07/28/2026
How do you deal with the thickness variation in natural cleft bluestone?
You open the pallet and the pieces aren't the same thickness.
Some thicker, some thinner, a quarter inch of difference or more from one to the next.
It's not a bad batch.
It's stone split by hand, and it opens along the natural layers of the rock.
Those layers are never perfectly even, so thickness varies piece to piece.
It's part of what gives cleft its look.
The problem isn't the stone. It's treating it like calibrated stone.
Level the base perfectly flat, start setting, and some pieces sit high while others sit low.
The patio ends up uneven underfoot.
The fix is in the setting bed.
Adjust piece by piece, raising or lowering the material under each one so the faces land at the same height.
Measure from the top, not the bottom.
The surface you walk on is what counts.
A little more work per piece. But you end up with a flat patio that keeps all the texture and natural color of the cleft.
If you're installing natural cleft, plan for the variation from the start.
Need bluestone or a hand picking the right material for the job?
Reach out. We'll get you sorted and talk through what works best for your install.
