How to Lay a Bluestone Patio For a Beautiful Outdoor Dining Area

The bluestone that makes up millions of American patios often comes in neatly sawn rectangles. But for a rustic landscape, nothing looks more natural than "snapped" or "broken" bluestone, terms used to denote an irregular edge on the slabs. This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers recently built a patio out of this hearty stone in his backyard over the course of 3 days. As he shows on the following pages, laying a long-lasting patio like his is as much about the base underneath it as the layout above. With a little digging endurance and the patience to piece together a rock puzzle, you too can create a gathering space that appears to come from another time.

Stone: 1½-inch-thick broken bluestone, about $240 per ton; Gault

Moss: Fern moss, about $120 for a 25-square-foot box, Moss Acres

MORE: Watch the video to accompany this Step-by-Step at thisoldhouse.com

Step 1 Plan for the project

Day 1: Lay out the size and shape of the patio, and arrange the placement of the stones.

Day 2: Dig out the area, and create the base layer.

Day 3: Position and level the stones, then fill the joints.

No plans for Memorial Day weekend? You can make the most of 3 days by adding this patio!

MORE: "Is it harmful to tree roots to lay a patio right up against an oak?" and see other Q&As answered by the TOH Crew

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Comments

[tinker234]

wow wonde what to do hey know anything about patio urinte darn the stupid key isnt working agin

[richardcole]

i llike yor work.. is so calm..

[Thisoldhouse.com]

 Thanks Ace! We appreciate that! If there are any other projects you want to see Step-by-Steps for, let us know. Thanks, TOH

[Ace Fix it]

where was this instructable when I made my bluestone patio....Serioulsy, I am thinking of redoing mine and will use this.  Thanks thisoldhouse!