Limestone is a material that is known for its earthen beauty when used in structures and pathways. It gives more of a bold look than average rocks, but still is able to maintain its soothing appearance and does not strike one as being gaudy or bright. It is often used to create beautiful outdoor living spaces and around swimming pools. Limestone pavers are commonly used in walkways as stepping stones among smaller pebbles, main rock plates of a walkway, or even one large slice serving as a one-piece walk way. The trade of creating a walkway out of limestone is called limestone paving.
Limestone paving used in ancient empires
The most uncommon form of limestone paving is using it as a one piece walkway. This is often only seen near ancient structures in places like Arabia, or other places that the Turkish Empire has passed through or resided in. The reason why this method of pavement has only been used by ancient empires and is rarely used today is because of the amount of work and money that goes into a job such as this.
First you would need to find land that has large sheer cliffs or giant boulders that consist of limestone. It is very hard to find land in which one is able to harvest this, not because it is uncommon, but most places where this occurs are in land protected by the government such as national parks. In addition, the cost of transportation of a whole piece of limestone cut to fit a walkway is high as it is not in the light weight rock class. The cost of this adds up of course, especially since one needs a rock to be custom cut to fit the borders of their walkway.
Limestone Paving using the stepping stone technique
The “stepping stone” technique is the most common use of limestone. It is a rock of darker colour, and because of this, it contrasts nicely against smaller light coloured pebbles that can make up most of a walkway. It gives a nice effect, as it looks almost like a representation of a small stream with stepping stones.
There are many garden statures made from resin and wood that are meant simply to highlight this representation. An example could be the sea dragon: a three piece statue (the head, the mid section, and the tail) that looks like parts of it are under water. This stone is also often used as actual stepping stones in decorative ponds, as its green colour blends nicely with moss found in a pond.
Using limestone to pave a walkway as the main “rock plates” is also very common. This shows off the earthy and textural qualities of the rock by much easier means than a one piece walkway. It is relatively cheap, and easy to transport, as the materials for it are a series of plates that can be stacked.
How are you going to plate your walkway?
There are a few different ways to go about plating a walkway with this stone. The first is by using concrete, or some other adhesive, and keeping the plates close together so that they almost look like one solid piece of stone. Another way is almost a mix between the plating and stepping stone technique, as it uses smaller pebbles for the space in between the rocks but consists of larger limestone plates that take up the majority of the walkway.
Irrespective of which limestone paving method you choose there is no doubt you’ll be truly happy with the end result as Limestone is such a fantastic style of paver to use. Given the nature of limestone pavers it is always a good idea to consult a professional who understands the nature of the surface and more importantly can recommend the best maintenance products to keep your newly paved area looking fantastic.