Stone Selection
Choosing Local Stone for Canadian Landscapes
A region-by-region look at the most available native stone types — fieldstone from Ontario's Shield, prairie sandstone, B.C. granite — and what each is suited for in the garden.
Stone Craftsmanship · Canada
Working with the Stone Beneath Your Feet
Straightforward guidance on selecting, cutting, and placing local Canadian stone — for garden walls, pathways, and modest landscape structures built to last decades.
6+
Distinct stone types commonly used across Canadian provinces
3
In-depth technique guides covering selection, cutting, and laying
40°C
Temperature range Canadian stone structures must tolerate — from prairie winters to summer highs
Articles
Stone Craft Guides
Wall Building
Dry Stone Wall Building Techniques
Step-by-step method for laying a stable dry stone wall without mortar — from preparing the base trench and selecting coursing stones to tying bonders and capping.
Stone Cutting
Cutting and Shaping Natural Stone
How to score, split, and trim fieldstone and flagstone using hand chisels, angle grinders, and diamond blades — with notes on safety and dust management.
About This Site
What This Site Covers
Craft and Stone focuses on the craft of working with natural stone found across Canada. The guides here cover three main tasks: identifying and sourcing local material, cutting and shaping it to fit, and placing it correctly so structures hold through freeze–thaw cycles.
The content is written for property owners, amateur builders, and anyone curious about traditional stonework. It draws on publicly available guidance from sources including the Dry Stone Walling Association and technical publications from the National Research Council Canada.
About this project