My dad has been a mason for over 50 years and has been laying flagstone since the late 1960s. He has mostly laid sandstone from Colorado, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico and he’s dealt with some slate from the East Coast, like Pennsylvania and New York. Owners are usually ecstatic after their flagstone masterpiece is installed. I think you’ll be happy after you install some flagstone around your house.

Flagstone is a sedimentary sandstone rock that is quarried out of mountains. I’ve been to a few quarries and it’s cool to watch them cut out huge chunks of stone and pry off ½ inch to 2 ½ inch thick stones that will eventually end up on or in someone’s house.

Flagstone is usually cemented together with iron, calcium, or silica. Those bonding materials are what make for the many great colors of flagstone. We’ve see colors from red, rose, pink, beige, white, to chocolate. There are also some amazing streaks and patterns in some flagstone that can make a house look like an exotic palace from ancient Egypt or something. If you’re into evolutionary history, we’ve seen stone with ancient leaves, bone prints, and animal foot steps. Imagine how unique your house would be with some exquisite, prehistoric flagstone beautifying your residence?

We’ve had great luck with the durability of flagstone. My dad and I visited a job that he did twenty years ago. The stone aged greatly and even the cement joints that hold the stones in place were in good shape. If you compare the long-term savings of stone over wood, than there’s no competition. Stone wins hands down!

What’s nice is that if you spill some food on stone or some tree sap drips down on it, it just blends right in. You don’t have to worry too much about cleaning it. However, you’ll want to seal your stone every few years. It just keeps it preserved better.

Your house can be decorated with stone anywhere from walls, fireplaces, posts, patios, and even driveways (although that will be a feat). It is even very elegant inside. My father-in-law laid it inside his study and it looks stunning. Everybody remarks about how great it is. He just put a few throw-down rugs over it to give it some soft spots.

If you lay a horizontal surface, you’ll need to decide whether you’ll have pre-cut, or some call it dimensional stone, or irregular stone. Dimensional stone is a little easier to lay, because there are not as many cuts. Most modern looking houses go with dimensional stone. It fits the architectural style better.

However, if your house is older or more traditional, then irregular cut stone is usually a better fit. It costs cheaper, but you’ll have more cuts.

If you’re fairly good as a “do-it-yourselfer,” then laying it yourself will save you thousands of dollars. My dad charges about $10 a square foot for labor, so if you have a 300 square foot patio, then you’ll potentially save $3,000.

If you do contract it out, make sure you get references. We’ve seen many so-called “professionals” lay some pretty shoddy work.