How to Install a Bluestone Landing on a Front Entry | This Old House

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook upgrades an old brick landing on a front entry with bluestone slabs. (See below for a shopping list and tools.) SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse Roger helped a homeowner repair and improve an old set of front steps. The steps were made up of bricks and flagstone. Over time, some of the bricks and stones had popped loose, creating a safety hazard and an eyesore. To repair the steps and make them more attractive, Roger decided to remove the flagstone pieces and replace them with three large pieces of bluestone. First, they carefully removed the flagstone with a hammer and chisel. Once the stones were removed, Roger removed two old layers of mortar using an electric rotary hammer and chisel, exposing a concrete base underneath. Roger then mixed up new mortar in a wheelbarrow and applied a “bonding agent” to the bottom of the new bluestone. He then applied a new bed of mortar over the concrete base and laid the bluestone, bringing the top of it flush with the surrounding brick. Once the bluestone was in place, Roger mixed up another batch of mortar, which he packed into the joints. Finally, he replaced a few loose bricks and the installation was complete. Shopping List for Installing a Bluestone Landing on a Front Entry: thermal bluestone slabs mortar [https://amzn.to/3037kSL] bonding agent [https://amzn.to/30fWuIS] latex additive [https://amzn.to/2OawnNd] Tools List for Installing a Bluestone Landing on a Front Entry: brick chisel and 3-pound sledge [https://amzn.to/2OaaQEr] rotary hammer [https://amzn.to/2LEmhCM] with chisel bit [https://amzn.to/2LEmztm] square-blade shovel [https://amzn.to/30cIKiX] wheelbarrow [https://amzn.to/2ObKIJs] wide stiff-bristle brush [https://amzn.to/32R04a1] sponge [https://amzn.to/2ObMdac] 3-inch paintbrush [https://amzn.to/30tC23h] pointed brick trowels [https://amzn.to/2O9nOSQ] rubber mallet [https://amzn.to/32TOFXi] 1/2-inch jointing tool [https://amzn.to/32PjkF5] Resources: Mortar Mix: Quikrete [https://www.quikrete.com/] Bluestone cut-to-size: Martignetti Enterprises [https://martignetti.us/] Bonding Agent: Bond All Exterior Mortar Additive: Add Mix-21 Umaco, Inc. [http://www.umaco.com/] About Ask This Old House TV: Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House INSIDER to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pages/st... Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseWebsite How to Install a Bluestone Landing on a Front Entry | This Old House    / thisoldhouse