Stone yard glossary

Stone terms, A to Z

1 1/2 to 2 inch flagstone

Thicker flagstone that can be soft-set on sand and decomposed granite without mortar.

1 1/4 inch Select

Large flagstone cut close to 1.25 inches thick. It is hard-set with mortar over concrete.

Basalt column

A naturally six-sided pillar of basalt, used as accents and fountains.

Boulder

A large rock, naturally occurring or quarry-blasted. Ours run from 6 to 8 inches (about 30 lb) up to 4 by 4 feet (about 4,000 lb).

Coping

Stone that caps the edge of a pool, wall or planter.

Decomposed granite (DG)

Fine granite gravel used for paths and between flagstones. Sold by our sister yard, Roundtree Rock & Gardening.

Flagstone

Stone split into flat pieces for patios, walkways, veneer and water features. Sold by weight on pallets.

Gator Dust

An Alliance polymeric joint material for flagstone. It needs a 2 to 3 inch gravel base; Anna recommends 1 inch of sand over the gravel.

Hard set

Laying stone permanently in mortar over a concrete slab.

Ledge stone

Flat, stackable stone for walls and veneer.

Moss rock

California field stone: brown surface rock with lichens and moss.

Patio flagstone

Flagstone that lies flat on the pallet. Pieces run from about 8 inches to 4 square feet.

Select

Large-coverage flagstone pieces, often in several thicknesses, used for patios and walkways.

Soft set

Laying stone on a permeable base of sand, gravel or decomposed granite, without mortar.

Stair tread

A cut slab of stone used as the walking surface of a step.

Stand-up flagstone

Flagstone that stands upright on the pallet. Pieces run about 4 to 12 square feet.

Super sack

A large bag of loose material. Valley Gold crushed gravel comes in super sacks of about 3,000 pounds.

Tufa

Calcium carbonate stone formed by hot springs, mostly cream, white and tan, full of pockets.

Tumbled flagstone

Flagstone tumbled in a machine so the edges are smooth and rounded, used for pool coping, wall tops and seating.

Veneer (1 1/4 minus)

Thin-cut stone no thicker than 1.25 inches, hard-set with mortar over concrete or a wall.

Weighmaster

The person who records the weight of a stone purchase, less the weight of the pallet.

Wet look

A sealer finish that keeps stone looking the color it is when wet.