Bluestone Steps
Solid Bluestone, Pieces or Fieldstone

Bluestone steps are one of my favorite types since they are a natural stone.




There are different types of bluestone steps to choose from. What you select will partly depend on what types of steps you are creating. Are they more formal for walkway steps? Perhaps they lead off a bluestone patio. And then again, maybe they are just part of a natural path leading somewhere special.

Here are some photos of some of my projects and how I used bluestone landscaping steps so that you can get some ideas.


This elegant staircase was a re-design of an existing one.The treads are one solid piece of bluestone while the risers are natural stone. These riser were mortared in place to go with the mortared bluestone landings. You can also consider a dry laid applications, with the tread still be mortared in place. I happen to prefer solid bluestone treads as opposed to separate pieces that make up the bluestone steps as below. However, sometimes the steps are very wide and they become quite costly.


These steps have blue stone treads and natural stone risers also. The difference is that the treads are done in several pieces and the natural stone risers are dry laid. This turned out very nicely. It's difficult to see, but if you can, notice how the separate bluestone pieces are lined up nicely going from step to step. The joints alternate on each step.



Here the same solid bluestone treads are used with beautiful mortared stone risers. However, there is a difference between this one and the two above. The blue stone pieces have what is known as a thermal edge, which gives it a wavy, rather than smooth, look.

Bluestone happens to look great with brick too! We could have use brick risers here, but the bluestone offers a nice contrast and change.

Once again, solid pieces were used.

The existing porch remained which is why there is no bluestone on those steps.








This is another option. You can use natural bluestone steppers which are actually large pieces of fieldstone. It provides for a very casual look. No two pieces are the same which adds to the interest.

They can be had in narrow widths, such as two feet, or you can use extremely wide pieces...six or seven feet across!

The entire stone is both the tread and the riser.



One other idea for more formal steps is to use a very large piece of bluestone cut into a long piece that is also high. Imagine a large rectangular block. This then becomes the entire step, but it has smooth edges for the tread and riser, unlike the pieces of fieldstone.

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