The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:38 am**

We are looking to lay a new patio, and would like smoother finish than our current riven concrete slabs.

Ideally we would prefer sawn sandstone, but these retail at over Â£50/m2, and needing 100m2 in total this is beyond our budget.

Slate paving appears to have a less riven appearance and can be bought for between Â£25 to Â£35m2 (non Welsh slate)

I suppose my question is there anything to be wary of regarding slate paving, obviously it needs to be at least 20mm thick, but anything else to watch out for?

Thanks in advance

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:03 pm**

Slate

There are a couple of things to consider with slate. It is liable to scratch and unlike sandstone for example the scratch will not weather out as quickly.

Slate is also not as porous as other types of natural stone so at the very least it needs to be laid on a wetter mix in order for it to bond properly. I imagine that most of the experienced contractors who use this site would further recommend a bond bridge but I am not sure of the exact requirements for this. If you upload a post about bond bridges for slate then I am sure you will get some sound advice from the regulars.

Limestone

Have you considered limestone? We supply a few different types of limestone. Even though the surface of these limestones are naturally riven the physical characteristics of the stone mean thay they split evenly. Certainly more so than slate. Cheaper too.

Sawn Sandstone

We supply sawn sandstone from Â£34 + VAT per m2. So no need to spend Â£50m2. The website address is at the bottom of the page if you are interested