New sandstone slabs? Good idea?

[newshound]

I've seen the latest thread on cutting, and read pavingexpert, but do the assembled company have any other views / gotchas etc on these products?

I am currently replacing a patio and had been going to use "good quality" concrete slabs, but my local builders merchant has a range of products from digbystone which look quite nice, and the SO fancies the riven sandstone. Laying on screed on a concrete sub-base with rebar.

Going off at a tangent, I find it interesting that in the 19th century slate from Wales and ironmongery from the black country went all over the Empire. Now, we are importing stone and well-made "traditional" brass castings like door handles from India.

[Chris Hogg]

During WW2 my father was in the navy, and on one occasion his ship was berthed in Trincomalee in Ceylon. On a trip ashore, he bought an 'elephant bell' as a souvenir (one of these multi-pronged things

). Some years later, after the war, he was examining it and found 'Made in Birmingham' stamped on it!

[harry]

The luvvies don't want messy things like quarries, mines, foundries, power statios, wind turbines etc on their doorsteps. And our spoilt brat kids don't want to get their hands dirty any more. They all want jobs sat on their arses in front of a computer screen.

It will all end in disaster.

[Tricky Dicky]

They are not as easy to lay as concrete flags especially if you use uncalib rated ones like I used. These tend to vary in lumpiness on the underside. I used a moist mix as per the Paving Expert, I tried a wetter mix for a smal l section but found as the PE predicted the laid flags floated as adjacent flags were laid. Using a string line I managed to get the required falls, u sing a spirit level only gave approximate levels due to the riven top surfa ce as was levelling against adjacent flags. I would give generous joins, I started with approx. 13mm but found some variation in size and squareness o f the flags so some joins became narrower. Good luck!

Richard

[stuart noble]

Packing the flags as you go has a lot of advantages for the amateur, the main one being that you can stop when you've had enough.

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1 to all that: entirely mirrors my experience

[newshound]

Thank you Richard, I'll take that on board. The DigbyStone ones are milled on the back, which I guess makes them calibrated.

A query for Stuart, can you explain "packing" please, or is that somewhere in PavingExpert which I have not spotted yet? (I've been away for the weekend so have only had a preliminary scan of PE).

Thanks also TNP for the endorsement.