Philly Cobblestones

When you remodel with Philly Cobblestones, let’s face it, you are actually bringing a piece of our countries heritage into your home. Just the thought of using materials that were used centuries ago along the streets of Philadelphia should make this stone material at least a choice that should be considered when it comes time to redo a kitchen or maybe a walkway or drive.

My staff and I here at Thin Stone Veneer years ago recognized the importance of saving this unique building material as the city of Philadelphia began modernizing many of the roads and streets that Philly Cobblestones were used on. Sadly, it was inevitable. As the old saying goes “progress marches on!” With that said, we set out to work with the local paving contractors to harvest as many of the Philly Cobblestones as we possibly could. It just didn’t seem right to watch part of our history end up as a landfill, wouldn’t you agree?

The Elegance Of Philly Cobblestones

Needless to say, adding antique Philly Cobblestones to our product line was a natural fit. For one, the rich buff colors and tones of grey are suitable to just about any decorating scheme that you could possibly think of. Not to mention the sophisticated elegance when your project is finished! Then you have the various sizes of the stones that can range anywhere from 5 inches to 12 inches long with an average width of just about 4 inches. Think about all the wonderful wall or floor patterns that you could create with this variety! It definitely should get your creative juices flowing because the possibilities are almost endless.

Now you might be asking “Wait..how do I use Philly Cobblestones on a wall, aren’t they just for use in driveways and stuff?” You’re actually not the first person to ask us that question. And just so you know, you are partially correct with that question. We have many customers who use the full-size cobblestones to make a unique driveway or maybe an accent path that surrounds a beautiful garden. But we also have a great many customers who take advantage of our technology here at Thin Stone Veneer.

We use our advanced methods to cut these Philly Cobblestones to be used for interior floor projects and also for use in thin stone veneer wall applications. Once again, that’s why we thought this unique stone would be such a great compliment to our already outstanding product line.

The Romantic History Of Philly Cobblestones

When you finally do make the decision to use Philly cobblestones for your next remodeling project, knowing a little bit about their history may end up being something that you’re glad you know. In the mid 1700′s, these cobbles were put into the holds of merchant ships that would sail from Europe to America carrying goods and people seeking a new way of life. Their main purpose was to stabilize the large ships as they made the Atlantic crossing. Sometimes a very hazardous journey. Upon arrival to the port of Philadelphia, these cobbles were then offloaded and used in the construction of the roads throughout the city. Most of the work in laying these granite cobbles was done by Italian immigrants who were skilled masons and quite frankly it showed in the final product as there are still many streets in the older sections of Philly that still have the cobblestones from over 250 years ago.

Now when I say romantic, here is what I mean. Just imagine for a moment you’ve redone your kitchen floor in Philly Cobblestones and you and your friends are enjoying a cup of coffee or tea. Now someone makes a comment about your new floor. Imagine telling them that these might be the same Philly Cobblestones that Thomas Jefferson walked across on his way to Independence Hall or quite possible these same cobbles passed under Benjamin Franklin’s feet as he made his way to the house of Betsy Ross. As I said, history at times can be quite romantic.

Going Green With Philly Cobblestones

Another factor that you should consider if you are thinking about using Philly Cobblestones is that you are using a building material that is 100 percent recycled. But going green needs to be taken just a step further, especially when you start thinking about using these cobbles for interior projects. For example, if you use these cobbles on wall projects, you actually are adding another layer of insulation to the room. Since these are granite, they will also retain room heat! Now, we don’t promise anything, but it just seems to make common sense that it won’t take as much of your resources to keep the room heated. Right?

So if you want a totally natural building product, one that carries a delicious bit of history with it, then you should take a look at what these unique Philly Cobblestones have to offer.

If you need help in any way when choosing exactly what product will work best for you, we are only a phone call away. Need help in determining how much material you need? Not a problem. Need help in finding a local contractor that is trustworthy? Easy enough done as we keep an up-to-date database of contractors in your area. All you have to do is call us. And who knows, you may choose the historical and distinguished beauty of our unique Philly Cobblestones!