On Jan 16, 9:42*am, Sheldon wrote:
gardengal wrote:
jzfredricks wrote:
Sheldon wrote:

It's obviously red slate, one of the more scarce colors.
Chances of finding an exact match is slim.

ty both.

I'm not after an 'exact' match, just something pretty close.

I like the 'smoothness' and uniform colour of the stone. Not the
colour itself, just the fact that it's not 'messy'.

googling 'quartzite' led to some interesting research. I'll go check
out 'red slate' now.

Quartzite doesn't cleave so it wouldn't be used for paving stones.
Quartzite is typically crushed and used for roadbeds and railroad tie
ballast.

How anyone can determine from just looking at a photo......and not a
very large one, either.....exactly what type of stone that is is
really quite remarkable. There are literally 1000's of different kinds
of flagstones available. It is not "obviously" anything, but it could
be some type of sandstone.

You're just demonstrating to everyone how obtuse and ignorant you are.

Flagstone is no particular kind of rock, flagstone can be any type of
rock that is cut to a square/rectangular geometric (flag)
configuration. * Sandstone (sedimentary rock) is very different from
slate (metamorphic rock). *It's really quite simple to determine slate
from a picture, especially in the excellent image offered by the OP
that shows the opulant cleavage that can only indicate slate.

Not all kinds of flagstone are available
everywhere......stone tends to be rather regional in its nature as it
costs a heck of a lot to ship any distance.

You keep tossing out the term flagstone like it was a type of rock,
it's not... formed concrete pavers are flagstones... and for
geological identification purposes the correct nomenclature is rock,
not "stone"... a mile stone/grave stone can be any type of rock.

It costs far more to ship perishable foods than rock... because it's
not perishable, fragile, or irreplaceable, rock is probably the least
expensive commodity to ship... it costs no more to ship rock than it
does to ship bottled water.

Most kids with an aquarium know the different rocks just from visiting
pet shops. *One needn't be a genius to learn how to determine the
differences in metamorphic rock, even you can do it...

http://geology.about.com/library/bl/...rockindex.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Now I remember why I bailed out of this newsgroup a number of years
ago.......it is still heavily populated by rude, self righteous, know-
it-alls. Too bad, I was hoping things might have changed for the
better.

So let me just zip through your remarks and refute them in order. It's
simplest that way.

"Quartzite doesn't cleave so it wouldn't be used for paving stones."

Quartzite cleaves beautifully. It is considered one of the most
durable of all flagstone products and is used heavily for that purpose
in my area, as well as other parts of the country.
http://www.laneforestproducts.com/pr...?subtype_id=19

" Flagstone is no particular kind of rock, flagstone can be any type
of rock that is cut to a square/rectangular geometric (flag)
configuration."

The original usage of 'flagstone' did denote a particular type of
rock, sandstone to be exact. This dates from medieval times, when it
was used both for flooring and roofing material. It is still used
synonymously with sandstone in the UK and Europe. Today, flagstone is
typically used to refer to any kind of layered sedimentary rock that
can be split into flat sheets. Most often it is left in its naturally
quarried shape although it can be cut or shaped into geometric forms,
however that is not a requirement. Manmade flagstones (concrete) are
usually referred to as pavers.

"for geological identification purposes the correct nomenclature is
rock,
not "stone"... a mile stone/grave stone can be any type of rock"

'Stone' is the proper terminology for any type of cut rock - since
flags are cut/split, they are correctly referred to as "stone"; their
geological morphology has nothing to do with it.

"It costs far more to ship perishable foods than rock... because it's
not perishable, fragile, or irreplaceable, rock is probably the least
expensive commodity to ship"

Are you serious??!! Shipping costs are directly related to weight, not
perishability or any other arcane factor. A trailerload of natural
stone costs a bundle to ship cross country, which is why Pennsylvania
bluestone is about double the cost on the west coast as it is in New
England. And vice versa for Colorado or Arizona sandstone. Have you
priced Italian marble lately?? You think it costs the same in Carrara?

And the suitability of many types of flagstone for outdoor usage
depends a lot on its origins - local stones typically weather better
than those from a great distance and the sandstones from the southwest
(Arizona, Colorado, Mexico) are not well-suited to cold, wet winter
climates. They absorb water and develop algae growth and become
exceedingly slippery and icy. The Devonian feldsparic sandstones
native to parts of New England are much better suited to these
climates. Or quartzite.

"Most kids with an aquarium know the different rocks just from
visiting pet shops. "

Do they indeed? Then they must all be little geological prodigies, as
there are some 700 different kinds of igneous rocks, not to mention
all the sedimentary and metamorphic types. Can you ID them all?

"It's really quite simple to determine slate from a picture,
especially in the excellent image offered by the OP
that shows the opulant cleavage that can only indicate slate."

OK, so this is out of chronological order but it offers a fine follow
up to the erroneous information posted previously. I can show you a
dozen different samples of sandstone that look exactly like that
image. In fact, it looks remarkably like a red Arizona sandstone I
have used in a number of jobs, which by the way offers a cleft finish
that's as smooth as a baby's behind!

It is not "obviously" any particular type of stone - it may be slate,
it may be sandstone, it may be quartzite, it may even be limestone.
The only way the OP can be sure of getting a flagstone that looks much
the same as in the photo is to take it to his/her local stoneyard and
pick out what comes closest.

So Sheldon, dearest, before you toss out comments about how obtuse and
ignorant others are, perhaps you'd like to bone up on the topic a bit
yourself.........lest you look as silly as this thread makes you out
to be.