BLUESTONE
Welcome to the world of pavers, where the choice seems limitless. To begin to work through your options of pavers we first need to ascertain the reasons for your paving
Different pavers will be able to withstand different types of traffic, whether that be vehicle or pedestrian, is it around a pool or on top of a 90 story building.
In todays blog I'm going to focus on the paver most known and used throughout Melbourne, yes we are talking about Bluestone.
Today when we talk about Bluestone you need to ensure you are asking where your Bluestone is coming from, as it could be from a number of different regions with varying types of colours and quality. In Victoria we have Warrnambool (Bamstone) or Laverton (Vic Bluestone) these are two quality Australian Bluestones. Then there are South Australian Bluestone types: Kanmantoo which is a very different looking stone and is commonly used as crazy paving, in walling or as cobbles. Another similar type is Wistow which again will do more crazy paving and walling.
We then have our imported Bluestones notably Chinese, once we get into the Imported bluestone industry we need to be very aware of where the stone is coming from ie: supplier and use a supplier we trust. There are lots of imported Bluestones on the market and all of varying quality, we recommend only using a trusted supplier and also using approved methods for laying. It is in most cases prudent to have imported stones sealed as the make up of the stone is very different to Australian stones and they may be high in iron which will turn the stone brown once exposed to the elements. These stones need to be treated very differently to Australians pavers.
So depending on the area you would like to pave you can most certainly know there is a Bluestone that will meet your needs. Bluestone is great around pools as it gives a timeless look that will generally age well, depending on the type chosen you may well seal the paving or let if stay natural. We only recommend leaving Australian Bluestone types unsealed, though we are getting higher quality Imported stones now that can also be left unsealed it's always best to check with a trusted supplier.
For driveways you will need to ensure the paver is a suitable thickness, when we get Imported stones they are generally thinner 20mm or less (this makes sense for importing purposes) though again there will be 30mm available in some instances. This is where it is important to know your stone, a 30mm will be suitable depending on the length and width of the stone the larger the format of the paver, the thicker the paver should be. Very rarely would a 20mm paver be suitable for any type of vehicle traffic. For instance minimum paver thickness for pavers throughout Melbourne city council are 40mm this is for footpaths and for paving of laneways we are using 60-80mm thickness pavers though these are for commercial installations, the average driveway would start with a minimum 30mm and for larger format require a 40mm paver.
For patio area a 20mm paver will suffice, whether it be Australian Bluestone or Imported, the only real difference here will be the choice of laying method, this can vary between mortar or tile glue (this is another area that requires skill and understanding in choosing the correct glue depending on the situation). The other great reason for choosing bluestones are they are easy to clean and keep clean and once installed will require little maintenance other than the ongoing general clean, so long as you know your stone and have it installed correctly.
So if you are thinking of Bluestone as your choice or are considering Bluestone for your next project it you will be happy with your choice for many years to come.
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