Masonry 101: Masonry Styles in Landscaping

Masonry Styles in Landscaping

Masonry is the highlight of an outdoor living space, setting the tone for the aesthetic of the rest of the landscaping, and creating places to gather, whether it be an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, or water features. Masonry is durable, and creates a great medium to build permanent fixtures and that are functional as they are beautiful.

If you’re not familiar with masonry types, we’ve compiled a few basic masonry styles for you to familiarize yourself with if you’re planning on adding some masonry to your landscaping.

Natural Stone

Perhaps the oldest form of masonry, as well as the one with the most possibilities, is natural stone. Natural stone comes in many different options with various sizes, finishes and cuts, with some of the most popular choices being sandstone, limestone, flagstone and granite. Some of the most popular construction techniques using these types of natural stone includes border wall arrangements, carved stone bricks, and stacked slabs. Natural stone masonry can be rustic, contemporary, warm or cool toned, and looks best placed in a natural and organic formation.

Concrete

Concrete and cinder blocks are another basic style of masonry. This is commonly used to help create structures that are both sturdy and load bearing, and is typically used for constructing outdoor structures such as pool huts/pavilions and supporting walls. Depending on your tastes, concrete can make a very modern and contemporary-looking retainer wall or smooth walkways. You can also cover the concrete with veneer or plaster, if you want a different look! Concrete is versatile and strong, making it perfect for permanent structures or landscaping additions. Concrete patios have a mid-century aesthetic, and can make a patio look completely seamless. You can even change the color of concrete with concrete stain! The color of the stain will fade over time, so you can change or layer colors throughout the years of owning your home. If you want to keep the color permanent, you can use a sealant to ensure the color remains a permanent part of the concrete. Pretty cool, right?

Brick

Brick is another popular and simple type of masonry that still continues to be highly sought after thanks to not only its vintage appeal, but its warm character as well. Brick is most commonly used in the construction of low walls, retaining walls, paved surfaces, elevated patio structures, and open outdoor buildings. With brick, you can expect a moderate amount of durability and strength, as well as a wide variety of styles, colors, and finishes. Bricks also make a great edger around landscaping or around driveways or patios. You can also use different colors of bricks to make patterns in walkways to add a quaint and magical aesthetic to any backyard garden.

Thank you for reading B&B Landscaping & Masonry’s blog. We’re happy to have helped you learn more about masonry styles for outdoor landscaping.