Help on new patio

[CJF]

Hi

I'm based in the west midlands smethwick and wondered if anyone could help with any of these questions.

1. Good supplier for paving slabs

2.I would like black or grey slabs with a mixture of sizes. Is there a Slab I can buy that does not fade?

3. My garden is quite small is and Im trying to make it look as big as possible. We will have a a patio then all lawn. Is there a better colour to go for to make the garden look bigger.

4. What sort of questions should I ask fitters when quoting for the work.

5. Can anyone recommend any patio fitters in my area.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[lutonlagerlout]

1 www.londonstone.com

2 slate

3 big sizes i.e. 900 by 600 slabs

4 least clutter as possible and clean lines

5 think a brew cabin irregular mick avalon is somewhere in your area
http://www.avalonlandscapes.co.uk/index.htm

cheers LLL

[CJF]

1 www.londonstone.com

2 slate

3 big sizes i.e. 900 by 600 slabs

4 least clutter as possible and clean lines

5 think a brew cabin irregular mick avalon is somewhere in your area
http://www.avalonlandscapes.co.uk/index.htm

cheers LLL

Hi Thanks very much for the quick response.

If I use slate will this have good modern finish? Could it break as I often think that slate is very brittle?

Thanks for the great advice

[Westminster Stone]

Slate can be brittle, but it's usually fairly good these days. Monsoon/twilight is a sandstone product that sounds like it would fit the bill, it is the darkest sandstone available, it doesn't fade and comes in a random size pack, from £26 per sq meter, see images on link: [url=https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=globa ... 15.img.Ase



7oSl3K9M&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.Yms&fp=80d3d49dd2199885&biw=1366&bih=644]https://www.google.co.uk/search?....bih=644[/url]



Edited By Westminster Stone on 1370359745

[lutonlagerlout]

sorry I should have mentioned all the contributors on here





slabs



flags

LLL

[London Stone Paving]

Brazilian slate is the best. Its extremely dense which means its not going to delaminate and it also splits very evenly which gives a nice flat surface, however it does come with a hefty price tag.

Chinese slate is also very dense and you wont have any issues with delamination unless you buy some very poor quality stuff. Chinese slate is not as flat as Brazilian but a lot cheaper.

Indian slate is the one to avoid. Its not very dense and as such will delaminate and chip. Stay well away from it. Its easy to distinguish. It will be cheap as chips and only available in smaller sizes (usually 600x400 and smaller)

The monsoon might not be the best choice if you are looking to achieve a modern finish. A couple of reason for that. Black Indian sandstone is a heavily riven slab which will be better suited to traditional/rustic garden styles. Also it sounds like its only available in random sizes, which again does not lend itself well to a modern garden design

[CJF]

Hello all,

I have looked at some pictures of Brazilian slate and like this a lot. However there does seem some variation in the finish on the slate some look shiny as if its wet and some others have more of a matt finish. There also seems to be some slate with a bumpy surface and some smooth i prefer completely smooth. It would be good to see some Brazilian slate to see if it is right. I can't seem to find anywhere local that stocks it so i can see it. Any ideas where I can see Brazilian slate? I did have a look at the London stone website but I can't see any Brazilian slate it just says blue black paving

[London Stone Paving]

There are not too many companies that sell Brazilian slate due to the cost. But there is a company somewhere that does it at a reasonable price, but I don't know if it's any good.
http://www.tradepricestoneltd.co.uk/brazilian_slate_pavers_and_paving/
I had a look on there and the Brazilian slate is priced almost the same as the Indian slate. I honestly don't have a clue how they can do that because Indian slate should be a lot cheaper than Brazilian

The smooth slate you talk of will have a honed surface. This is not ideal for outdoor use and you really need a riven finish. Brazilian slate is available in a riven finish, so no issue there

[CJF]

There are not too many companies that sell Brazilian slate due to the cost. But there is a company somewhere that does it at a reasonable price, but I don't know if it's any good.
http://www.tradepricestoneltd.co.uk/brazilian_slate_pavers_and_paving/
I had a look on there and the Brazilian slate is priced almost the same as the Indian slate. I honestly don't have a clue how they can do that because Indian slate should be a lot cheaper than Brazilian

The smooth slate you talk of will have a honed surface. This is not ideal for outdoor use and you really need a riven finish. Brazilian slate is available in a riven finish, so no issue there

Hi,

I have found this site very useful but I'm now a bit confused. I really like the grey and black patios with a modern/contemporary finish. However it seems these are prone to problems such as fading or very expensive if you go for Brazillian. Is there any other options I could consider?


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm....2617513

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm....2617513

[lutonlagerlout]

they are tiles dude

10mm thick

little more than large roof tiles

caveat emptor

LLL

[London Stone Paving]

No comment :p on the "tiles"
About the colour fade. Slate does not fade, so its not something you need to worry about. There is nothing to be confused about. You are obviously looking for a dark stone, what is your budget per m2 and I will be able to point you in the right direction

[CJF]

they are tiles dude

10mm thick

little more than large roof tiles

caveat emptor

LLL

Woops just checked my link and posted the wrong one. I had lots of windows open at the time. Those tile im not keen on at all. Mor something like this.

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like....&ff19=0

http://www.google.co.uk/search?....bih=666

[London Stone Paving]

That's Chinese slate. The spec says that its 20-30mm thick, so its ok or use outdoors. The only slight drawback is that I think you have to buy full crates. If you could tailor your design to work round this, then happy days. Otherwise you might end up with lots of leftover stone which defeats the point of getting a good price