Material choice for family patio

[cobby22]

Hi all,

I'm planning a new 50m sq. family garden patio and I'm after some advice on which material is best suited. Main criteria is as follows:

1. Family friendly
2. Robust and durable enough to cope with abuse from our 3 kids (bikes, scooters etc.)
3. Fairly flat anti-slip surface (not too riven)
4. Modern / clean look
5. Relatively low maintenance
6. Approx. £40 m/sq. budget

The garden is south facing and quite exposed. I'm quite keen on the darker coloured paving such as black/blue limestone, slate and dark granite. I was advised against sawn/smooth sandstone because its too porous, thus not suitable for family use - would you agree?

Based on the above, can anyone recommend or offer any advice on which material would be best suited? Black limestone was a favourite, but I have been slightly put off due to some of the horror stories I've read on here about staining, fading, maintenance etc. - should I be? I like the look of slate but I am concerned about its suitability / durability as a family patio.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks.

[RAPressureWashing]

I'd go for Indian Sandstone, easy to maintain especially with a young family, modern looking Steve from London Stone who's on here can advise on costs etc.

[lutonlagerlout]

hi cobby
^^ as roger says indian sand stone is where its at these days
is the £40 per metre just for the flags/slabs?
http://www.londonstone.co.uk/stone-paving/

there are also some great new paving products from marshalls
I like the wildwood
http://www.marshalls.co.uk/homeowners/view-wildwood-garden-paving

are you in Cambridge itself?

LLL

[cobby22]

hi cobby
^^ as roger says indian sand stone is where its at these days
is the £40 per metre just for the flags/slabs?
http://www.londonstone.co.uk/stone-paving/

there are also some great new paving products from marshalls
I like the wildwood
http://www.marshalls.co.uk/homeowners/view-wildwood-garden-paving

are you in Cambridge itself?

LLL

Thanks for the replies!

Yes £40 m/sq. maximum just for the slabs (although may have to be slightly less to take into account wastage and cuts etc, don't want to spend more than 2k over the 50 sq. metres)

The Wildwood looks nice thanks, however, I think I would prefer to go with a natural stone. I've got some samples from London Stone and other places such as Bannolds in Cambridge, but I'm just terrible at making my mind up!

I'm just 10 mins outside of Cambridge.

[Bec@LondonStone]

Hi Cobby, good news is that there are plenty of materials available within your £40 per sqm budget. The Black Limestone (you can click to see our's here) is a very popular material, £19.98 + VAT, just be aware that it will fade to a grey colour unless you treat it with a colour enhancing sealant. We recommend the Dry Treat 'Enhance Plus' which would need to be applied every 5 years or so, just remember to factor this in if you're wanting to keep the stone really dark. The sealant works out at about £8/m2 + VAT each time you apply it. Don't let the horror stories scare you off necessarily, a lot of our clients like the faded colour, it's just a case of being aware of it before you buy. Otherwise, the Blue Black Slate holds its colour much better, is very low maintenance and is still within your budget. Is it definitely a dark colour you're after? As others have said, the Indian sandstones (especially the Kandla Grey and Raj Green) are great choices for a low maintenance family-friendly garden but aren't as dark as the Black Limestone or slate.

[lutonlagerlout]

went to cambridge saturday had to walk through a field full of cow pats just to get to the ground ???

I would go slate over limestone but its just personal choice

LLL

[London Stone Paving]

The OP also mentioned that they like the idea of dark granite. IMO this would be the best solution as it ticks all the boxes:

1. Dark in colour
2. Very Robust and hard wearing
3. Sawn six sides
4. Well under the budget of £40 per m2

Steve

[cobby22]

Hi Cobby, good news is that there are plenty of materials available within your £40 per sqm budget. The Black Limestone (you can click to see our's here) is a very popular material, £19.98 + VAT, just be aware that it will fade to a grey colour unless you treat it with a colour enhancing sealant. We recommend the Dry Treat 'Enhance Plus' which would need to be applied every 5 years or so, just remember to factor this in if you're wanting to keep the stone really dark. The sealant works out at about £8/m2 + VAT each time you apply it. Don't let the horror stories scare you off necessarily, a lot of our clients like the faded colour, it's just a case of being aware of it before you buy. Otherwise, the Blue Black Slate holds its colour much better, is very low maintenance and is still within your budget. Is it definitely a dark colour you're after? As others have said, the Indian sandstones (especially the Kandla Grey and Raj Green) are great choices for a low maintenance family-friendly garden but aren't as dark as the Black Limestone or slate.

Thanks Bec,

The limestone is defiantly a favourite. Is it essential to seal it for durability, or is it just for visual purposes? I'm not too fused it fading to a grey. I also like the Kota Blue limestone, but was wondering, once the black limestone fades, will it be a similar shade / colour to this?

I do like the Kandla Grey you mentioned, does this require sealing? I think I may have to order a sample of this too!

In regards to slate, I am concerned about it delaminating / deteriorating over time with heavy family use - is this a concern and would you recommend sandstone or limestone over this?

Many thanks!

[cobby22]

The OP also mentioned that they like the idea of dark granite. IMO this would be the best solution as it ticks all the boxes:

1. Dark in colour
2. Very Robust and hard wearing
3. Sawn six sides
4. Well under the budget of £40 per m2

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I do like the blue grey granite, is it the darker of the 2 types you sell? I believe these need sealing which I fear may tip it over my budget! Is this advised?

Many thanks for your advice!

[RAPressureWashing]

Hi Cobby, good news is that there are plenty of materials available within your £40 per sqm budget. The Black Limestone (you can click to see our's here) is a very popular material, £19.98 + VAT, just be aware that it will fade to a grey colour unless you treat it with a colour enhancing sealant. We recommend the Dry Treat 'Enhance Plus' which would need to be applied every 5 years or so, just remember to factor this in if you're wanting to keep the stone really dark. The sealant works out at about £8/m2 + VAT each time you apply it. Don't let the horror stories scare you off necessarily, a lot of our clients like the faded colour, it's just a case of being aware of it before you buy. Otherwise, the Blue Black Slate holds its colour much better, is very low maintenance and is still within your budget. Is it definitely a dark colour you're after? As others have said, the Indian sandstones (especially the Kandla Grey and Raj Green) are great choices for a low maintenance family-friendly garden but aren't as dark as the Black Limestone or slate.

Thanks Bec,

The limestone is defiantly a favourite. Is it essential to seal it for durability, or is it just for visual purposes? I'm not too fused it fading to a grey. I also like the Kota Blue limestone, but was wondering, once the black limestone fades, will it be a similar shade / colour to this?

I do like the Kandla Grey you mentioned, does this require sealing? I think I may have to order a sample of this too!

In regards to slate, I am concerned about it delaminating / deteriorating over time with heavy family use - is this a concern and would you recommend sandstone or limestone over this?

Many thanks!

Cobby, Most natural stone benefits from being sealed (impregnating sealer) and if it is going to get heavy use as you say then you might want to consider doing this, as it will give you a chance with drinks being dropped, bar-b-q fats and the general wear and tear it will get. If you do seal please go for a decent product and don't be tempted by some cheap rubbish as this is where people start to have problems.

[r896neo]

I love kandla grey as its a cracking hard stone which doesn't get as dirty as other sandstones. Its also a little less riven than the softer sandstones.

Limestone will be noticably less riven than the sandstones.

[neatcon]

What jointing material would you recommend for the black limestone or the Kota blue sandstone, can flowpoint be used on the black limestone or will it leave stins the supplier Im dealing with is recommending Fuge.

[London Stone Paving]

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I do like the blue grey granite, is it the darker of the 2 types you sell? I believe these need sealing which I fear may tip it over my budget! Is this advised?

Many thanks for your advice![/quote]
As Roger says, any stone will benefit from being sealed but some benefit more than others.

Blue grey granite is a very hardy, robust stone and as such does not need to be sealed, so you could discount this from your costings.

Blue grey granite is the darker of the 2 granites we supply

Cheers
Steve

[Carberry]

Would steer clear of limestone for family patio, to easy too damage with weak acids.

[RAPressureWashing]

Would steer clear of limestone for family patio, to easy too damage with weak acids.

Carberry
Any natural stone should NOT have any acid near it unless you know which ones to use.