By Tim Barnes, owner of the Landscape Shoppe
Over the years I’ve sourced a lot of wall rock and boulders from many different quarries. It’s sometimes difficult to keep the same source, as quarries will get mined out over time. For now, I’ve settled on these two types: Black Beauty and Washougal.
Black Beauty is a darker basalt, sourced locally in the southern Willamette Valley. It has darker charcoal tones, especially when wet or sealed, and consists of angular shapes. It makes for excellent natural-looking walls and accent boulders.
Washougal is a lighter gray basalt from near Washougal, Washington. We stock both blocky and natural-look boulders in all sizes. The “blocky” are harder to get so the cost is slightly higher. Both types make excellent stackable natural walls.
In my experience, I’ve found the Washougal easier to stack, but I have contractors buying both and making incredible walls out of both these awesome, naturally sourced boulders. We keep a good stock on both and expect to be able to source them for years to come.
How Much to Order We sell by the pound or ton. Because we have an onsite scale you can load as little or as much as you like. Many people will hand load into their car or pickup, but we can load trailers with either a wheel loader or excavator. We do not load boulders into pickups with excavators.
Face Coverage Method (simple for most walls) Coverage: Add 10-20% extra for settling and waste.
- Black Beauty: 12-16 sq ft per ton
- Washougal: 14-18 sq ft per ton
- Tons needed = (Length ft × Height ft) ÷ Coverage per ton
Example: 30 ft long × 3 ft high wall using Washougal (16 sq ft/ton avg) Area = 90 sq ft 90 ÷ 16 = about 5.6 tons (order 6-7 tons)
Volume Method (for thicker walls) Measure: Length (L), Height (H), Average Thickness (T) in ft. Base thickness often 1/3 to 1/2 of height.
Cubic feet = L × H × T Cubic yards = Cubic feet ÷ 27 Tons ≈ Cubic yards × 2.0 (accounts for voids in stack)
Example: Same wall, 1.5 ft avg thickness 180 cu ft ÷ 27 ≈ 6.7 cu yd 6.7 × 2.0 ≈ 13.4 tons (order 14+ tons)
Stop by Landscape Shoppe at 5000 Salem-Dallas Highway NW, in Salem, to see the materials and help you measure your project, or to order. We deliver to Salem and the surrounding area, including: rural Monmouth, Independence, McMinnville, Corvallis, the Oregon Coast, and many other areas in the Willamette Valley.
Questions? Give us a call at: (503) 391-2833, or email us at: info@landscapeshoppe.com