Irish stone

[3ps]

Hi,

I have Tobermore tegula for a patio, and I hate it. So many joints and so many weeds.

I do not use chemical weed killers, and will not.

I have been thinking of lifting it and re-purposing them elsewhere... but what to replace them with?

My parents recently had a patio done in Indian Limestone (brown/beige) and I really like it a) it has large flag sizes so less chance for weeds, b) it looks nice and c) the light colour suits my house colour, which will always be light browny/beige/cream.

But! I have a real problem with using a stone that has travelled from the other side of the world. I am based in Dublin.

I have decided to see what else is suitable, and comes from a more local source.

Granite?? it all seems to be Chinese?

There is Irish Limestone, but it is dark.


Is there anything else I should consider? I would not be into using something soft like sandstone.

I would consider a manufactured slab if it looked nice and not 'council' and if it came in large sizes.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[higgness]

Irish options:
Kilkenny Limestone: good stone, not that dark, will fade nicely, can be got in regular sizes, can sometimes take up to 12 weeks for delivery, more than double the price of Indian sandstones.
Liscannor: very dark, very rough looking(in a nice way), masks dirt very well, generally not in regular sizes, very heavy, in or about the same price as Kilkenny, generally only about 2 weeks away.
Donegal quartzite tiles: gold/brown colours, good mix of colours, regular sizes available, should be about 2 weeks, dearer than both above. Also available as crazy paving. I think there may also be a red liscannor crazy paving. Crazy paving will be cheaper.

These are the ones I am aware of.

If you remember the case of a fruit importer who came up against some tax problems, his garlic was coming from China, so I would not be to upset over the stone.

[3ps]

Thanks. I really don't want to ship something from the other side of the world. I don't feel it's "sustainable" but each to their own.
I wasn't aware of Donegal quartz, I am keen on something buff coloured, or yellow quartz. Not keen on crazy paving!

I did see, in Tobermore, 600x600 Mayfair flags which looked like yellow granite (ish) and my wife liked them. I'm guessing they are manufactured in N.Irl. which would be fine.

[lutonlagerlout]

the pub i use on occasion (the phoenix) has a map of ireland and all the stone that comes from each county
there is lots of variety but it will almost certainly cost more than indian or brazilian stuff
LLL

[3ps]

Any idea of what the quartzite retails for roughly?

[r896neo]

I think tobermore only do mayfair in 600x600 for special orders. For joe public the 400x400 is available.

They are nice but get very dirty because of the rough texture they attract moss. Not such an issue if your in full sun with no trees overhanging. Definately a no no for a shady area though.

I think the quartzite is around 45 pounds a metre but that is a vague recolection and not to be taken as right.

Acheson glover make a flag like mayfair that they call terrapave. these also come in a ground smooth finish which is very nice. very contemporary though.

Mcmonagle also do a sawn sandstone which i think is a real donegal stone, not imported. But again its probably pretty spendy

Any flag laid on a mortar bed and pointed with mortar will be infinately easier to keep than tegula.

[London Stone Paving]

McMongale stone do the Donnegal Quartz. Its very nice stuff but from what I can remember only comes in maximum 400mm width.

We import the majority of our stones from overseas but fair play to wanting to buy something local. A lot of people would prefer to buy British (or Irish) but this sentiment soon disappears when they realize that its often 2, 3 or 4 times the price.

[higgness]

Any idea of what the quartzite retails for roughly?

Roughly: €70 to €80 including vat and delivery. You may end up waiting for it as it may not be in stock.

[3ps]

Thanks.

The quartzite sounds expensive!

Actually I went out to Kilsaran at the weekend and saw a manufactured limestone which was very nice indeed, I was very impressed with it. It was listed as EUR30/m2.

I have ~100m2 to do so it all adds up!

I have never really read up on how eco these things are, but I assume that if Kilsaran are manufacturing a fake limestone, then it is done using local materials and not imported?

I don't know if it's better to use a local natural stone or a local manufactured stone.
If both are from Ireland, then the transport costs are equal.
If natural stone... well we are destroying some part of nature.
If manufactured stone... I guess we are using cement, water etc but perhaps it has less of an impact that natural stone???

If I decide to go with a natural stone I have to modify my design to include more raised beds and reduce the m2 of flags needed.... but at the moment I am leaning towards Kilkenny limestone.

[neatcon]

Mcmonagles have a depot beside the Coachmans pub/restaurant at the airport, its in behind the bank thats ther think its Ulster bank!!
Kilsaran have some great products recon Granite pointed with Ardex is an option that you wont have weeds plenty of spacers and your laughing.

[3ps]

Hi neatcon, thanks for that info on the depot as I am very near there.