oolite pavers in an outdoor walkway

Oolite Paver Specifications:

Suggested applications include stone patios, walkways, pond rock, stone veneer, and stacked stone walls.
Size & Thickness – Custom Sizes Available
Sold by the cubic foot, square foot, and per piece

Oolite pavers have long been a favorite for outdoor designs and light, airy stone structures. Oolite is a type of coral stone that uses the natural forces and appearance of the ocean to shape beach-inspired architecture. If you are looking for oolite design ideas or the perfect oolite for a project, Epic Stoneworks can connect you with beautiful Oolite Stone and professional installation.

What is an Oolite Paver?

Oolite pavers are made from a coral-type sedimentary rock occurring in the ocean and on certain shores like South Florida. This stone has layers of seashells, coral, and oceanic life fossilized into rock. Oolite is a specific type of coral stone where ooids – round calcium deposits – make a random pattern of impressions through the stone. These ooids are formed by mineral precipitation in warm coastal waters. The ocean’s constant motion over the forming stone causes it to form a wave-like appearance of its own.

Oolite pavers are a popular choice for indoor and outdoor installations, including pillars, floors, the stone base for metal fencing, and to create a beach-rustic look around the pool.

oolite pavers used in a patio flooring design

The Key Features of Oolite Paving Stones

Oolite pavers are something you learn to recognize when you see them. It has a signature look and texture, but it also shares some key features that help to set oolite pavers apart from other rest.

Coral-Like Appearance

Oolite is called a coral stone for two reasons. First, it is made of calcium deposits, most likely secreted by coral. Second, it looks like coral with its rounded, porous design. Where marble would have grains, oolite has endless ooid bubbles. It was formed by thousands of years of mineral deposits, oceanic movement, and pressure. 

White or Gold Uniform Color

Oolite tends to be all one color for each deposit. This “capstone” (near the surface to 30 feet below) is typically white or cream-colored. However, some deposits of Oolite stone have been found to represent a more golden shade. The Hemingway limestone slab below the oolite will share its shade.

Lightweight and Porous

Oolite stone pavers are great because thin-cut oolite stone is excellent for paving, cladding, and veneers due to its lightweight. It will also wash easily and dry quickly due to its porous nature but should be sealed when used in Florida and other humid spaces.

May Include Shells and Fossils

However, the most interesting feature of oolite stone is that it might include a few fossils. Coral stone often includes fossilized coral and aquatic life or may wrap around a fallen seashell over time. 

Best Uses for Oolite Pavers in Your Home

Oolite pavers are extremely versatile. They’re sturdy and porous, making them ideal for construction and humid climates like its native region, Florida. There are many great uses for oolite, and you will see it all over the place, from the famous Coral Gables to the buildings in local parks. It can be used as flooring cladding, fencing, and landscaping, to name a few.

Utilizing Oolite Wall Veneers

Oolite creates a beautiful, natural texture for any wall; you don’t have to rebuild your wall to add oolite. In addition to being used as a paving stone, this porous stone can be cut thin and used as coral stone wall veneers very easily and beautifully. The porous nature makes these stones lightweight, therefore, easier to work with while building a luxurious indoor or outdoor space.

When it comes to textures walls, oolite stone also stands out as safer for hands because the texture “Falls into” the spaces instead of protruding out like aggregate rough walls.

Oolite Block Walls

Oolite stone block is thicker than veneer and is most often used in landscaping and the construction of outdoor structures like pavilions and pool houses. Oolite is great for shore and lawn retention stones because it handles moisture aptly and is native to the ocean. Oolite block is used for paving stones, planter beds, and attractive retaining walls.

Shop the Best Selection of Natural Oolite Pavers in Florida

Epic Stoneworks has the selection you need if you are looking for oolite paver installation or to source new oolite pavers for your garden. As a natural Floridian stone company, we also have some of the best selection of natural stone pavers harvested from South Florida beaches as well as our quarry

Oolite stone is a beautiful choice for your pavers. Still, whether you seek oolite stone pavers or a complete poolside redesign with oolite stone structures, you can count on Epic Stoneworks to ensure your vision is realized through our professional masonry services. Contact us today to consult on your plans or questions regarding oolite stone installation.

Image Credit to Tupungato