1. I have 3 tons of expensive blue stone in my backyard.
2. I hate the color.
3. It is not returnable.
4. I screwed up when picking it out. All my fault.
5. I am now investigating ways to try and stain it enough that I am okay with the color. Will try iron sulfate first. Not sure what after that.
Did you try crying on the phone? Crying at the quarry? Crying sometimes helps.
Maybe you are wrong. Sometimes if you add the accessories what you think is terrible could be a nice background. Like hanging the pictures and putting in the furniture and plants and pretty pots maybe?
Perhaps look for a picture of a designer yard that uses blue stone and see it in a new light.
I have cried at the guy who talked me into it, and at my poor husband who deserves a medal for putting up with me through all this. Last weekend every time I looked at back at it all I could do was cry.
I’ve been searching for images and looking at pictures but so far, I’m still just feeling like crap about it all.
It’s so much easier when you can just repaint a wall.
I, too, wonder if it might look better once you have plants in there. I feel your pain, though. I’m normally very good at that stuff but have created a kitchen that looks like something out of a zombie movie once the sun goes down. Sorry you’re having to deal with this. Is it possible to charge the blue stones to AT&T?
I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m still checking into the staining though.
LOL on the zombie kitchen. the previous owner put in a PINK countertop which makes me cringe every day but a kitchen remodel is out of my budget.
See my further explanation in the comment below.
LOL on charging it to AT&T.
Bluestone is beautiful– how bad can it be?
🙁
It’s really blue. And very light blue gray. And it looks like a sea of cement. I was rushed and stupidly thought that the dust from the rockyard would wash off and then it would be a darker gray than it is. I should have gone with the lilac blue stone which was a much darker.
Our yard is so tiny (56′ long by about 25′ deep) that it really looks a lot like cement….not super earthy like we had hoped.
Can you put some herbs in between the stones to soften it up? Or maybe a colored pea stone?
That’s what I was going to suggest–adding another stone to mix in that will bring out the actual color you want?
So sorry. I’ve done stuff like this too. I bet it will all work out. 🙂
Yes, that’s what I will do on the sideyard but it won’t help enough to use the rock in the rest of the yard. I just plain goofed.
I might try a small rock wall out of it – less in my face going vertical.
Whoops – me forgetting to log in.
Sorry that happened. We’ve ALL made those rushed decisions. It’s so annoying especially when one is so excited about making changes.
Maybe someone on Craigslist (or Ebay) would be interested in either buying them, or bartering for something else you may need or want (like a less pink sink?) I’ve had great luck with auction sites.
Just a thought.
It’s close to three TONS of rock so it would have to be local. I may try some concrete stain to see if I can live with it a bit more.
I don’t know what to say except sorry and suggest Craigslist.
Thanks.
Yikes. Sorry that they are non-returnable. Treat them as lemons and make lemonade.
Happy almost birthday!
thank you! and yes, I’m trying for some lemonade.
🙂
Hi Susan –
I’ve been following your landscaping and I like the suggestions such as mixing in w/ plants, other stones (darker blue), Craigslist, etc.
I’m trying to picture the shade of blue – is it fitting for a Mediterranean color scheme? I remember choosing Key West colors and painted my old study, and it was more like a “swallow you into the abyss” blue. Uninspiring and the blue was on all four walls, I couldn’t get away from it. 🙂
Well, my friend, here’s a Cake and Birthday Wishes to you….
Thanks for the cute video and the support.
I really think I’m going to try some concrete stain. The iron sulfate didn’t work but something else might.
Happy Birthday!
In hopes of sidetracking you however briefly from your blue rock crises I would like to send you HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES! Still nifty at fifty comes to mind… I hope you have a great birthday! In regards to the blue rock thing, I know you or your many friends in the blogosphere will come up with something. A former coworker had a similar problem a few years back and his yard really turned out great. I don’t know what he did to the rock to change the color but I will contact him and find out.
GOOD LUCK! (And again, Happy Birthday!)
Fred (Higgins)
Re: Happy Birthday!
Hey, thanks for the good wishes, Fred! Come back and see my birthday request in another post. I’d love to have you add to it for me.
And do let me know what your friend did. I’m still doing the battle of blue rock.