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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:17 pm
by Tony McC
lutonlagerlout wrote:for some insane reason every BM in the country stock geosh*t
LLL
Because it's now being proliferated by a company with a wide range of building chemicals. Most of the national BMs have a buying arrangement with this particular company, so they end up taking in the geo-fux as part of a package.
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:22 pm
by Tony McC
danstan wrote:I have had actual Indian suppliers who visit us on a regular basis tell me that the Rainbow and Teak sandstone are only suitable internally - too porous!
And even internally, it needs rigorous sealing as it's a bugger for staining.
The Rainbow, if it doesn't make you feel seasick, abrades very heavily in regularly trafficked areas. I looked at a kitchen floor in Wilmslow over the summer. Rainbow from a reputable suppliers been down for 18 months and you can see a wear track between sink and fridge - I measured it at 3-5mm average!
Naturally, the supplier is claiming it was an 'exceptional batch of softer stone that somehow slipped through our rigorous quality control' (I think he's called Nigel) and has offered replacement stone but nowt towards installation costs.
It's an ongoing case.....
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:30 pm
by London Stone Paving
Those three stones are all soft. Chocolate & rainbow is often used for spheres and handicrafts etc.
You will probarbly see more of it over the next few years but I dont believe it will take off.
The colours are interesting but in my humble opinion are too busy and not particuarly attractive
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:05 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i concur
when i did my granite worktops at home i was offered all sorts of pavement pizza,in the end went for nero impala===> plain black
i imagine that teak etc might look good in a feature piece some place
LLL
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:48 am
by danstan
The Rainbow Spheres as London Paving talked about are still very popular. We have stocked these for many years.
Check out bartonfields.co.uk then click on water features in outdoor living in the left hand side categories to see a 60cm drilled sphere in Rainbow colour.
Nice as part of a garden design..
One of the negatives is as has been talked about...because the stone is soft, it attracts Lichen etc and is a problem to try and keep clean.
We now have similar coloured spheres in a polished marble. The polished surface works better as a water feature and keeps nice and clean due to the fact the green algae etc cannot adhere to the polished surface.
I'll try and get a couple images up.
Very heavy but a range of different sizes.
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:55 am
by London Stone Paving
Dont get me wrong Dan
As a feature like a sphere I can understand the novelty and the attraction with a colour such as rainbow.
But for a 40m2 patio?
It would be so ugly it would be like a modern art masterpiece !!!
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 1:17 pm
by danstan
I do agree... a complete patio in rainbow wouldn't be my choice, too much going on.. like Luton says... a feature within a patio perhaps.
The flags do get a lot of attention from punters however.. we have some samples etc
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 1:49 pm
by London Stone Paving
I have just checked out your website. Your based in Burton. I'm from Stoke myself originally.
How is business for you guys up in the midlands?
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:30 pm
by danstan
Stoke..salt of the earth..always seem nice genuine people when we have customers from Stoke
Business generally decent in a quickly changing market... shame about the natural stone paving market and how the product we all should be making money on has been de-valued to death.
I think a combination of good service & advice, good product displays and a good range generally help you stand out from the nationals etc
Our centre was established about 10 years ago after 28 years in the block paving trade (contracting - mainly domestic). It was my father who wanted to establish a centre to offer perspective customers the chance to come and physically look at paving displays and walk around a garden environmnent - and help sell the whole package..water features, dec aggs, arches ...the lot. This was before many builders merchants and garden centres realised the benefits and potential of garden and paving displays. We then stopped the contracting altogether as we were to busy on the supply only, plus we had had enough (occasionally come out of retirement for friends etc - check out the natural stone paving driveway on the natural paving section of the NEWS page - titled stone block paving i think). Now ofcourse, things all changing again, the way seems to be online.
How about yourself?
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:41 pm
by lutonlagerlout
is there anyone on these forums apart from myself and digdugdan who isnt a northerner originally? 
the same thing has happened with natural stone as happened to upvc windows and conservatorys
back in 1985 upvc window fitters were getting £40 a window
guess what they get now?
yep £40 a window,because everyman and his dog makes windows now
i used to build 5-6 conservatory bases a year for a local window company, about £2.5-5k a base
now they have a bloke does them for £1500
are the footing 600 deep?
is there insulation?
corners must be cut to do them that cheap
i feel for you stone suppliers when folk come in ,browse,ask questions, then expect you to match an online price for someone who stores them in his garage
LLL
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:13 pm
by London Stone Paving
Someone told me the streets were paved with gold in the south, thats one of the main reasons we moved down here.
Turns out there paved with Indian Sandstone lol
Its exactly the same in any business though Tony, yours just as much as ours. Its all because of globalisation and the internet. The world is now wide open. You wont here any complaints from me about it though. If your good at what you do then you shouldn't struggle too much.
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:37 pm
by lutonlagerlout
yes i agree totally ,move with the times or get left behind
i squirted in 7 bags of your easipoint the other week,its so much more convenient when you can just go and buy it rather than have to order it in
thing is though,if you have a yard/display/showroom and the associated costs
how can you compete against joe bloggs and his container of snide stone on ebay?
LLL
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:18 pm
by ispaving
eBay link
£14/m2!!
That is cheap!
Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1285787839
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:03 pm
by lutonlagerlout
is that you then ispaving?
I like your webby but i note no landline or trading address,this would put me off dealing with you TBH
from various websearches i have you down as nw london but personally i like to be able to go and feel stone and look at it
no offence intended
cheers LLL
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:06 pm
by mickg
you beat me too it Luton, I thought the same way
on the website there are no contact detail like an address and the phone is a mobile number
the link posted to ebay has another website details and different phone number
thats not good