Sandstone Paving Slabs
Transform your garden or patio with the medley of natural colours and tones found within our sandstone slabs. This choice of garden paving offers the charm and appeal that only Indian stone can offer. With beautiful variations in colour throughout, each paver features its own unique tones formed naturally over thousands of years, promising your garden a finish filled with character! Choose from our popular riven surface textures or a smooth, sawn & honed option to find the right style of garden paving for you. Natural sandstone paving will stand the test of time even in harsh weather and is suited to the British climate that will last for decades. All of our products are designed for exterior use and riven surface textures will help to retain extra grip underfoot. Our sandstone paving slabs are also frost-resistant, helping to keep your paving looking its best all year round!
Riven or Sawn & Honed? What’s the difference?
A riven surface is created naturally when the stone is split along its layers, providing a truly authentic finish. This process leaves beautiful natural variations in texture throughout the surface of each slab, meaning that no paver is exactly the same, one of the main appeals of Riven Sandstone Paving. Each riven slab features hand-dressed edges which add to the natural, organic look and feel of paving to create a timeless appeal to any traditional design. This style of Indian stone paving is suited to traditional settings and is a great alternative to Yorkstone, whilst also working out to be less expensive!
Tumbled paving is treated by passing the slabs through a slowly rotating drum. This process smoothes off the edges, corners and surface of the slab to give the stone a slightly aged look that will blend seamlessly into any space as if it had already been there for years. When tumbling a riven stone, the variations in the surface texture of the slabs remain but any harsh variations are smoothed off, resulting in a lightly riven texture that is much smoother to the touch and giving the stone a long-established appearance. Tumbled paving is perfect for a traditional patio design with the slightly worn effect adding to the character of the space. The process of tumbling the slabs will also make them less porous, so the stone will not absorb as much water, or any other liquids for that matter, making them much easier to maintain and less susceptible to staining!
Sawn sandstone is sawn straight off the block rather than being split naturally. The sawn slabs are then cut down to size and the top surface is honed or sandblasted, creating a smooth finish with a slight sheen. Our Smooth Sandstone Paving is sawn on all 6 sides, meaning that the 4 edges are also straight and machine-cut with a smooth finish to complete the contemporary look. Sawn sandstone paving offers an entirely different appeal to riven sandstone and features more pronounced patterns and colours. Our sawn sandstone has a level of natural slip resistance and, as long as the paving is maintained, the stone will retain its grip underfoot. We advise taking the usual care and precautions when walking on the slabs when wet, but the slabs are not known to be slippery and are designed specifically for outdoor use.
Shot blasting is a technique used to produce a slightly rough texture to the surface of the stone by peppering the top surface of a sawn sandstone with shots of small steel beads at high velocity. This removes a fine layer from the stone and adds an even degree of texturing across the surface of the slabs leaving a finish that still offers a flat paving option, but with a slightly worn look which gives the stone a little extra character, as well as added grip underfoot.
Sandstone Paving Colours
Indian stone paving is available in a wide range of colours ranging from the neutral cream or grey tones in our Sawn Mint and Kandla Grey Sandstone to the range of earthy browns and greens in our Autumn Brown and Raj Green Sandstone. If you’re looking for something a little more vibrant, Rippon Buff and Rainbow Sandstone feature some more eye-catching colours and our Fossil Mint Sandstone offers beautiful natural fossil detailing, formed over thousands of years! For more information on each style, read our Quick Guide To Indian Sandstone Paving Colours!
Sealing Sandstone Paving
It’s generally advised to seal a sandstone patio to help prevent staining, as well as preventing the growth of any moss or algae. You may want to consider sealing your slabs if your stone is light in colour, as any stains will be more visible, but sealing is not compulsory and there are plenty of options that will provide various results. Some sealants will simply seal and protect, whereas others can even be used to enhance the colour of your slabs. Sealing sandstone paving will also help to protect against other general wear such as fading which can sometimes occur over long periods. As for when to apply a sealer, there are no specific guidelines and most landscapers will have their own tried and tested methods. Some people choose to seal their paving slabs before laying to prevent any staining during the laying process and others prefer to leave their stone unsealed for up to a year, allowing the sandstone to weather naturally first. To find out what is best for you, we always advise speaking to a local tradesperson who will be able to assess the needs of your project. You can find out more about Sealing Paving Slabs on our blog!
What is Calibrated Sandstone Paving?
The term ‘Calibrated’ means that the slabs have been cut to a consistent thickness. Calibrated sandstone paving is easier to lay than a non-calibrated stone as it eliminates any large variations in thickness between each slab, removing the need to take this into consideration during the laying process. Our Riven Sandstone Paving is calibrated to 22mm and our Sawn Sandstone is calibrated to 20mm and an allowance should be made for +/- 5mm.
From The Blog
Find out more about Indian Sandstone Paving and discover the full range of options available to you, as well as the different benefits of each!
Order A Sample
With so many options, it can be hard to come to a decision on which styles of Indian Sandstone slabs to choose for your project. This is why we offer our customers FREE Samples, allowing you to see and feel the stone before ordering so you can be sure you are making the right choice! Our sample service will allow you to see an example of some of the textures and tones within our paving and you’ll be able to see some great examples of some of the natural variations that you’re likely to see within the stone on each product page.
Contact Us Today
If you have any questions or would like a quote, one of our experts would be happy to help! Speak to a member of our team on 01206 700 599, or email us at [email protected].
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