Which Paving To Choose For Your New Patio

Paving and patios are an essential part of any outside surface. A correctly laid patio will last for decades and is by far the most robust way to clad outside spaces. Having said this what paving you choose will depend on various factors. Budget, style, use, safety, and other garden features all can influence the type of paving you choose. 

Styles  

Usually a new patio is planned into a garden design or theme including transitions from the home onto a patio. Paving style is a major factor when deciding the right paving for you. Most of our Buckinghamshire clients usually have an idea of what paving they would like. We will always point our if their choice is a practical option for their garden.

Some potential customers love the idea of cream, porous, natural stone paving. This is fine but if you have over hanging trees, regular bird droppings, and many wild creatures this can be a tricky choice. Cream, light grey and white paving even with heavy sealants will look awful after a few years of these conditions. We feel it is our responsibility to our Buckinghamshire customers to advise on these forward thinking garden elements.
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Any paving type or style can be integrated into any garden. You may need to except that other than the patio itself other garden features may need to change.

Usage

Usage is a very important consideration of a new patio. If you have young children it is good to have as much grip as possible. Textured paving or riven natural stone can be the best option here especially if your garden is usually wet. As well as adding anti slip attributes to your patio visual textures can add a satisfying atheistic to garden surfaces.

If your patio is exposed to damp shady conditions it is good to use as impervious paving as possible. The more absorbent you’re paving is the more likely it will suffer from algae build up. This can turn your paving a green and even black in colour. Absorbent paving or paving which flakes i.e. some metamorphic stone can also fall victim to frost action in damp conditions.  

It is good to think about what loads your paving will be exposed. Paving load is usually a factor of underlying patio base work. Soft textured natural stone however is not advised for anything heavier than human traffic.
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Bear in mind that your new patio will have to endure sometimes unforeseeable rigours of outside living. Wine spillages, spitting barbecue fat, muddy foot prints and wildlife gifts will end up on the surface of your new paving.
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Slate

Slate paving is usually a lot cheaper than what many of our clients think.

​Slate is ideal at around £30 per metre does not break the bank account but has a modern prestige look. The impervious nature of slate means it is ideal for damp areas and good for running storm water away from the house.

​You must consider slate can also be slippery in very wet weather and torrential conditions. In hot weather the surface of black slate can heat up being uncomfortable for family pets and bare feet generally.

Sandstone

Sandstone is one of the most popular natural paving choices on the market and for good reason. The variation in colour tones, textures and even visible fossils makes it incredibly versatile.

​The beiges, creams and browns make it match the brickwork of the UK’s housing stock beautifully. It very much resembles the old prestigious York stone which used to be used across Britain. With extensive variations of Indian Sandstone imported from India annually this paving choice can cost as little £20 per square metre. It is commonly sold in a random 5 sizes pattern.  
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Portland Stone

​Portland stone is a natural limestone which was formed under the millions of years ago. It was formed from the fossilised shells and bones of maritime Jurassic creatures. This stone is quarried extensively from the Isle of Portland in Dorset.

Portland stone has a bright light cream colour with a soft smooth texture. It has been a favoured building and paving materials for many years being used on both Buckingham Palace and St Pauls Cathedral. It is a very beautiful paving material with some small shells still visible in the grain of the stone. Due to labour rates and its prestige it is expensive. Usually Portland stone costs around £100 a square metre making it for high budgets only.

​ Due to it being a relatively soft stone steps and corners come in a rounded bull nose edge adding to processing costs. High porosity and a very light colour mean this paving should be heavily sealed. Sealants should be high quality and advise on which sealant should be taken from the supplier. This again adds to the cost.
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Although expensive there will always be a market Portland stone it can be used in both modern and traditional landscaping schemes. Bear in mind even when sealed bird droppings and fallen leaves can still leave stains on this paving.

Concrete Paving

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Concrete paving comes in all different shapes, colours, textures and styles. Concrete paving can be basic pre cast concrete with colour dyes at the cheapest end of the Spectrum. At the highest end are concrete with expensive stone aggregates, sand blasted or machine polished. This means there is a large array to choose from.
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For me personally I find the stone aggregates such as granite and porcelain look good but don’t justify the high cost. Cheaper concrete aggregate paving contains colour dyes which always fade in sunlight. After a few years the paving looks worn and tired. On average concrete paving dye costs the same as most average natural stone paving.

​ This is why I always recommend natural paving as I feel it is better value for money. Having said this it comes down to choice. You have more choice on textures, colours and styles with concrete paving it’s about weighing up the pros and cons. I would only use concrete paving with natural aggregates or for a grey or white coloured theme. This way if colours fade it is so close to the colour of the base material you should not notice fading.

Block Paving

Block paving has become a common site across our urban spaces. It has a good visual texture and compliments the colours of most buildings. It again is pre cast concrete blocks with dyes added so they fade after a few years. Having said this I do feel they can make decent paving for even patios. I prefer the charts or Tegula block paving which usually comes in three sizes. It has a cobble effect and the blocks are already greyish in colour meaning the chances of fading are minimal.
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Due to block paving using a method known as flexible construction on a compacted bed of sand it is ideal for heavy loads. This is something to consider when planning an area which receives vehicular traffic.

Resin Bound Gravel.

Resin bound aggregate is still fairly new to the domestic market but I am starting to doubt its used long term as a paving substitute. The expensive products on the market look good but the cost of supply, installation and base work renders it uneconomical to many consumers. The total cost can spiral out of control as this surface needs a very solid base to prevent cracks.

The fine texture of the resin bound does look good as apart of design patterns and small areas but not large areas. Large expanses look bland and boring just like gravel. Why not just get gravel?

The main supplier of resign bound aggregates:

www.resinbondedaggregates.com

Gravel

Loose gravels such as pea shingles although not paving have been used for outside surfacing for centuries. It is said the first roads ever built were built using these aggregates. If you are on budget loose gravel can be a very inexpensive way to surface your garden. The extra benefit of this is you can incorporate planting zones integrating soft and hard landscape types.  

Usage

Usage is a very important consideration of a new patio. If you have young children it is good to have as much grip as possible. Textured paving or riven natural stone can be the best option here especially if your garden is usually wet. As well as adding anti slip attributes to your patio visual textures can add a satisfying atheistic to garden surfaces.

If your patio is exposed to damp shady conditions it is good to use as impervious paving as possible. The more absorbent you’re paving is the more likely it will suffer from algae build up. This can turn your paving a green and even black in colour. Absorbent paving or paving which flakes i.e. some metamorphic stone can also fall victim to frost action in damp conditions.
 
It is good to think about what loads your paving will be exposed. Paving load is usually a factor of underlying patio base work. Soft textured natural stone however is not advised for anything heavier than human traffic.
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Bear in mind that your new patio will have to endure sometimes unforeseeable rigours of outside living. Wine spillages, spitting barbecue fat, muddy foot prints and wildlife gifts will end up on the surface of your new paving.

Conclusion

If you are still not sure what type of paving is best for you take your time! It is going to be in your garden for a very long time. In landscape design it is often said that function should always follow form but sometimes it is a trade off between the two.

If your back kitchen has black slate paving and you want it to continue into the garden do it! Looks and styles are important. If budget is an option for you I think natural stone is the way to go. I feel Indian sandstones and slates around £30 a square metre represents some of the best value on the market today. ​

Just remember the lighter and cleaner the paving the more dirty it will eventually look. I prefer darker colours or colour variations so bird waste and spillages do not look so devastating. I love slate for this reason but this is my personal taste. If you are having troubles making a decision seek more inspiration and precedent images on the internet or magazines.

Whatever paving you choose for your patio just make sure it is laid by a competent landscaping tradesperson. Buckinghamshire Landscape Gardeners cover Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire Berkshire and North West London. All patios are either laid or overseen by myself, Paul the Director.

​If you have any questions relating to this article or need a quotation for our paving services. Go to Buckinghamshire Landscape Gardeners Contact or Patios Page.

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