My wife and I are currently confronted with the same dilemma. Here in Toledo, Ohio, I've only been able to find 3 total paver "slabs" that resemble natural thermal bluestone: Torino (Bluestone color) and Rivenstone (Bluestone color), both by Unilock, and Aberdeen (Azzuro) by Techo-Bloc. Initially, we really liked the look of Techo-Bloc's Aberdeen, but then we saw a 2nd installation, and the color had REALLY faded--so, we've lost confidence in it. Unilock's Rivenstone looks pretty good, but it more resembles natural cleft Bluestone, which my wife doesn't like as well thermal. So, of the three, we think we like the Unilock Torino best. The problem we're finding, though, is that the product is so new that our local stores haven't sold any yet, so there are no installations we can go look at. (Our local store has a 4' x 5' sample installed on site, but that's all we've found.) I'm hesitant to pay nearly $9 sq/ft (uninstalled) for something I've barely seen. If anybody out there has it on their patio, please post your review and photos!

http://unilock.com/products/stonemark/torino/?region=2

Have you looked at EP Henry? We were going to do the Bluestone, but we were afraid it would be too slippery, so we opted for another EP Henry paver

Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for the photos, reecejohn. It's good to see how it turned out, and the bluestone was a good choice for durability over concrete pavers, I think.

This looks great! I have been having same debate about these products and bluestone. I really think products not quite natural enough. My husband is concerned about longevity of bluestone or any product as our previous patio (probably poorly installed by previous homeowner) was chipping away and falling apart. We live in NJ and get some crazy winters sometimes. Seems like price difference is not much between top end man-made products compared to bluestone. So question is... what has longest, best life?

Thanks, debbiemerrick. I can certainly sympathize with your husband's concern about longevity of materials. A new patio is big investment, and when you spend that much money, you obviously want it to last as long as possible. When we were trying to decide between bluestone and the man-made products, we asked as many professionals as we could find about longevity; and arguments were made in favor of both. Ultimately, the stone mason who built our firepit was the tie-breaker. He posed it like this..."What do you think will last longer...natural stone that was formed over millions of years, or a paver that was formed in a factory in one day?" Now, I realize that's the opinion of a guy who makes his living working with stone, but his argument certainly seems plausible. Time will tell. Our bluestone patio has only been down for 18 months, but has fared well through the extremes of 2 summers (seeing high temps in the upper 90's) and 1 winter (seeing low's below zero). We have seem some very minor surface flaking (which seems natural, and hasn't detracted from the stone's natural beauty), but otherwise, the slabs appear structually sound, with no cracking or crumbling. We have no regrets so far. Good luck with your decision.

Debbiemerrick...Well, my wife and I really love the look of wet-laid, motared bluestone. There were basically two reasons we didn't go that way:

1) Cost -- Wet-laid installation adds cost in terms of both materials (concrete) and labor (to do the morarting)

2) Maintenance -- We have EXTREMELY sandy soil and were concerned that the concrete base would eventually shift or sink, causing cracks in either the mortar or the slabs, or both. That would require paying a professional to come out and repair the joint and, possibly, replace a cracked slab. With the dry-laid patio, any sinking or shifting can be repaired by lifting up the slab, adding base material, and then re-setting the slab. That being said, our contractor reduced the risk of settling by putting in an 8"-10" compacted crushed stone base.

As for 1" vs. 1.5"...it was strictly a cost decision for us; we went with 1" simply because it was cheaper. From an aesthetic standpoint, it's impossible tell the difference. But, in terms of longevity, it would stand to reason that thicker would be more durable.

Hi reecejohn your patio looks amazing! We are In Similar predicament/research with patio.....love blue stone! How did you find the cost to be ultimately for the 1 1/2" per square ft? Also how do you find it hear wise in summer??? I have heard it gets very very hot?? Do you have a different blue stone that doesn't get as hot?? Thanks so much!

lins0606, we used 1" full-color thermal bluestone, not 1-1/2". It's been 2 years since we did this project, and I don't have my notes in front of me, but I believe we paid $8 sq/ft for the 1" slabs. And, I'm pretty sure the 1-1/2" was about $10 sq/ft. (Check with your local stone company for current prices in your area.)

In regard to your other question, heat has not been a problem for us. That may be due, in part, to the fact that our patio only gets direct sun for about 5 hours per day (11:30am-4:30pm) in the summer. And, we tend to use our patio the most in the evenings.

Can bluestone get a little warm during the middle of a hot summer day with the sun beating down directly on it? Of course! But, it doesn't feel noticeably hotter to me than concrete or man-made pavers.

Hi reecejohn, love your patio And firepit, very similar to the look we are going for. Is your firepit a kit or was it custom made?

It was custom made by a stone mason. My wife and I went with him to pick out the stones, but he mortared it all together and fiinished it off with a custom bluestone cap.

I'm looking at a similar project and wondering if anyone had looked at the Everblue Pavers (outdoor porcelain) that mimic thermal bluestone and what their experience was--price comparison to thermal bluestone and opinion on product?

I hadn't heard about those pavers. I'll have a look.

I'm curious about others experience with the everblue pavers.

I am too, they are very new and only carried on Cape Cod at the moment as far as I know

I'm also looking for bluestone for our patio. I haven't gotten the price yet, but I found an option from MSI surfaces has "Blue Stone Arterra Paver" that may be another option. Since we are in California, it seems like authentic Bluestone is a little harder to come by. Thanks for the everblue pavers ... I couldn't find a site that carries them near me. Must be new, like you said.

Yes the Everblue porcelain paver is currently on Cape Cod only but delivers I think within the Northeast. I looked at the MSI Porcelain Blue Stone Arterra paver as well and had a large format sample to test next to true bluestone. The MSI was more blue (versus gray) and almost too sleek looking to truly mimic bluestone (I am looking for a thermal bluestone match). But for an all blue option, it's the closest I've seen, I think I was quoted $8.50 sq/ft product only for the MSI Arterra in the Northeast. It surprisingly got just as hot in the sun as my bluestone sample (porcelain claims to not get as hot as natural stone). For the best full color thermal bluestone match, Belgard's Mirage Verona Paver in Blue Stone mimics full color thermal--it does have some brown but is very realistic. Good luck with your project, please post your end decision here!

Hi, we deliver the Everblue Pavers to all 48 contiguous states.

Just delivered to Washington State yesterday actually :-) Just so people know.

Also, there may be other dealers near you.

Hello, What is the cost of Everblue product vs. natural bluestone?

I don't remember exactly but significantly less, very different product

Its about 30% less than bluestone -- and more contractors , esp in Northeast, are adopting it

This is from a pool a customer just did - so we recommend looking at different patterns as trends shift to bigger or running bond - vs dated ones. Good luck!!

Stonewood Products, what material is this? Looks great. Very modern.

@vpazanin150 it is their Everblue pavers & they are great

I love the look of the Everblue pavers. I had them installed around my pool this summer. Then I had the pool cover installed in October. Every paver chipped and two cracked where the tubes were hammered into the drilled holes. I am considering another material for the pool deck. Suggestions are welcome.

Hi, We are considering everblue pavers for our pool deck. Did the pavers chip/crack when the holes were drilled or when the cover was installed and moving around witht the weather? We were told by the contractor that they would put a concrete slab under the area where the cover is attached so it the has somehtig to grab onto. Would that address the issue you had?

We are thinking of installing everblue pavers for our new pool deck. Did you pavers chip/crack when the holes were drilled or later on once the cover was installed and was moving around witht the weather? Our contractor said he will need to pour a concrete slab under the pavers that will be attached to the cover so the screws have something to "grab" onto. Do yo think that would solve the problem you had? Otherwise, did you like the look of the pavers?