Hello mmartine10! We don't generally recommend the bluestone because it is a highly compacted sandstone: porous and more susceptible to staining. A better option would be any type of Quartz flagstone - much more impervious to staining and moisture.

That was what I was going to suggest. You need something less porous.

No bluestone, please.

This is a whole thread by itself. Natural stones all require maintenance. What is your tolerance for care and maintenance? Climate will also have an important impact on longevity and care. Of course bluestone can be used for this purpose. Just educate yourself on proper installation, care, and expectations. Used it for my own grill countertop area. We keep solid surface boards to collect the mess, as it will stain. But then, we live in the woods and are tolerant of "natural".

It looks very nice. I see that you also used the bluestone for the seating wall. What do you use to seal it? We live in PNW and the grill station will be situated below some trees, mostly conifers. Our backyard will be redone in mortar set bluestone.

Ours is a brushed finish. We just power wash it once a year and (when completely dry) seal it very thoroughly with Miracle 511 Porous Plus. No problem. In the area where we do food prep we cover it with a large stone remnant that we just wipe off and store (but mostly we leave it there).

We are looking at using bluestone on our outdoor kitchen, we need something that can tolerate a lot of heat from a Blackstone flattop. If bluestone is not a good option, what are other stone options that could hold up to the heat from something like a Blackstone? I have read where it can cause granite to actually crack and explode.