Choosing the Right Paving Slabs
Whether you are looking for block paving for your driveway, or you are looking for a paving slabs for your patio garden, there are numerous paving materials to choose from. Ultimately, what seems to matter is that your choice should fit your style and the type of landscape that you have in your mind.
If you are the type to work alone and take matters into your own hand, following are some tips that you can consider to choose the right paving slabs.
Top Tips
First of all, you need to have some understanding of paving materials.
Concrete Ground
Actually, a common choice of material is concrete ground because it is quite inexpensive. Although regular poured concrete might not be as strong as real stones but it is durable. It is important to note that concrete can crack, especially in case of unreliable foundation treatment. Usually, the UK people don’t like concrete ground.
Concrete Paving Slabs
In general, concrete paving slabs are created from compressed concrete and they are 4 times stronger than the typical poured concrete. When concrete paving slabs are properly installed, the slabs are interlocked and they create a paving system. This system is not like regular concrete because it is flexible and will not crack from any type of movement caused by tree roots or foundation movement.
Concrete paving slabs come in various colours and styles, and they are easily repairable if they become stained or damaged. It is possible to replace old slabs because they are popped out. But the aging concrete paving slabs are very eclipsed.
Limestone Paving Slabs
In contrast with concrete and paving stones, Limestone is a carbonate sedimentary rock that is often composed of the skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral, foraminifera, and molluscs. Its major materials are the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). limestone is a sedimentary and natural stone which is taken from the seabed. It is a beautiful and durable stone that is used both outside and inside the home. It comes in a variety of colours such as black, grey, green, orange, and beige. Custom shapes can also be created with limestone.
Sandstone Paving Slabs
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized mineral particles or rock fragments. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) because they are the most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth’s surface, as seen in the Goldich dissolution series. Like uncemented sand, sandstone may be any color due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions.
Sandstone is quite popular among people because of its soft texture and how easy it is to install. Typically, it is used for patio, garden, verandas, courtyards, as well as street sidewalk. Usually, sandstone’s popular colours as grey, buff, brown, beige.
Slate Paving Slabs
Slate is a durable and heavy stone cut into thin sheets. It is used for paving and roofing. Some benefits to slate are that it is resistant to slip, which serves to make it a good surface for children. It is also resistant to beverage and food spills.
For patios, it is quite a common choice because of its ability of withstanding extreme temperatures and its durability. Slate tiles normally come in different colours from green, purple, to black.
Granite Paving Slabs
It would not be wrong to say that granite is a stone renowned for endurance and strength. Granite stones tend to last for years and they resist long-term effects of extreme cold and weathering. It also resists heat which makes it a decent choice for pool areas. Usually, when granite is polished, it is able to maintain its appearance for a number of generations.
Porcelain Paving Slabs
Porcelain paving has a number of benefits for the last contemporary look landscape. Vitrified porcelain paving slabs offer scratch resistance, durability, and require practically no maintenance. Along with some natural stones good characteristic, they are on the higher end of the price scale and well worth. Looking for a range of future paving slabs for your patio, the typically cost-effective is 20mm outdoor porcelain tiles, especially, the grey porcelain paving slabs transform your patio a high dignity, solemnity and elegance.
The porcelain paving slabs from Stone Paving Direct are full coloured body tiles, they are sintered glazed porcelain tiles made of natural clay with high-tech digital printing colours and texture on the surface. Due to higher than industry standards, the full coloured body of our porcelain slab is similar to the surface colour design, this advantage is that the colour of the chipped portion is maintained a similar colour as the surface even under very occasional intense impact.
Deciding on Paving Slabs
It comes in every type of colour. In fact, some colours are even rare among stones.
- When choosing the paving slabs, you need to take a lot at the samples. Most companies will be happy to share pictures with you so you can take a look at them and understand their specifications.
- Ask yourself: Would you rather have a sleek contemporary look or an old yet elegant look? This will help you in cutting your options and finding the right stone that you need.
- You need to determine whether you want a thick stone or a thin stone. In order to decide it, you need to decide where you are going to lay the stone.
- The next thing you need to ask is whether you want concrete or natural stone. In general, this can turn out to be quite an important decision in choosing the right type of stone for you. Natural stones have better aesthetic and visual appeal. However, a lot concrete stones provide better value for money as they tend to be more reliable.
- If you want a stone near the swimming area then you should consider stones like textured, natural riven, or flamed surface slabs which are slip resistant.
