Larsen Landscape | Blog

We use various types of stone for patio paving, garden walls, waterfalls, stepping stones and sometimes just as a garden ornament.  One particular variety of stone is called flagstone and since a large number of people, from my experience, aren’t sure what the word means, I thought I would clear it up.

Custom Flagstone Patio

The word flagstone comes from an old Icelandic word which means “spot from which sod has been cut” and an old Norse word meaning “slab of stone” – go figure.  In current usage, at least the way landscape people in Southern California use it, the word refers to flat cut pieces of stone used mostly for paving.  It can be cut uniformly, but we normally use random pieces and cut them to fit in a natural pattern rather than squares or rectangles.  In most cases, the stone isn’t really either, but rather split, giving it a natural slightly uneven look.  Hydraulic wedges can do this job fairly quickly.  I suppose those guys working for the Egyptian Pharaohs a few thousand years ago sweated over a piece of stone for days with hand tools – but then, they probably didn’t have much choice.

There are quite a few types of stone that are used for flat paving.  Flagstone is the word that covers all these types of stone – the key is that they are relatively flat and can be made into a patio or walkway without making a major tripping hazard – and some stones are definitely much smoother than other when they are split.

There is a wide range in the cost of flagstone of different types and this has largely to do with how far the pallets of stone have to travel on a truck – or even a ship.  If you like a particular stone that is mined a few miles away, chances are that it will cost less than a type of stone that is moved across most of the country.  Sometimes factors such as snowstorms affect the price if they are coming from somewhere that has huge delays due to the inability to quarry the rock fast enough.

When looking at the material for your patio you have no shortage of choices. How and what to choose can seem overwhelming. Even when you hire an expert, you’ll still be asked to make decisions. An informed decision is always better than ennie minne minney moe.

Usage is a key factor, what will the foot traffic be? How often will it be used and for what? Will there be lots of bare wet feet due to a pool? Too smooth a surface around the pool can be a slick as ice.

Full Landscape Design by Larsen Landscape

I would advise the coordination of color and future plans. Often times a yard is done is phases as time and budget allows. You may want a fireplace or water feature to enhance your space and comfort. You’ll want to consider the material for the entire plan to achieve that cohesive, high quality look. You don’t want it to look like each point was an afterthought instead of a well-planned outdoor space.

Your choices are wide, concrete, brick, gravel or flagstone. Remember, your choice should be based on what you like as well as functionality. The goal is a safe, aesthetic, comfortable, user-friendly space that brings family and friends together and outdoors.

Textured Colored Concrete

Textured concrete is essentially concrete poured out from a truck that has an impression of a stone-like texture pressed into it before it is dry.

Over the last 20 years or so, the way the textures are put into the concrete

Stamped Concrete Patio, Oak Park

have changed as well as the way the natural colors are achieved.  Early on, steel stamps were used.  These tended to create a rather bumpy surface that was also too smooth on top.  This progressed to what is most common today, which is a series of interlocking rubber mats which have impressively authentic stone texture molding and create a realistic surface.  The mats are laid over the concrete at a certain point in the finishing process – after the edges and expansion joint lines have been cut and a basic smooth finish has been achieved.  They are then literally pounded with large rubber hammers to impress the pattern into the concrete.

The color process has undergone even more changes.  Starting with simply adding a color into the concrete itself (this wasn’t very natural looking and tended to fade a lot), moving onto a combination of this admixed color plus the addition of powdered colors on the top (called release color since some of it could be washed off later before sealing).  The release color process gave a more natural look but had the disadvantages that it was fairly toxic and when washed off made a mess of colored water which had to go somewhere.  While the process is still available, we haven’t used it in many years.

Another variety of powdered colors was used after that which were added to the top of the concrete and worked in with a large wooden tool called a “float”.  These were permanent colors and did not need to be washed off and since several different colors were used, they could achieve a fairly natural stone type look.  This is actually still a very good process.  The only drawback is that it also tends to fade some over time being outdoors and subject to the natural elements.  Resealing the surface can bring a lot of the color back after it has faded over a few years.

Stamped Colored Concrete

This brings us to the latest process, which is actually very similar to the faux painting you see on some of the more elegant walls inside houses and sometimes on walls outdoors.  The concrete is actually poured and texture stamped without any color at all.  The concrete is then pressure washed to remove any chemicals used during the texturing process.  A number of natural colors are then applied when the concrete is dry and adjusted until the effect is just right – similar to doing a painting.  The final step is to add the clear sealer which locks in the color.

One important detail in adding the sealer is to be sure that a gripping powder is mixed in.  If this isn’t done, the patio can get as slippery as ice when it is wet.

I’ll cover other patio types in upcoming blogs.