Paving topsham ⋅ paving exmouth

BUYING ⋅ GUIDE

SEALING ⋅ GUIDE

DRAINAGE ⋅ GUIDE

FURTHER ⋅ IDEAS ⋅ INSPIRATION

WHY SEAL YOUR PATIO PAVING

You have finally finished.  That pristine, light-coloured,  natural stone patio.  And now for the dreaded BBQ.  All that greasy food and red wine.  It’s a good idea, to think about protecting your natural stone pavers. By applying a paving sealant.

SEALERS · JET WASHING · PAVING EXMOUTH

A quality paving sealant will protect the patio from most paving stains. Including those caused by your friendly, local bird population.  Paving sealants will reduce the build-up of moss and algae, on your paving’s surface.  Add a paving cleaner.  And jet wash.  Not too closely.  As the jet can easily mark your patio’s surface.

© Exeter landscapes ⋅ hard landscaping ⋅ paving  &  patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

ENHANCING STONES · NATURAL FINISHES

Some sealants will enhance or slightly darken the natural stone paving.  Most quality paving sealants have a natural non-glossy finish.

A good quality paving sealant will ‘breathe’.  Allowing water to evaporate from the surface of your paving.

REASONS TO SEAL · PAVING TOPSHAM

⋅ Prevent Staining ⋅ Aid Cleaning

⋅ Enhance Colour

SEALING ⋅ YOUR PAVING ⋅ EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

Many people think about sealing their patio area.  Paving sealants are a great way to prevent staining and aid general cleaning.  They can be used to enhance a patio’s colour.

TYPES OF SEALANT ⋅ WATER-BASED ⋅ SOLVENT BASED

TESTING THE SEALANT[DIVIDER SCROLL_TEXT]

When adding any sealants or products to a stone paving area.  First test the product, on a small inconspicuous area or a spare paving slab. 

HOW DOES THE SEALANT AFFECT THE STONE?

Test how the product affects the stone’s appearance and colour.  This is important before applying the sealant to the whole patio.

WATER-BASED ⋅ SEALANTS ·  PAVING TOPSHAM

Most DIY paving sealants are water-based.  Being generally easier to apply.  Reducing the risk of sealing problems.  They are generally safer to apply in terms of fumes and toxicity. 

PROBLEM · STEAM CLEANERS · PAVING EXMOUTH

If there’s a problem with the finish. Many sealants can be easily removed by steam cleaning.  Water-based products are generally cheaper than solvent-based paving products.  But aren’t as tough or long-lasting.

SOLVENT-BASED ⋅ SEALANTS · PAVING TOPSHAM

Solvent-based paving sealants include polyurethane or acrylic products.  Care must be taken when applying them.  As they will release fumes and can be toxic to skin. 

We recommend employing a specialist to apply this type of paving sealant.  The sealants are hard to remove once applied.  And an uneven application will result in pooling.

PRE-SEALED ⋅ PAVING SLABS ⋅ EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

You will have to pay extra for pre-sealed paving.  Stones can be sealed on-site.  However, this can be a messy and time-consuming process.

AVOID THE COLD · PAVING TOPSHAM

Not recommended during colder months.  With the sealant often not curing properly.

© Exeter Landscapes ⋅ sandstone paving ⋅ patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

SEALING PAVING ⋅ EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

It’s usually a good idea to leave a patio to bed in for a couple of months before sealing.  Some patios can develop efflorescence. 

The surface becomes stained with white salt.  Caused by salts in the cement leaching up from the mortar bed to the top of the paving.  Sealing a patio can slow down or trap the movement of these salts.  Making the treatment of efflorescence more drawn out.

DRY PATIOS · CLEAN PATIOS · WEATHER

Make sure your patio is clean and dry before applying a sealant.  Always check the weather.  Avoid the wet.  A windy day can be a nightmare. 

LEAVES · HOT WEATHER

With leaf debris clogging up your sealant.  Don’t apply on extremely hot days.  Paving stones quickly become hot.  Your sealant will dry unevenly.  And avoid cold conditions.  As the sealant may not cure properly.

BARGAINS ⋅ PAVING ⋅ EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

Be wary of ‘bargain’ crates of natural stone.  That crate may turn out to be more expensive, in the long run.  You get what you pay for. In terms of quality. Product support and after-sales service.

Remember let your own eyes be the judge of quality and finish, of the natural stone.  If something appears cheap.  It usually is and won’t last the test of time.

When that ‘bargain’ crate of stone paving arrives.  The colour of each stone paver may be slightly different from the next.  Some colours, being nicer than others.  You’ve bought a crate of leftover ‘odds and sods’.

BUILDERS MERCHANTS

Local independent or national companies.  You will generally pay more at a builders merchant.  It’s best to have a trade account.  Selection may not be great.  Good prices if they are having an end of line sale.  Why not opt for a specialist stone supplier.

SPECIALIST STONE COMPANIES

With local showrooms.  London stone is one of the best.  Great product advice.   Generally, the best way to buy stone.  Best selection, they always have a huge stock.  Great if you want to buy single sized stones.  They also sell edging setts, granite, sandstone, and slate.  You can also buy decorative gravel and shingle. Sometimes by the weight.  Rather than buying the whole 1-ton bag.

Always visit the stone yard, in person.  View the stone for yourself.  It’s worth asking for a discount.  10% is usually the standard.  You may pay extra sometimes for delivery.

RECLAMATION YARDS

Be wary as they won’t always exchange material.  Quality of materials varies, even on one pallet. The cost can vary depending on the choice of stone.  You will pay, a lot for rustic sandstone flags.  They will always be in demand.   You may be better, buying a quality new stone.  And waiting for it to weather in, for a season or so.

© Exeter Landscapes ⋅ porcelain  paving ⋅ patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

ONLINE SHOPS

Usually, appear the ‘cheapest’.  Product knowledge or customer service not always great.  Returning the stone paving can be tiresome, and costly.  Most delivery trucks don’t have cranes.  But a pallet truck.  Preventing the stone pavers, from being easily stacked, out of the way.

Always order a little extra stone paving.  Matching up paving stone, locally, can be difficult.  Always check the thickness of the natural stone.  And try to avoid lighter shot-blasted natural stone paving.  The stone pavers really need pre-sealing to prevent staining.  From laying the paving, the pavers mortar bed and from the general use of the patio.

RETURNING STONE ⋅ PAVING ⋅ EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

Always check your delivery before the driver leaves.  Its easier to send back/reject a crate from a local supplier.  Then from an online company who delivers via a courier.   And usually doesn’t have a crane on the lorry.  Remember you can always pick up up that extra paving slab or decking board from the local company that’s only 10 minutes down the road and isn’t based in Ireland.

AVOID MISMATCHES ⋅ PAVING EXMOUTH ⋅ TOPSHAM

Paving material from different stone suppliers, rarely match.  Mismatches in colour and finish.  Will stick out like a saw thumb, on your garden patio.  Colours can vary between batches of stone paving.  Even when the supplier tells you, the natural stone paving is identical in colour and finish.   This is a common problem with porcelain tiles.

Let your eyes be the judge.  If the natural stone paving doesn’t look right.  It rarely is!

Damp coarse ⋅ air bricks

IDEAS ⋅ Exeter Landscapes ⋅ air bricks ⋅ paving ⋅ patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

Located your damp course & air bricks.  Pave below the damp course (1500mm).  Take care paving around air bricks.  Drainage channels allow you to direct surface drainage water into drains and soakaways.  Add where necessary to your paving area. Standard drainage channels include:

FRENCH DRAINS 

Simplest of all.  A free-draining channel filled with gravel.  Add a perforated pipe for faster drainage.

LINEAR DRAINS

IDEAS ⋅ Slot drain ⋅ paving ⋅ patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

Concrete or rigid plastic construction.  Surface water is directed into an existing drainage system or a newly constructed soakaway

SLOT DRAINS 

Similar to linear drains but more discreet.  Materials, rigid plastic, or stainless steel.

SOAK AWAYS ⋅ PAVING TOPSHAM ⋅ EXMOUTH

IDEAS ⋅ Exeter landscapes ⋅ soak away hardcore ⋅ aqua cells ⋅ paving ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

Sometimes surface water can’t be easily fed into an existing drainage system.  Soak aways consist of a hole usually  m³ or larger.  Filled with hardcore or Aqua cells.  The sides & toplined by geotex fabric, preventing clay ingress.

Get the gap right

If the gap too small, pointing will be harder & take longer.  Too large and the patio will look clumsy.  More pointing mix &  will take longer.  Try a gap between 5mm – 10mm!  Consider using a plastic spacer.

Check the weather

In wet weather, mortar can be washed out, and stones become stained.   Avoid hard frost which can cause pointing to blister & crack.  In cold weather, consider adding a frost-proof/winter mix and cover pointing at night.  Hot weather can cause drying out too quickly.

© Exeter Landscapes ⋅ sandstone ⋅ paving & patios ⋅ topsham ⋅ exmouth

Easy point mix 

An alternative to traditional mortar.  Available in several colours.   Patios can be pointed in wet conditions.

Cleaning stones

Always clean stones after pointing.  Brush off excess mortar and wipe with a sponge.  For cleaning, porcelain consider using a commercial emulsifying pad.

FURTHER IDEAS ⋅ INSPIRATIONS

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