The finished barrier must finish approximately 20mm up from the bottom of the header course, thus creating a ‘lip’. This forms a restraint, stopping paving from spreading
When it comes to selecting the right patio paving for your garden, the material, size and colour of your paving slabs are all key features to think about from an early stage. This patio paving buying guide takes you through these considerations, but also lifts the lid on some less obvious criteria that could inform your purchase decision.
As you consider your options, the first decision to make is which type of patio paving to go for. There are three main patio paving materials used in the UK: concrete, natural stone and porcelain paving slabs.
Concrete paving slabs are man-made. They’re produced by mixing cement with aggregates and pigments, which is either pressed or moulded to form a paving slab. The curing process that bonds the materials together can take many months and years to complete, even though the slab is ostensibly hard after 3-4 weeks.
Concrete is the weakest of the three paving materials, and consequently the slabs will be thicker to give them additional strength (30-50 mm).
Natural stone paving is quarried from the ground and then hewn, cut and processed for the desired size and finish. Each stone slab is one-of-a-kind. Not only is there variation between the look and feel of every slab, but there are also significant differences in appearance and performance depending on which type of stone you choose.
The strength of natural stone paving depends on its type, with granite and slate being denser and stronger than sandstone and limestone. The thickness of stone paving slabs will be hewn or calibrated accordingly (18-25 mm).
Porcelain paving slabs are produced by firing kaolin clays in a kiln at temperatures that liquify the materials, which then become chemically fused to form a solid entity as they cool. These fused ceramic homogenous slabs are incredibly strong and durable. The vitrification (literally glass-like) process means that these slabs are non-porous,waterproof and largely impervious.
When it comes to picking out patio paving, your choice of colour will be one of the most immediately noticeable features. The range of colour options available to you is determined partly by which material you choose.
Concrete is usually a uniform, consistent colour at the point of manufacture. Whilst the original colour comes from a pigment additive, this may weather over time to provide some colour variation and character. There are also printed concrete paving slabs that have patterns and motifs such as mosaics.
The colour of concrete paving is much more uniform than the natural stone. So, if you want a consistent appearance and more uniform look, then concrete might be right for you.
Sandstone has the greatest range, with light grey (Kandla Indian Sandstone), autumnal browns (Raj Blend) and sandy browns (Buff) being the most popular colours.
Limestone also varies greatly in colour with light grey & gold (Abbey), grey-blue (Kota Blue) and charcoal (Kadapha Black) going across the tonal spectrum.
Granite will tend to be silver grey to charcoal grey in hue (with sparkly flecks), whilst slate will be in the blue-grey to black range.
In terms of patterns, natural stone will have tonal changes, swirls, spots and flecks, seams and striations that could all make an appearance on the surface of the slab. You can even see fossils embedded in sandstone and limestone, as these are both sedimentary rocks created on the seafloor millions of years ago.
The character of natural stone slabs also changes when wet. After it rains, you often see the colours brighter and more vividly than before, with different hues and tones unlocked to the viewer. It is this unique variation and character that makes natural stone so appealing for patio paving.
Porcelain paving is printed before its protective glaze is added. So, its colour and pattern possibilities are only limited by the skill of the graphical artists and imagination of the manufacturer to create the slab.
If you’re looking for stone-effect slabs, the printed graphics on porcelain paving are able to emulate the intricate character of granite, marble, quartzite, limestone, and sandstone.
Wood-effect porcelain paving captures the grain and character of timber uncannily, even incorporating subtle textured relief to give the grain a more realistic feel.
PHOENIX PAVERS ARIZONAThere’s plenty of possibilities with porcelain patio paving, from wood- and stone-effect to unique patterns. Not all designs and patterns are of equal quality, so we always recommend getting samples before you buy.
Once you’ve considered the colour of your new patio paving, spend some time thinking about its texture and finish. Below, we’ve outlined your options when it comes to concrete, natural stone and porcelain paving slabs.
If there’s a particular texture or finish that you feel would be suited to your patio, get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to recommend paving slabs that meet your needs.
Concrete offers you a wide range of options in terms of texture and finish. This type of patio paving can either be wet-cast or pressed – and your choice of manufacturing method will have an impact on the texture of your paving slabs.
Wet-cast concrete paving is manufactured in moulds to allow different finishes and surface patterns to be created. Usually these are designed to mimic stone (a style referred to as “decorative concrete”). This type of patio paving often includes riven-effect gentle ridges on the surface, or the orange-peel like dimpling found on natural limestone.
You also have the option of choosing pressed concrete slabs. These offer a more uniform texture and finish. Pressed concrete paving tends to have straighter edges and near vertical sides, whereas wet-cast slabs will have a slight chamfer (angled) edge which is wider at the base to make removing them from their moulds easier.
A riven surface is where the mason has hewn and then split the stone, which will leave small ridges on the surface (sandstone is the most common example). Explore our selection of riven natural stone patio paving to see how this looks.
A riven surface is where the mason has hewn and then split the stone, which will leave small ridges on the surface (sandstone is the most common example). Explore our selection of riven natural stone patio paving to see how this looks.
Light riven follows the same process, but the surface ridges are smaller. Some stone types like limestone have inherently smaller ridges, but this finish can also be produced by processing the slabs in a tumbler to soften and “weather” the stone. Take a look at our light riven natural stone slabs.
A texture surface is achieved by machining the stone surface, leaving a granular or dimpled effect. This process provides a flatter surface with more grip, so is often used in higher foot-traffic areas and public spaces. We offer several different types of textured natural stone paving.
The fourth finish is a honed surface, where the stone is milled to create a flat, smooth surface. You’ll find examples of honed natural stone slabs on our site.
Hand-cut edges are exactly what the name suggests. The mason dresses the stone edge by hand to create the edge. These will be an inverted chamfer, with the widest point on the upper surface of the slab.
Tumbled edges are hand-cut edges which have then been “tumbled”, a process designed to mechanically age and weather the slab so it looks timeworn and antique in appearance, with softer, rounded finishes on the edge profile.
Sawn edges are the third type of edge that are generally available with natural stone. With this edge type, the slabs are table sawn in the factory to give them straight edges that are vertical. This allows sawn stone paving to be laid closer together than a hand-cut edge, so more contemporary narrow jointing (4-8 mm) is possible.
As porcelain paving is formed in moulds, surface textures that resemble riven sandstone, limestone orange-peel dimples and even granite’s granulation are possible. Porcelain also has the added advantage of anti-slip technology on its surface, offering better slip-resistance than other forms of paving.
Whilst there are some “antique” style porcelain slabs available, they are not as common and the choice of surface finishes is more limited than you’d find with concrete or natural stone patio paving. This is likely to change as porcelain manufacturers seek to provide a wider range of paving for more rustic and traditional properties.
Watch the video below to learn more about the variety of surface textures that are possible with Pavestone Dolomite Porcelain Patio Paving:
