Our Outdoor Living Kits are Tumbled- What Does That Mean?

Tags:

We Do NOT Misrepresent our Products

Surface Variation, Weathered Edges & Why Your Kit Might Look “Imperfect” (By Design)

Thinking about one of our outdoor fireplaces or kitchen kits? Here’s what to know about how our concrete blocks look—before you ever open the pallet.

We use solid concrete blocks that are mechanically tumbled to achieve a timeworn, rustic look. This gives our kits their signature character—more like stone, less like concrete blocks. The process creates variation, chips, rounded corners, and surface texture that help the structure blend beautifully into a landscape.

Here’s what to expect from every kit:

  • Rounded edges and worn corners (intentionally distressed—not damaged)
  • Color and texture variation across different blocks
  • Some scuffs or surface chips—again, part of the aesthetic
  • Solid structural integrity behind the weathered exterior
  • Extra blocks included in every kit to account for visual preferences or minor damage
  • No-hassle replacement of any truly broken or unusable blocks (which is rare)

We encourage you to rotate or reposition blocks as you build to get the look you want. You’ll likely have enough flexibility to swap in your favorites and set aside any with edges or faces you’d prefer to hide.

We Don’t Hide the Imperfections—We Highlight Them

We believe in showing exactly what you’re getting. If you look closely at our product galleries, you’ll see we don’t crop out chipped edges or scuffed corners—we actually leave them in plain sight. In fact, we’ve even circled and highlighted those weathered blocks in several of our photos to make it crystal clear: this is what a tumbled block looks like, and this is exactly what you’re getting.

We do that on purpose—because the last thing we want is a customer surprised by something that’s actually a feature, not a flaw.

We’ve spent years refining these kits, and we’ve made a conscious choice to keep the photography honest. No filters. Just real kits, real materials, and real surface detail you’ll actually see when you unpack your pallet.

If you ever have a question about what’s shown—reach out. We’ll show you exactly where it appears in our product photos.

What it’s not:

  • A perfectly smooth or uniform block
  • A faux-stone veneer or modular panel system
  • A “clean face” paver product or architectural block

If you’re looking for clean edges and pristine surfaces, tumbled block may not be the right aesthetic. But if you’re after something timeless, grounded, and hand-built in appearance, you’ll love it.

No Gimmicks. No Surprises. Just Real Materials.

We work hard to accurately represent our products across our site. Every swatch photo, texture close-up, and lifestyle image is chosen to set honest expectations. If you ever have concerns after delivery, just reach out—we’re here to help, and we stand by the quality of our kits.

What about the photos? Renders vs. Real Builds

All of our product pages feature real photos of completed builds, but with over 750 possible fireplace configurations, it’s not possible to photograph every single layout. To show scale, layout options, and combined configurations, we also use highly realistic 3D renderings. These are designed to help you plan and envision the possible configurations—but they may under or over-exaggerate the “worn” effect slightly due to the way digital rendering emphasizes edge radius and lighting. This is also true of photographs.

  • render image circles
    There are imperfections shown in renders.
  • The real blocks fit together tighter than the render
  • Garden Folly Window nook remnant corner.
    We strive for realism

If you’re ever unsure whether something is a render or a real photo, just ask—we’re happy to show real examples.

Related Posts

Scroll to Top