Tumbled Bluestone For a Driveway or Concrete Pavers

by Scott

What do you think about using 2 inch thick 6 x 6 tumbled Connecticut bluestone as driveway pavers? Is 2 inches enough for a driveway, or would you go with a thicker concrete paver? Thanks.
Best,
Scott

ANSWER

Hi Scott,
I am not familiar with the strength of Connecticut tumbled bluestone. Typically regular bluestone is not used as it is not strong enough. You might consider asking the company what the psi (pound per square inch)
is. This measures a material's strength. I would then compare it to the psi of concrete pavers.

If it were my project, I would not use it. I would go with concrete pavers which have the correct PSI to withstand vehicular traffic. They are used for streets in some cities.

I don't know if this would work for you, but what you might consider doing, is paving your driveway with asphalt or tar and chip, and edging
the driveway with the bluestone as a border.

Good luck,
Susan

Driveway Patio Areas

by Jill
(Boston, Mass.)

What a great site. Thanks!

Question: We are looking to put in a patio off our driveway that we would use as a turnaround and occasionally to park cars on as well. So the idea is we want it to look nice (and not like an asphalt extension of our driveway in our backyard) but it has to be strong enough that a car could go on it.

Any recommendations? And is there any special prep for the area that has to be done so that the patio can support the weight of a car? We're in the Boston area, if that matters.