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Bluestone is one of the most beautiful natural stones you can add to a hardscape project. This beautiful natural stone is often used in the most elegant and expensive projects. Being a quarried stone, it is one of the most expensive materials you can choose, so what are the cheaper alternatives to bluestone?

Thinking about alternatives for bluestone can be complicated. People usually choose bluestone due to its aesthetic appeal, so that can be a difficult thing to replace. Traditionally, the best replaces for natural stone are manufactured products.

Manufactured products can be designed to simulate the look and feel of natural stone almost perfectly, as long as you choose a good paver brand. Belgard, being one of the best pavers brands in the market, has some wonderful manufactured options to replace bluestone.

So let’s talk a bit about these options and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each one when compared to bluestone.

bluestone pavers

Alternatives to Bluestone

So how can we replace a material that is mainly chosen due to its visual impact? By simulating it as well as possible with manufactured materials.

Bluestone has a hue of colors that stay between gray, deep blue, greenish blue, and sometimes even brown. Also, it has very particular texture of smooth weavy lines, almost looking like waves.

Fortunately, the manufacturing technology nowadays is so advanced that all of these characteristic can be easily simulated using pavers made out of concrete and porcelain.

That holds even true for Belgard pavers, which are manufactured taking into account over 20,000 hours of research every year. With an astonishing array of 62 options of concrete pavers and 18 options of porcelain pavers, you’re certain to find a suitable replacement for bluestone.

Out of those 62 options of concrete pavers, 18 belong to the “Natural Collection“, which is precisely designed to simulate natural stone, including bluestone. So, in total, you have 36 options of possible replacements to bluestone.

And when it comes to cost, both concrete and porcelain are in fact way cheaper than bluestone.

Bluestone costs usually range from $5 to $12 per square foot. Porcelain is about $7 – $9 per square foot. And concrete, being the cheapest option, costs only about $4 – $6 per square foot.

Concrete Pavers as Bluestone Alternatives

bluestone-like concrete pavers

Concrete is by far the most used material as a paver, and for good reason. It is incredibly resistant, versatile and cheap, making it a good choice for almost any possible scenario.

When compared to bluestone, concrete is more resistant and easier to install. Also, way easier to clean and maintain.

Being a natural stone, the maintenance of bluestone can prove to be quite tricky. Natural stone pavers ideally require specific products for cleaning and sealing. Concrete allows you to use any kind of sealer you want and basically cleaning products you want, as long as it is pH-neutral.

Like bluestone, concrete still requires sealing, but the options with concrete are way more affordable.

On the looks department, concrete can deliver an appearance very much close to bluestone. It won’t have the exact same smoothness of it, but it can easily be designed to have the same texture and colors.

Porcelain Pavers as Bluestone Alternatives

bluestone-like porcelain pavers

Porcelain pavers have been a hidden gem of the hardscape industry for a while now. People are starting to pick on the quality and versatility of porcelain pavers, and it is also a very good alternative to natural stone, maybe the best alternative there is.

Porcelain might be heavier and more difficult to install, but, when compared to the advantages, this becomes trivial. It is more expensive than concrete, but still way cheaper than bluestone.

One of the biggest upsides of porcelain is that it does not need to be sealed. That alone puts it ahead of many of the material for pavers. The maintenance is also extremely easy. A sweep at the end of the day and a wet mop every 15 days is more than enough.

In appearance, porcelain can mimic almost perfectly the looks of bluestone. Porcelain is so malleable and versatile that it is considered one of the best materials to replace natural stone.

Professional Help With Bluestone Alternatives

We know no one likes to think about having to find the “second-best thing”, especially when it comes to pavers, which are considered to be an important investment to the value of a house whenever they are installed.

One of the best ways to think of alternatives to bluestone, or maybe not even replacing it at all, is to get in contact with a qualified professional in the hardscape business.

They can help you pinpoint exactly why it is that you choose bluestone and what is the best way to use another material without feeling that you had to settle for less.

We here at S&S Pavers have been offering that kind of help around the Sarasota and Manatee counties, in FL, for the past 11 years. We have helped many homeowners achieve the patio of their dreams with top quality materials and personalized work.

If you happen to be area the area, you can give us a call anytime at 941-773-3098 or email us at sales@sspavers.com for a free estimate on our services. We would be happy to hear from you and help you with any paver installation and maintenance need you might have.

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