Sandstone mint fossil/drain - The side up drain

[zorbas40]

Hi all,have spend so much time in this site it is grate info, i have 2 problems, first i got all the mint fossil slabs 1600 by 600 mm28 in total and i have notice that the the fossil grafics are on the side that has to face the ground.and i will loose all the character of the patio, shall i put them the wrong way up or not?? and the second problem is that the patio is 2 steps lower than the grass area,(house-patio-grass) i have put 40mm drains pipes going into the main drain close to the house but they say that i have to point the slabs for the water to go away from the house what shall i do? Many thanks for our help,

[cookiewales]

Hi all,have spend so much time in this site it is grate info, i have 2 problems, first i got all the mint fossil slabs 1600 by 600 mm28 in total and i have notice that the the fossil grafics are on the side that has to face the ground.and i will loose all the character of the patio, shall i put them the wrong way up or not?? and the second problem is that the patio is 2 steps lower than the grass area,(house-patio-grass) i have put 40mm drains pipes going into the main drain close to the house but they say that i have to point the slabs for the water to go away from the house what shall i do? Many thanks for our help,

wellcome some pictures would help better to swap flags than lay up side down :;): :;):

[London Stone Paving]

Zorbas

In my experience it would be a mistake to lay the slabs upside down just to achieve a cosmetic purpose.

There are two strong reasons for not doing so, both of which WILL be detrimental to the overall finish of the patio:

1. When the edges of these slabs are hand cut with the chisel you will be left with a clean edge where the chisel was struck and a rough edge where the piece has broken away from the back of the slab. If you do opt to lay these slabs upside down you will be left with the rougher edge on display, which as well as looking rough will be a nightmare to point up.

2. These slabs are selected so that one side (in your case the side with no fossils) is flatter, looks better and will be generally easier to lay. If you do lay the stones upside down then expect the surface of your finished patio to be more riven/uneven.

We supply a lot of fossil mint, its one of the most, if not the most popular type of Indian sandstone on the market. Some people really like the fossils and others cant stand them. Anyway, like them or hate them you should not expect to get any more than 30% fossil content on fossil mint slabs. Based on this why not take Cookies advice and go and change some over for slabs with a higher fossil content.

[zorbas40]

hi thanks for your help but the stones are 1200 by 600 and so heavy and the place i got them is 100miles away!! so i have to put it the way you told me what about the drains please???

[London Stone Paving]

The slabs need to be pointed in order to provide a solid surface. The water can then run off this surface to a chosen destination.

If the slabs are not pointed then any surface water will just run between the cracks of the slabs and will not make its way to your drain.

In your case you need too make sure that the paving is laid so that it falls/tilts towards your drains.

[zorbas40]

THANK YOU