NATURAL STONE TYPES

NATURAL STONE FLOORING SEALANTS

These prevent dirt, oil and grease from impregnating the surface of the slabs and will protect your investment for years. They are essential, bring out the beauty of natural stone and will save you money in the long-run.

WHICH NATURAL STONE TO CHOOSE ?

All stone floor types are unique and individual and either look rustic, elegant or chic.

PATIO PAVING STONES

Garden patios and terraces have always been popular outdoor spaces.
Sometimes called flags, flagstones or slabs, our patio paving stones are flat square or rectangular, cut natural sandstone, limestone, quartzite or slate.

We supply them in various sizes or in patio paving stone packs. Thicknesses can be varied with hand-dressed stone or fixed as with calibrated stone.
They are a very well-known and popular choice for our customers and are favoured both for their ease of installation and low price. Choose a colour that blends with your garden or house, or make a patterned patio with two different styles of stone slab.

Patio paving stones are especially attractive when combined with one of our edging stones of a contrasting material or colour.

We also supply some of our patio slabs with an antique finish.

LIMESTONE

This is a porous sedimentary rock. As a surface it can be quite soft and stain quite easily. The risk of potential stains can be largely averted by impregnating or sealing the surface of the limestone. The advice before doing this is to make sure the surface is very clean before application. Being anything from almost white to a soft brown limestone can be dazzling on a sunny day and yet look cold on a cool day outside.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock made up of layers of calcium carbonate formed from the accumulation of organic matter in shallow seas, which is then turned to stone by millions of years of pressure. Limestone's come in a variety of density and hardness and some limestones are as tough as granite making an extremely hard wearing and durable paving stone or internal floor tile.

TRAVERTINE

Travertine is a banded, compact variety of limestone formed along streams, particularly where there are waterfalls and around hot or cold springs. It is a sedimentary rock, which is made up of layers of calcite formed from the accumulation of organic matter.

Travertine has been a very important building material for housing and representative buildings since the Middle Ages. Rich deposits of aged, dried and hardened travertine were mined by the Romans. The largest building in the world constructed mostly of travertine is the Colosseum in Rome.

Travertine is one of several natural stones that are used for paving patios and garden paths. It is a very strong stone, which when cut into tiles exposes the small holes on the surface. These holes can be left unfilled to leave a natural texture or they are filled in the factory with a very hard resin and honed smooth. Small holes may appear on the surface of the tiles over time; this is part of the charm of this ancient stone.

SLATE FLOOR TILES

Slate is a very adaptable material that is just as suitable in the country as it is in town.

Slate is metamorphosed shale. Shale is made up of silt and clay that is similar in composition to sandstone except that the particle size is much smaller. The shale is subject to heat and pressure and the fine particles are melted together to form slate.

Slate tiles are often used for interior flooring, stairs and wall coverings and can suit both a traditional and contemporary setting. It is a very adaptable material that is just as suitable in the country as it is in town and works particularly well with underfloor heating. 

There will always be a degree of variation in colour, fossil and mineral markings, surface veining and fissure content which is the beauty of natural stone. This is why your slate floor will be individual and unique!

The natural finish of slate tiles is riven and textured, where the stone splits due to a natural cleavage and has a natural grip when wet so is a good choice for bathrooms.  Honed slate has a smooth flat finish.

SLATE PAVING STONE 

Natural slate is extremely durable and is an excellent natural paving stone. Slate is one of the most popular stones used for garden patios, paths and driveways.

Slate comes in a wide variety of colours and textures and is non-porous. However, it can still be marked and so needs some form of protective coating. 

Slate is metamorphosed shale. Shale is made up of silt and clay that is similar in composition to sandstone except that the particle size is much smaller. The shale is subject to heat and pressure and the fine particles are melted together to form slate. 

Slate naturally has a riven surface, where the stone splits due to a natural cleavage. This textured surface is great for grip. For ease of laying, our slate paving slabs are calibrated to the same thickness, which means they are completely flat on the underside.

Slate has a low tendency to absorb water which makes it very resistant to frost damage and breakage due to freezing. 

SANDSTONE

Sandstone is a porous material and comes in a great deal of colours, from white to red and brown.

Sandstone is composed essentially of cemented grains of sand, sandstone has a granular texture and is the second most abundant of all sedimentary rock, shale being the first. In addition to quartz, sandstone may consist of sand sized particles of calcite, gypsum or various iron compounds.

Like sand, sandstone may be any color, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey and white. Sandstone is a classic sedimentary rock that forms from the cementing together of sand sized grains forming a solid rock and is therefore porous so will require impregnation and sealing when used internally. It is a very stable product and one of the best suited natural stones for use on patios, paths and driveways.

QUARTZITE

Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression. Quartzite is composed of sedimentary rock consisting of rounded quartz grains cemented by crystalline quartz. The quartz grains are fused together forming a hard, weather-resistant rock. Like marble, quartzite can come in many colors (grey, yellow to reddish/brown).

Quartzite is used for interior floor and wall tiles, slabs, pavements, pathways, bathroom and kitchen floors.