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Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:10 am
by LouiseB
Hi
Please could any of you helpful people advise me about what type of slabs I should be looking at for my front garden parking space.
I've got some lovely indian sandstone paving in the back garden and would probably like to do the same out front, but is this suitable for driving on? When I asked my potential builder he was a bit vague (which kind of worries me a bit too!).
Have seen some mixed sizes indian sandstone paving on Ebay which seems really good value, it's 25-35mm thick. Would this be okay for driving on?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Louise
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:10 pm
by haggistini
big no no there Lou .he's right to be vauge! sandstone setts are more the thing your after but pricey
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:19 pm
by DNgroundworks
It can be done, i have done it in the past all be it reluctantly laid directly into mass bed readymix concrete and used a bond bridge of sbr and cement, there still down today no probs.
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:23 pm
by lutonlagerlout
^^ what they said louise, but if you are in london==> soft clay then block paving is eminently more suitable
cheers LLL 
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:28 pm
by Bob_A
I reckon buying from ebay could be risky.
Don't get me wrong I reckon there are probably some good quality bargains to be had on ebay but equally you could end up with a load of tosh.
As for using them on drives well I'm not qualified to answer that but from what I've read on here it's generally it's a no.
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:31 pm
by DNgroundworks
Well not a complete no..... just if its done properly then maybe, otherwise then its a no 
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:44 pm
by LouiseB
Thanks guys, I asked the company on Ebay and they said they would be okay because they're more than 30mm thick, but then I guess they prob would say that because they want the sale.
I think I was trying to come at it from a cost point of view, knowing setts would be more expensive, but then if there's a risk that paving would crack then I'd rather spend the extra money and do it properly.
Now, any advice on finding the best people to do the job in SE London? Any recommendations would be really welcome.
Thanks again!
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:00 pm
by haggistini
theer is a contractors list on the main site lou have a butchers 
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:02 pm
by local patios and driveway
louise, i would agree with DNgroundworks, it can be done if its over engineered, but this always comes at a price. ive seen it done a few times in the past and it was a state after a few weeks. you may as well spend less money on having something more suitable, we would be happy to give you a price, but if you are looking for the cheapest quote we are not the firm to try. we tend to be middle money
Dan
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:29 pm
by ken
I laid an Indian sandstone drive in Warrington a few years back, after the gaffer recommended me to the client. From memory the specification was, 150mm type 1, and flags laid directly onto 200mm of c20 strength concrete brought in by a local ready-mix company. And pointed in sand/cement at 3:1. The installation cost was around £200 pm2 I have never heard from the client since, so it still must be all in place.
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:58 pm
by lutonlagerlout
I have done a couple on 100 of leanmix,but not happy at all
if you want it too last real setts or block paving are the way forward
and ask yourself
why is the cheapest quote the cheapest?
LLL
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:25 pm
by Suggers
My question would be, what's it going to look like in about 5 yrs - my guess is pretty rough. Does power steering, not leave black rubber on the sandstone ?
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:32 pm
by ken
The color of the stone I used is call antique, same as Marshalls heritage Calder brown, for that reason tire scrub wouldn’t be very noticeable.
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 8:46 pm
by ispaving
A few of my customers bought some 25mm calibrated paving for use on a driveway. The contractor laid it onto a concrete base. The stone is still in good nick. It can be done, but make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing.
Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 9:38 pm
by lutonlagerlout
the phrase "asking for trouble springs to mind"
LLL ???