Resources

Care & Maintenance

Natural stone lasts generations when water is kept out of it and cleaning stays gentle. This page covers looking after the stone we sell — limestone, Crab Orchard sandstone, fieldstone, flagstone, cut stone, gravel, and sand — in plain language, plus what the stone terms on our product pages actually mean.

Care

Clean It Gently

One method covers nearly everything we sell: a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a little mild dish detergent in warm water, a soft brush, and a thorough rinse. Test any new cleaner on a spare piece or a hidden spot first.

Walls — veneer & building stone

Once a year, rinse the wall with a garden hose to knock off loose dirt.
Wash dirty areas with a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a little mild dish detergent in warm water, using a soft brush.
Work soiled areas from the bottom up, then rinse top to bottom so no cleaner dries on the stone.
An older wall will not come back looking quarry-fresh — and chasing that look damages stone. Clean, not new, is the goal.

Patios & walkways — flagstone & pavers

Sweep or blow leaves and grit off regularly. Wet leaf litter is the most common cause of staining, and grit grinds the surface underfoot.
Wash with neutral cleaner and warm water and a soft brush, and rinse well. On a hot summer day, work in shade or early morning so cleaner doesn't dry on hot stone.
Keep the sand or polymeric sand in the joints topped up after a deep wash.

Pool coping & decks

Rinse coping often with fresh water during swim season so chlorine or salt splash doesn't sit and concentrate as it dries.
Flush the deck with clear water, and use a mild bleach solution only for algae or moss — rinsed thoroughly afterwards.
Keep pool chemicals off the stone where you can, and clean splashes up promptly.

Steps, treads & caps

Same gentle wash as walls. Steps and caps hold water, dirt, and de-icer longer than anything else, so give them the spring rinse.
Make sure caps still shed water. A cap that ponds water is the first piece that will flake in winter.
Never chip ice off a tread with a metal edge — use sand for grip instead.

Retaining & boulder walls

Hose off soil splash, pull weeds from joints by hand, and keep mulch and soil from burying the top of the wall or blocking drainage behind it.
Don't wash soil out from between dry-laid boulders. Rinse gently and pack back any gravel or soil that washes out.
Bulging, leaning, or a shifted course is a drainage or structure problem, not a cleaning problem — see When to Call a Mason below.

Fireplaces, hearths & fire pits

Let the stone cool completely first. Vacuum or soft-brush loose ash and soot off dry, so water doesn't turn soot into a slurry that soaks in.
Wash with neutral cleaner and warm water. For soot that has soaked in, a baking-soda-and-water paste, spread on thick, covered, and left a day or two, can draw it out.
Empty ash from fire pits when cold, and never douse hot stone with cold water — the sudden temperature change can crack it.
Some darkening right around a wood firebox is normal patina, not damage.

Care

What Not To Do

Most stone damage we see was done with a cleaner, a tool, or a shortcut — not by weather. These are the ones that do permanent harm.

No acids — ever

Limestone is mostly calcium carbonate, and acid dissolves it. The dull, rough spot it leaves is stone that is gone, not a stain. Keep vinegar, lemon and citrus cleaners, muriatic / hydrochloric acid, brick wash, most tile and bathroom cleaners, and standard rust removers away from limestone and sandstone.

No wire brushes, scouring powders, or sandblasting

They scratch and remove the face of the stone, and wire bristles can leave iron behind that turns into rust stains. Soft or nylon brushes and wood or plastic scrapers only.

No de-icing salt

Rock salt and chloride de-icers soak into the stone, then grow crystals inside it as it dries and freezes — that is what pops faces off steps and caps. Shovel promptly and use coarse sand for grip. Products sold as “safe for concrete, pets, or plants” are usually still chloride salts — read the ingredient, not the label claim.

Don't mix cleaners

Never mix bleach with ammonia or with acids — the fumes are dangerous. Use one product at a time, at the strength on its label, and rinse thoroughly.

Pressure washing — get professional advice first

Professionals disagree sharply about safe pressure on limestone and sandstone, and too much pressure erodes the face, opens the surface so it soils faster, blows out joints, and can force water behind veneer. It is wise to seek professional advice before having stone pressure washed — and to seek that advice from multiple sources, compare what they say, and favour the cautious approach.

Sealing — get professional advice first

Opinions also differ on whether exterior stone should be sealed at all, and the wrong product can trap moisture in the stone and do more harm than none. It is wise to seek professional advice before sealing — again, from multiple sources — and to compare answers before committing, because a sealer is a recurring maintenance obligation, not a one-time fix.

On pressure washing and sealing especially: because professionals disagree, get advice from more than one source before you decide — and if the answers differ, go with the cautious one.

Care

Stains & Common Problems

Identify the stain before you pick a cleaner — the right treatment for one kind can set another. Start with the gentlest option, test in a hidden spot, and give a treatment time to work.

Leaves & organic stains

Pinkish-brown marks from leaves, bark, berries, and bird droppings. Outdoors, sun and rain fade most of them once the source is gone. Don't let wet leaves sit on limestone or flagstone through the fall — the stain sets over a wet winter.

Moss, algae & mildew

The humid-climate regular. Scrub gently with a soft, non-metal brush and a diluted cleaner made for the job, rinse, then fix the conditions: prune for light and airflow, and improve drainage. In a shaded, damp spot it can be reduced, not eliminated — and wet algae is a slip hazard, so treat it promptly.

Rust

Orange-brown marks that follow the shape of a furniture foot, planter, or can. Rust is one of the hardest stains to remove and deep rust can be permanent. Use only a product whose label specifically says it is safe for limestone or natural stone — never a standard rust remover. Prevention is better: feet under metal furniture, and no planters sitting directly on the stone.

Oil & grease

Dark spots from grills, outdoor kitchens, and sunscreen. Blot fresh spills — don't wipe them wider — and wash with mild detergent and water. Set-in grease usually needs a paste treatment left on for a day or two to draw it out. A mat under the grill saves the patio.

Efflorescence — the white powder

White powder or crystals on the surface are salts carried out by water moving through the stone or mortar. Brush or vacuum it off dry — washing it with water only makes it disappear until it dries. On new work it usually fades as the installation dries out. If it keeps coming back, water is getting in somewhere — a joint, flashing, or drainage problem — and fixing the water matters more than cleaning the powder.

Paint

Small spots can be scraped carefully with a wood or plastic scraper. For larger areas, use a paint stripper made for the job, follow its directions, and flush well. Never use acids or a flame tool to strip paint from stone.

Care

Joints & Masonry

Joints are not decoration — they shed water and protect the stone. A few minutes of inspection twice a year catches most problems while they are still small.

Keep joints sound

Walk walls, caps, and fireplaces twice a year and look for mortar that is cracked, crumbling, powdery, or missing, and for gaps water can get into.
Mortar is meant to wear first — it protects the stone by being the replaceable part. Renewing worn mortar is normal upkeep, not a failure.
For patios, keep sand joints full. Low joints let edges chip and stones rock. Polymeric sand resists washing out and weeds better, but only if it is installed exactly as the bag directs, on dry stone, with all dust blown off the surface before wetting.
Keep dirt and leaves off patio joints — weeds mostly grow in the dirt that collects on top, not up through the stone.

Call a mason when…

Mortar joints are open or worn back over long runs of wall.
Stones, caps, or treads are loose, rocking, or shifted — a loose cap is a safety hazard.
A wall leans, bulges, or shows stepped cracking.
Water is getting behind veneer — damp inside, white salt bands, or flaking at the base of the wall.
A fireplace or chimney has cracked mortar in or around the firebox — that is a fire-safety issue, not just cosmetics.

Care

Seasons of Stone

Wherever stone lives, it has two seasonal enemies: humid summers that grow algae, and winters that freeze and thaw over and over. How hard each one hits depends on your climate — colder in the north, damper in the south — but this short rhythm handles both.

Spring

Rinse winter sand and salt residue off steps, caps, and the base of walls.
Check mortar, caps, coping, and flashing; photograph any winter flaking.
Clean gutters and downspouts, and watch where water actually goes in a heavy rain.
Wash patios, treat early algae, and top up patio joints.

Summer

Blow leaves and debris off shaded patios often, and treat algae promptly — it is slippery.
Rinse pool coping with fresh water regularly.
Aim sprinklers away from stone walls, and pull weeds from joints and gravel while they are small.

Fall

Get every leaf off limestone and flagstone before it sits wet — that is when tannin stains set.
Final gutter clean after leaf drop.
Repair open joints and loose caps before freeze–thaw season, and make sure patio and fire-pit drainage is clear.
Put coarse sand by the door for winter grip, and store de-icing salt away from stone areas so it isn't used out of habit.

Winter

Shovel snow promptly with a plastic or rounded-edge shovel. Sand for grip — not salt.
Never chip ice off stone.
Keep downspout discharge from freezing across walks and steps, and note any new flaking after thaws for spring repair.

Care

Gravel & Sand

Depth is the weed control: keep landscape gravel about 2–3 inches deep. Too thin, and light reaches the soil and weeds take hold.
Most “weeds in gravel” are growing in rotted leaf dirt on top of the fabric, not through it — blow leaves off before they mat down.
Washed gravel stays cleaner longer, because the fines and sediment in unwashed rock hold moisture and weed seed.
Rake gravel back into place after storms, and top up settled or thin spots a little at a time rather than redoing the whole bed.
Hose-rinse gravel to brighten it. Rounded river and creek gravel is a surface material — it doesn't lock together, so keep it out of mower lines and off walking surfaces.
Keep bulk sand piles covered so they don't collect weed seed and leaves, and don't use soil-contaminated sand in mortar you will see.

Learn the Language

Stone Terms

The words on our product pages and quotes, in plain English — what each one means, and what it changes about buying or building with it.

Stone & Styles

Limestone: A sedimentary rock made mostly of calcium carbonate — buff, grey, and cream, even-grained, and easy to saw and shape, which is why our cut stone is limestone.Buying noteBeautiful and workable, and permanently sensitive to acids — see What Not To Do.
Sandstone: A sedimentary rock made of sand-sized grains cemented together. Harder, silica-cemented sandstones are very durable.Buying noteGenerally more porous than limestone, so it takes up water (and stains) faster.
Crab Orchard stone: A thin-bedded Tennessee sandstone quarried in Cumberland County, so hard from its silica cement that it is classed with quartzite, in variegated buff, tan, blue-grey, and rose tones.Buying noteSplits naturally into thin, flaggy layers — a natural fit for flagstone and veneer.
Fieldstone / farm rock: Stone gathered from fields and fencerows rather than quarried — weathered, irregular, and mixed in earth tones.Buying noteNo two pallets match exactly. Buy the whole project at once and blend pallets as you build.
Ashlar: Rectangular stone laid in horizontal courses — the classic, orderly house-wall pattern. “Random ashlar” varies the heights and lengths within the pattern.
Dimensional cut: Stone sawn top and bottom to consistent heights, so it lays in precise courses with even joints.Buying noteThe most uniform, contemporary look — and usually the fastest to lay.
Natural edge / ledgestone: Long, low, linear pieces stacked in tight horizontal bands — the “stacked stone” look — with an un-sawn, natural edge.Buying noteShows the least mortar of any style.
Mosaic: Irregular, rounded pieces fitted together like a puzzle, with visible mortar joints between them.
Irregular: Stone in no set shape or pattern — random polygons and natural outlines, fitted piece by piece.Buying noteThe slowest style to lay and the one to allow the most extra stone for.
Full bed depth: Veneer stone at its full natural thickness, roughly 3–5 inches front to back, laid on a footing or ledge and tied to the wall.Buying noteThe traditional build. It needs structural support thin veneer doesn't — budget for the footing.
Thin veneer: The same natural stone sawn thin — about ¾ to 1½ inches — and adhered to the wall with mortar, with corner pieces that wrap corners so it reads as full-depth stone.Buying noteNo footing needed, far lighter to ship and support, and it can go places full bed can't.
Flagstone: Flat, thin stone used as paving — patios, walkways, and paths. It names the shape and the job, not a rock type; ours is mostly sandstone and limestone.Buying noteThickness follows the setting: thin pieces belong on a solid slab, thicker ones in a sand bed.
Stand-up flagstone: Large flagstone shipped standing on edge on the pallet, which allows much bigger pieces than flat-stacked pallets.Buying noteFewer, larger pieces mean fewer joints — but they are two-person or equipment lifts.
Cobble / cobblestone: Naturally rounded stones, roughly fist- to head-size, used for edging, dry creeks, and accents.Buying noteIn a veneer catalogue “cobble” can mean a rounded-face veneer style — confirm which you are buying.
Boulder: A large, naturally rounded or weathered stone, from accent size to multi-ton. “Stackable” boulders are blockier pieces picked to stack into walls.Buying notePrice the delivery and setting, not just the rock — large pieces need equipment.
Stepping stone: A single flat stone used as one step in a path, set in lawn, gravel, or mulch with open ground between stones.Buying notePick pieces thick enough and big enough for a full foot, set just above grade so they don't become mower strikes.
Rubble: Rough, undressed stone in irregular sizes, or a wall built of it, in the style of old farm masonry.

Parts of a Project

Capstone / wall cap: The flat stone laid across the top of a wall to finish it and shed water off both sides.Buying noteA cap is a roof for the wall — buy it wide enough to overhang slightly with a drip edge.
Pier cap / column cap: The capstone that finishes a pier, column, or gate post, usually sloped or hipped on top to shed water.Buying noteSold by the piece — bring exact pier measurements plus the overhang you want.
Coping (pool coping): The capstones around the top edge of a pool, overhanging the water slightly, between the pool wall and the deck.Buying noteUsually bullnose or eased edge. Sold by the piece or linear foot.
Tread: The flat top walking surface of a step.Buying noteSold by the piece in set depths and thicknesses — specify the edge, because the front edge is what feet and shovels hit.
Riser: The vertical face of a step, between two treads.Buying noteSteps are designed as a tread-and-riser system — bring the total height to be climbed, not just a tread count.
Hearth: The stone floor of a fireplace and the extension of it into the room in front of the firebox.Buying noteSold by the piece to size — order after the firebox is framed, to the builder's dimensions and clearances.
Sill: The sloped horizontal stone at the bottom of a window, made to throw water clear of the wall below.Buying noteThe slope and drip cut are functional — a flat sill stains the wall under every window.
Water table: The wide, sloped course that projects from a wall near the ground (or where stone meets siding or brick), with a drip underneath, to deflect water away.Buying noteIt works like flashing, not just trim — don't delete it to save money on a wall that needs the transition.
Header / lintel: The horizontal stone spanning the top of a door or window opening. A true lintel carries the weight above it; a “header” in a veneer catalogue may be decorative only.Buying noteAlways clarify with your mason which one you need — they are supported and priced differently.
Mortar joint: The filled gap between stones. It is a working part of the wall — sacrificial and water-shedding — not grout and not caulk.Buying noteJoint width and colour change the look of a wall as much as the stone does. Approve a sample panel.
Coursing: Laying stone in continuous horizontal layers, or courses. “Random coursing” varies course heights in a repeating rhythm.
Dry stack / dry laid: Stone set without mortar — walls fitted tight by gravity and shaping, or flagstone laid on a sand and gravel bed. Dry-stack-look veneer is an exception in disguise: it is mortared behind the face and simply shows no mortar.Buying noteDry work can be repaired stone by stone — but a dry retaining wall still needs a base, lean-back, and drainage.
Mortared: Stone bonded and jointed with mortar — the most weather-tight, permanent setting.Buying noteRepairs are mason work (see Repointing), not lift-and-reset.

Finishes & Edges

Sawn: Cut with a saw, leaving a flat, even surface with faint saw marks. The baseline finish — and the baseline price — for cut stone.
Sanded (sanded smooth): Sanded to a smooth, even, low-sheen surface.Buying noteShows water spots and marks more than textured finishes, and is the slickest of our finishes when wet.
Leathered: A softly textured, low-sheen finish with gentle undulations, made by brushing the sawn surface.Buying noteHides spots better than a smooth finish and gives a little grip on caps and hearths.
Acid washed: A muted, aged finish produced at the shop with a controlled treatment that softens the sawn look.Buying noteThe finish is done by us, not by you — the stone stays acid-sensitive at home for life.
Natural cleft: A surface made by splitting stone along its natural bedding plane — textured, slightly uneven, and grippy when wet.Buying noteThickness varies across a cleft piece. Small height differences between pieces are part of the character.
Bullnose: An edge ground fully rounded.Buying noteThe comfortable classic for pool coping and step nosings — kind to bare feet, and priced above a sawn edge because it is shaped by hand and machine.
Chiseled edge: An edge hand-worked with a chisel to a rough, rustic face.Buying noteHides minor chips and suits fieldstone and Crab Orchard work.
Eased edge: A square edge with the sharp corner lightly softened, just enough to remove the fragile knife-edge.Buying noteThe clean, modern look on caps and treads — less chip-prone than a sharp sawn edge, less costly than bullnose.

Care & Groundwork Terms

Efflorescence: The white, powdery salt deposits left when water travelling through stone or mortar evaporates at the surface.Buying noteOn new work it is common and cosmetic. Years later, it is a water-entry warning — see Stains above.
Spalling: Flaking, scaling, or chunks of face popping off the stone, usually from freeze–thaw, salt crystals inside the stone, or mortar that is too hard.Buying noteFar more often a water problem than a stone defect. Fix the water first.
Repointing: Renewing worn mortar: cutting out the deteriorated mortar and packing in new mortar that suits the stone. Homeowners often call this “tuckpointing.”Buying noteMason work. The new mortar has to be softer than the stone — hard mortar forces damage into the stone itself.
Polymeric sand: Dry, graded sand blended with a polymer binder. Swept into patio joints and misted with water, it firms up into a joint that resists washing out, weeds, and insects.Buying noteSold by the bag, and the right product depends on joint width — wide flagstone joints take a different grade than narrow ones.
Base (crusher run): Angular crushed stone with fines, compacted in layers under patios, walkways, and walls. The fines let it lock into a dense, solid layer that round gravel never makes.Buying noteIf a patio quote has no base in it, the patio has no foundation — this is where patios succeed or fail.
Bedding sand: The thin, levelled sand layer directly under flagstone or pavers, on top of the compacted base, that each stone is set into.Buying noteBedding is a levelling layer, not a foundation — a thick, soft sand bed means rocking stone.

Credit Where Due

Sources & Further Reading

The guidance on this page is summarized in our own words from the industry sources below — we have not reproduced their text, tables, or images. Mid-Tenn Sand & Stone is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these organizations; we are crediting them because that is where the information came from.

Natural Stone Institute — Care & Maintenance ↗
Cleaning methods, safe and unsafe cleaners, stain identification, and efflorescence.
Natural Stone Institute — Using a Poultice ↗
The paste method for drawing set-in stains out of porous stone.
Indiana Limestone Institute of America — Cleaning Indiana Limestone ↗
Limestone-specific cleaning guidance, including algae treatment and methods to avoid.
Indiana Limestone Institute — Handbook ↗
Dimension limestone practice: drainage, damp, and long-term care of exterior stone.
Ask Extension — Moss, Lichen & Algae ↗
Cultural control of moss, lichen, and algae in humid climates: light, airflow, and drainage.
UC IPM — Algae, Lichens, and Mosses ↗
Why growth on hardscape is a slip hazard, and managing the damp conditions behind it.
Fine Homebuilding — Fixing Deteriorated Mortar ↗
When mortar needs renewing, and why replacement mortar must suit the stone.

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