its more modern, sleek look. If you’re looking for a patio that’s typical of most suburban-style homes, this is the way to go. Bluestone can be manufactured in many different color palettes, but it tends to go for a natural stone look that will appeal to a wide audience. For those that buy pre-built homes that have been built in the last few decades, seeing a bluestone patio included is fairly common. The accessible, pretty, and easy-to-construct nature of bluestone patios has helped them remain popular across the homeowner spectrum. This is a type of stone that has such a wide aesthetic appeal that it’s unlikely to go away anytime soon.
3. Limestone
Have you ever noticed the extra-smooth nature of patios at universities and museums? If so, you’re likely looking at limestone. This rich, beautiful-looking stone has been widely used in patio design for a long time thanks to its unique nature. There’s a variety of colors available, although limestone is almost always fairly light unless it’s dyed. That being said, people prefer lighter, non-dyed limestone as the stunning natural color is a large part of its aesthetic appeal. While limestone is fantastic to look at, it is often seen as one of the more vulnerable types of stone that are used to build patios. Acidic materials and compounds are especially harmful to limestone. For this reason, you’ll need to be careful to avoid spilled food or acidic environmental factors from coming into contact with your limestone patio. If you can manage this task, however, your maintenance tasks should stay fairly low-key.
4. Concrete
Concrete is one of the tried-and-true materials for building a quality patio design. The fact that concrete is not only affordable but highly malleable, makes it a designer’s dream. If you want to build a unique-looking patio, doing so with concrete will be much, much easier for this reason. The versatility that’s available in the color, shape, and textures of concrete patios makes the material that much more sought after. Those who want a classic patio look that’s sure to stay solid for decades to come will want to look into using concrete building materials. Mixing different materials with concrete is also commonplace, so hybrid patios often incorporate some type of concrete material into their design. The more specific you want to get with your patio design, the better concrete will become as a choice for your main building material.
5. Brick
If you want a classic, rustic look, going with brick is the way to go when building your custom patio. There’s an old-fashioned, nostalgic look to brick patios that make them perfect for tranquil, garden-surrounded homes in particular. If you’re trying to show off your down-to-earth design sense, and want to get a patio built at an extra-affordable price, going with brick as your main building material is a great option. Doing so will help you avoid the need to do much else to make the area around your patio eye-catching, after all. That being said, you’ll need to be ready to take care of your patio more frequently, as moss and other weed growth can quickly overrun your brick patio if you become too lax about upkeep. If you’re willing to put in the work to keep your brick beautiful and weed-free, however, it’s one of the best building options for custom patios (even in 2023).
