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Is warm weather inspiring you to build a new outdoor living space at your home? If so, you’re not alone—each year, the American Society of Landscape Architects surveys homeowners’ interest in various landscape projects, and creating new areas for seating and dining is always near the top of this list. As interest in patios continues to grow, we are always on the search for new and improved material choices to create the perfect outdoor room for any style or budget. Here are some of Penn Stone’s most important introductions and updates for 2018.
Landscape Porcelain Tile
Landscape porcelain tile is an exciting new hardscaping option. These 2-centimeter thick tiles were originally developed in Europe by leading porcelain producers such as Del Conca, Lastra, Caesar and Florim. They are strong, durable, and beautiful, and are especially practical if your goal is to design a space that transitions seamlessly from indoors to outdoors.
Imported—and affordable!—flagstone
Flagstone is probably our favorite hardscaping material at Penn Stone. For a long time, choices were limited, and selecting flagstone meant a major cost increase over other hardscaping materials. But in the past several years, we have discovered new sources of imported stone, and now offer nearly 25 selections of cut-pattern flagstone. Many of these are only $2 to $3 more per square-foot than our most popular concrete pavers, and when you consider that you’re getting real stone for that price, flagstone could be more affordable than you think.
Garden wall and seat wall options
When you think of a landscape wall, you probably picture a typical (and boring) retaining wall block. As paving materials have improved, customers have demanded better options for walls to define their outdoor spaces, and manufacturers have responded to this with some exciting new products. EP Henry recently introduced Cast Stone Wall, a system that mates a sturdy wall block with their beautiful manufactured stone veneer, and Unilock’s Rivercrest Wall also provides a stone-like look in a functional retaining wall system. This year, Unilock introduced U-Cara, a brilliant design combining a backer-block core with ten fascia panel options in a variety of finishes and colors.
Clay Brick Pavers
Authentic brick pavers certainly are not new, but they are definitely improved! Pine Hall Brick and Whitacre-Greer are leading brick manufacturers, and both companies have invested in new factories with a goal of producing beautiful, durable pavers that will install easily and age gracefully. Plus, brick is very affordable—usually about the same cost as installing concrete pavers. Visit Lancaster Brewing Company, Lancaster’s Central Market or the new Shoppes at Belmont where you can see local examples of beautiful brick pavements by Pine Hall Brick and Whitacre Greer.
To learn more about these products and to explore our complete outdoor living collection, visit Penn Stone’s 10,000-square-foot outdoor display featuring more than 125 built-in samples of flagstone, brick, and concrete pavers.
John McGrann owns Penn Stone along with his wife, Mara Creswell McGrann. Penn Stone’s showroom is an outdoor living destination serving Central Pennsylvania and is located at 190 West Ross Street in Downtown Lancaster. Learn more at pennstone.com, or call 717.397.5264 to talk to a member of our team.
Find more resources and inspiration here:
Porcelain Tile
Unilock/DelConca: unilock.com/products/porcelain/porcelain/?region=6
EP Henry/LASTRA: ephenry.com/products/lastra-20mm-porcelain-tiles/
Imported Stone
Unilock: unilock.com/products/premium-quality-natural-stone/?region=6
Garden Walls
EP Henry Cast Stone Wall: ephenry.com/products/double-sided-cast-stone-wall/
Unilock Rivercrest Wall: unilock.com/products/vertical/rivercrest-wall-2/?region=6
Unilock U-Cara Wall: unilock.com/products/vertical/u-cara-multi-face-wall-system/?region=6
Clay Brick Pavers
Pine Hall: pinehallbrick.com/product-category/pavers/
Whitacre Greer: wgpaver.com/
