Pennsylvania Bluestone: Smooth Side Up or Textured Side Up?

You're installing PA bluestone and need to know which face goes up: the smooth sawn side or the natural cleft (textured) side.

It Depends Entirely on Application

• Barefoot areas (pool decks, patios, walkways): Smooth side up. Safer, more comfortable.
• Vertical faces (wall veneer, risers, fireplaces): Textured side out. The cleft face is the aesthetic signature of bluestone.
• Stepping stones in grass: Either works. Textured drains better; smooth is easier to level.
• Interior shower walls: Smooth only. Textured traps soap/scum.

Pro Tip

If you're doing a mixed project (patio + seat wall), order both finishes from the same quarry lot for color consistency. Bluestone varies wildly between quarries.

Send photos when done—this stone photographs beautifully.