Help - poor quality stone - Laying a patio

[slimsurf]

I read all of the section on yorkstone/laying etc but time is really tight so ordered through someone I found online - they sounded believable I paid £75 a yard and thought I was getting 'cathedral grade' reclaimed yourkstone. Bear in mind I only know yorkstone from looking at it on patios etc. The stuff i have received is cleaving within the slabs and hugely variable in thickness and also does not have a smooth surface at all -- possibly because its dry.
My plan was to lay it myself but I'm working 24/7 and so may have to pay someone to do it as we have a deadline to meet some other work.
SO..
can I send anyone some pics and you tell me if i should cut my losses and buy some new stone its pointless laying it if its going to fail early doors

Is it possible that it just looks rough and grainy because they cleaned it with a pressure washer ?

[lutonlagerlout]

hmmm
wonder what cathederal grade means?

reclaimed yorkstone by its very nature is all different thickness and lengths but most is around 2 feet wide
needs pictures
LLL

[Tony McC]

Probably that it's akin to the sort of stone you see in ruined cathedrals and abbeys.

There is no such thing. It's some marketing bollocks dreamed up by rogue with the express purpose of conning the unfamiliar.

And this tale of woe only helps to underline the risk of buying reclaimed stone, sight unseen, from unknown online sources. There are reputable sources online, but it's always better to see the stuff for yourself because there are too many vagabonds in the reclamation business just at the moment.

Slimsurf - send photies to me: tony AT pavingexpert DOT com

[London Stone Paving]

It would be good to see some pictures.

[slimsurf]

i've emailed some to Tony -- notsure if he can put them up on the site

[Tony McC]

Here you go....

[Tony McC]

....and the rest....

[lutonlagerlout]

nice brogues ,are they grensons?

the stone looks middling,neither really good or really bad

there looks to be some wild variation in thickness which shouldn't be a problem for an experienced installer

its whether the face of the flags is acceptable to you

cheers LLL

[Tony McC]

It looks like yorkstone, but it's not particularly good quality stuff

[slimsurf]

So the question is guys -- I have spent £650 on this stuff - the guys who sold it aren't replying to email
1. should i name and shame
2. is it worth laying
3. should I take the bits that are separating and not lay them and buy replacements (or will i have a big mismatch then thats obvious?)
4. can i polish it in some way when laid

Or do I just buy a new lot
Money is tight to be honest with a small baby and number two on the way but its only worth doing this well once if you ask me and will be difficult to lift and relay in the future as steps are being made at the same time

[Tony McC]

Name and shame. Any supplier should always be willing to stand by their products and if they don't want to be portrayed as supplying shoddy goods, then don't supply shoddy goods!

Some of it may be worth laying, but the thing 'roof tile' stuff and the delaminating flagstones should be set aside.

Polishing is a non-starter.

Have you contacted Trading Standards?

[London Stone Paving]

Its hard to properly asses the quality of the stone from those pictures, but it doesnt look great. For the price you paid you could have expected the quality to be a lot better than that.

1. Its up to you if you name and shame. I am a stone supplier so I know as much as anyone about how the quality of the stone can vary. Whats unaccceptable though here is the the fact that they are not responding to your emails.

2. Hard to say if its worth laying or not as most of the photo are of the sides. As a retail customer you are protected by law and are entitled to cancel your purchase within a 7 day period. So if this 7 day period has not passed I would advise this course of action and then you wont need to lay it

3. You will never be able to match Reclaimed Yorkstone

4. Polishing the surafce is not an option because its a naturally riven surface which is not suitable for polishing.

The cost of the stone is only part of the total cost of the project. There is also labour, material waste etc. this patio is going to be down for a long time so if your really not happy with the stone then I would advise that you dont go ahead with it. You will have to look at it every day and it will annoy the hell out of you

Steve

[slimsurf]

OK i've got an answer phone message back now saying the stone wasn't delaminating when it left his yard

I'm lost with this now -- does anyone have 4.5m2 of beautiful as smooth as possible yorkstone for delivery asap

[London Stone Paving]

They sound like total cowboys to me. If you dont want to name and shame them please could you PM me with the company name as I would like to know for my own reference.

We have got some Yorkstone at our yard near Heathrow. You can look before you buy as well, so you know what your getting.

Steve

[slimsurf]

I will name and shame if I get nowhere -- |I'm still after some new stone unless their is a way to polish up the stone i've got -- the polish cement don't they.