Everything You Need To Know About | Stepping Stones
Updated: Dec 11, 2022
A crash course on one of the most popular uses of flat, natural stone
Stepping Stones are, and have been, an integral asset of any gorgeous garden or luscious landscape.
For years and years, people have created intricate and breathtaking patterns and designs throughout their homes and across their landscaping.
In doing so creating prominent focal features that tie the land together and preserve the natural look of the landscape.
Acting as safe pathways and guides throughout the transforming hardscapes and landscapes of different terrains, stepping stones are an essential addition to any property.
Not only do they help stabilize soil, but they also assist in accentuating attractive areas of your garden or landscaping. They work phenomenally as borders as well as small walls.
One of the most attractive aspects of stepping stones is that they are extremely affordable and installation, on the minimal side, requires nothing further than placing them on the ground.
Table Of Contents
Below, we will briefly dive into some of the most popular uses of stepping stones.
Pros And Cons Of Using Stepping Stones
Where Can I Buy Stepping Stones?
What Are Stepping Stones?
Stepping stones are flat pieces of natural stone, ranging from rigid to smooth, that act as guides for placing steps. They can come in many types and styles – allowing for full customization when it comes to designing and embedding these stones into a garden or landscape.
These stones can be placed right onto any surface – although many prefer to place them on or into mulch, grass, gravel, sand, or mortar to keep the stones in place.
There are countless forms and variations of stone throughout the world – all with different properties and characteristics.
We are going to be talking particularly about limestone stepping stones – which are one of the most popular, offer abundant benefits, and come in many variations.
Limestone is one of the most abundant stones on the planet. Because of this, it offers a unique, extensive variety when it comes to colors and textures.
This variety consists of colors including white, grey, buff, light beige, dark brown, red, green, blue, black, yellow, pink, or even orange – ranging from a soft and chalky texture to a tough and rugged one.
Our native limestone variations are an elegant white/grey color and a rustic buff/rusty color.
Limestone’s customizable selection, natural durability, and overabundance have made it one of the most sought-after types of stepping stones throughout the world.
The versatile nature of stepping stones allows them to be used for many things including gardens, landscaping, backyards, and pools.
Uses For Stepping Stones
Gardens
Stepping stones are fundamental when it comes to adding glamour to a garden. The addition of natural limestone stepping stones not only instills a serene sense of balance in your garden but also assists in stabilizing the soil throughout, which is critical for the health of your plants.
Stepping stones act as a focal point, which is meant to draw the eye or add a special point of visual interest.
Appreciate traveling throughout your garden and experiencing a genuine connection to mother nature as you trim and tend your plants in a way where you can nurture each of them; safe from the damage that an accidental trip or misstep can bring about.
Not only do they stabilize the soil beneath them, but they also absorb the heat of the sun during the day and prevent it from reaching the roots of your plants.
This ensures phenomenal plant health with the added benefit of also keeping the soil warm at night when the temperature drops – which is especially important for combating frost during the spring and fall.
It is safe to say that any and every garden would only benefit from the addition of natural stepping stones.
Landscaping
There is a primitive instinct in every living being that attracts us to paths. The mystery behind their history leaves us intrigued – often leading us to wander down them in search of adventure. Applying this to your landscaping with stepping stones adds emphasis beyond words.
The wide variety of colors, sizes, and textures of limestone offer many ways to design and customize your landscaping. These stones can be either placed onto or embedded into the ground – depending on their purpose. There are many purposes and applications for stepping stones.
Typical reasons for placing the stones onto the ground include adding accents, adding steps onto material like sand or gravel, or acting as a dry stacked landscaping border around gardens or trees.
The usual reasons for having the stone embedded into the earth are to keep them in place, add a natural aspect, and protect the stones from potential lawnmower damage – depending on the size of the stones.
An additional benefit – regardless of whether it’s placed onto or embedded into the earth – is that the steps help stabilize the surrounding soil, bringing about a uniform appearance throughout your landscaping and assisting in keeping your plant life healthy.
Backyards
Safely traverse and guide yourself and guests to the many beautiful aspects of your property with the installation of stepping stones. Achieve genuine beauty, durability, and value by exploring the many applications of our stepping stones for your backyard.
The rigid texture and rock face of our stone offer additional slip resistance and traction as opposed to other forms of limestone which further ensures the safety of you and those you love – especially in slippery conditions.
The neutral, earthy tones of our color selection of stepping stones offer a familiar, rustic aesthetic for your home.
Pools
When it comes to owning a pool, one of the most important aspects is the material that will encompass the pool area. As a surface that will be prone to water, it is important for this material to have texture to assist with slip resistance.
Fortunately, our limestone stepping stones provide exactly that. The rigid and rugged texture of our stone offers additional slip resistance and traction as opposed to other forms of limestone – especially in water-prone areas such as the surrounding of a pool.
When it comes to porous stone, such as limestone, for instance, it is very important that you have your stone sealed with a penetrating sealer. This ensures the stones retain their integrity and that their longevity will not be compromised – regardless of whether it is in a water-prone area or not.
Pros And Cons Of Using Stepping Stones
PROS:
| Wide Variety
One of the greatest attractions of limestone stepping stones is their wide variety. With colors including white, grey, buff, light beige, dark brown, red, green, blue, black, yellow, pink, orange, and textures ranging from soft and chalky to tough and rugged, it is easy to see why.
Their ability to provide people with such a wide range of ways to design, customize, and improve upon their homes makes them one of the world’s most popular choices when it comes to stepping stones.
| Versatile
The durability that limestone provides allows it to be used in practically any project or application. It can be used as individual stepping stones, stacked as a small wall, individually placed as accent pieces, or used as a primary surface.
One of the best attributes of our limestone stepping stones is that they will last for a lifetime, and they are practically maintenance-free.
| Adds To Aesthetic
Regardless of its application, you can rest assured that the stone will add a rustic sense of elegance to your home. The versatile nature of limestone allows your stepping stones to add to the aesthetic of any part of your home or property.
| Inexpensive
Thanks to the abundance of limestone, these stepping stones are very affordable. Limestone can be easily found on every continent on earth – allowing for it to be one of the most popular choices out there in regards to stepping stones.
CONS:
| Prone To Stains
Due to the porous nature of limestone, our stepping stones run the risk of being stained if not properly sealed.
The easiest solution is to have your stone sealed with a penetrating sealer prior to installation or being placed.
This will help your stone repel any liquid from entering its pores and staining it from the inside out.
| May Require Installation
Depending on the design of your landscape and what your project entails, there can be additional labor and materials for the installation of stepping stones.
Fortunately, the stone itself is extremely affordable and has the potential to last many lifetimes.
Our Opinion
For us, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to using limestone as stepping stones. The massive selection when it comes to colors and textures allows for unlimited design and customization potential.
Its durability and versatility ensure it stands the test of time – while its rigid and tough texture adds traction and slip resistance to any stepping surface.
On top of this, its ability to stabilize soil while acting as a focal point and guide throughout terrains and gardens makes it one of the best natural accenting stones on the market.
Where Can I Buy Stepping Stones?
You can buy stepping stones right here! Our limestone quarry allows us to cut out the middleman and dig you up the best-priced stone around.
We are proud to offer custom fabrication options for all stepping stones - including our extra large stepping stones.
*Delivery Options Available | Nationwide Importing/Exporting*
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