Natural Stone Wall Cladding - The Answer for Covering an Ugly Wall

When you move into an existing property, the garden often has a legacy of tastes and styles from several decades past, showing signs of abandonment borne through frustration and a simple lack of knowledge of how to make things better. Unlike indoors, which is straightforward to tackle, outside seems more of a daunting task and without enlisting specialist help, the job of undertaking challenging landscaping work is often put off. Simple tasks such as adding pots and planters, digging over the beds and borders and mowing the lawn is manageable and achievable, but serious earthmoving and construction work is just too difficult for many. Several hard-landscaping tasks such as paving and walling are left to the experts instead of being attempted by the DIY enthusiast, when in fact, with the right guidance and preparation, some of this work could be attempted very successfully and with good results by the home-owner.

Mint Sandstone Wall Cladding

One such example and one which creates an instant change in appearance is to cover an existing ugly wall with natural stone cladding. This relatively new product is made from small pieces of natural stone bonded to a backing plate to make a rigid, sectional building material. Each section measures around 600 x 200 mm, however may be cut to size using a disk-cutter with diamond blade to get the right fit. The sections are then bonded onto the face of an existing wall with a special adhesive and 'voila', instant improvement.

The wall cladding products offered by Paving Superstore come in a range of different stone types and colours, from the lightest cream of sandstone and the pearlescent tones of quartzite through to the darker satin grey and rust colours of slate. Some of the stone segments are sawn for a contemporary styled finish whereas others are left with their natural irregularities to give the impression of a rustic, drystone wall. Whatever your tastes, we're sure you'll agree, that natural stone wall-cladding makes a remarkable difference to the appearance of an ugly wall and instead of trying to hide the eyesore, you'll want to make a feature of the wall!

Rustic Slate Wall Cladding

Click here to see our full range of wall cladding, 

Kera Linea Paving - New to Paving Superstore

Post by Paving Superstore.

Contemporary Paving Ideas for 2014

CONTEMPORARY PAVING As our busy lifestyles dictate our tastes in home decor, trends move towards cleaner, less fussy materials in our homes with smooth, uncluttered surfaces and simple, elegant lines. Our gardens become a continuation of our homes and as such, need to follow the same simplicity of design. Materials include exquisite detail, yet subtle, understated colour variations to provide a calming influence to help us unwind and relax in addition to strong, dark, sultry shades to make a bold statement using contrasting planting shades. Examples of paving styles suited to a contemporary theme including smooth and sawn sandstone, granite, yorkstone, quartzite and new modern polished concrete products with terrazzo styling. Clean and crisp lines and either subtle colour variations suited to simple, elegant design  or strong statement colours are key attributes in this range of paving styles. Larger paving flags are often used to create an uncluttered appearance and sawn, straight edges amplify the simplicity and understated design influences. Smooth, Sawn Sandstone Paving Smooth, sawn sandstone paving is used extensively in the design of clean, crisp contemporary styled gardens as its neutral colour pallet with soft, subtle hue variations blends seamlessly with other natural materials such as the rich mahogany tones of hardwood decking and the smooth tactile texture of tumbled, sea-worn pebbles. The matt, often slightly textured surface of the sandstone does not attempt to compete with other bolder features within the design; preferring to simply form an elegant back-drop to the garden. To look at our entire range of contemporary style paving click here, or click on your favourite picture from the small selection of our range below to find out more. Natural Paving Sawn, Honed Sandstone – Ivory Available in 750×500 & 500×500 Global Stone Sawn Sandstone Linear Planks Shown in Buff Brown Colour Stonemarket Avant Garde – Caramel Extra large 1m x 1m paving flags Global Stone Artisan Mirage – Mint Smooth, honed finish & various sizes Natural Paving Sawn Sandstone – Walnut Smooth, attractive finish Paving Superstore Pro Range Sawn Sandstone Sandblasted, slip resistant texture Marshalls Kingsize Sawn Sandstone Extra large flag sizes Stonemarket Avant Garde – Imperial Several size options & extra large 1m x 1m Stonemarket Avant Garde – Silver Lightly textured for slip resistance Smooth, sawn sandstone paving is generally available in neutral shades of cream and soft beige, peach and warm brown and silver to mid greys. The surface is smooth and level and often includes a sand-blasted finish to increase non-slip properties. Smooth, Sawn Limestone Paving Limestone is has an interesting mottled texture and is available in light grey to buff shades and dark grey to black shades. Although it has a flat surface, the finish is usually gently textured to aid slip resistance. Limestone offers less colour variation than sandstone and is a popular choice when looking for a gentle colour palette.  The following images show examples of the sawn limestone products available. Click here to see all sawn limestone paving products or on the small selection shown below to find out more. Stonemarket Indigenous Stone – Ingleston British limestone Natural Paving ‘Fired Earth’ – Moonlight Lightly textured sawn limestone Strata Sawn Limestone – Venetian Azure Lightly textured surface Granite Paving Granite paving is known for its strength and hard-wearing properties and has been used for many years as a core product in commercial applications requiring a paving product offering longevity and durability. For this reason, granite paving has often been overlooked as an attractive product in the domestic market and yet it has far more to offer than just its robust, hard-wearing qualities. Granite is an igneous stone formed as a result of volcanic activity and its structure is therefore very consistent with a speckled colouring. The speckles are usually formed from a variety of minerals, but also include a range of crystallised minerals giving the stone a sparkle. To look at our entire range of granite paving click here, or click on your favourite picture to find out more. Stonemarket Arctic Granite – Glacier Lightly flecked silver & grey Marshalls Eclipse Granite – Graphite Choice of three shades Paving Superstore Pro Range – China Black Basalt (similar to granite with fewer crystals) Brett Granite – Graphite Grey Linear Planks Strata Granite – Volterra Mixed size packs Global Stone Granite – Graphite Single size options The uniformity of colour within granite paving appeals to many seeking a stone suitable for a contemporary scheme. Granite paving is generally available in silver to dark greys and almost black (often known as basalt). Other colours include pink and beige. The surface is level, but textured to make it an ideal option around swimming pools or other areas where a non-slip surface is essential. Terrazzo Paving Terrazzo paving is a form of polished concrete stone and in many cases, includes real stone chippings of marble of granite in the surface layer. Traditionally, terrazzo style paving was created by Venetian stoneworkers who would use leftover marble stone chippings from large palaces and homes and embed them in the clay around their own homes. They would polish the stone until it became smooth. These days, terrazzo paving styles are manufactured in a range of black, grey, white, cream, beige and chocolate brown shades to offer a very cool and sophisticated look to your garden. They are generally available in both smooth and textured finishes. To see all terrazzo, polished concrete style paving click here or click on the pictures below to find out more. Stonemarket Opera Black Available in smooth or brushed (textured) finish Stonemarket Opera Buff Available in smooth or brushed (textured) finish Marshalls Argent Paving Flat, textured finish Stonemarket Haus – Dune Four colour options & smooth or riven Pavestone Provencal Smooth surface Brett Moderno Three colour options

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Paving Superstore Clay Setts - Mellow Mixture @£45.18 per m2 inc. vat & delivery

Old bricks look beautifully rustic as the entrance to an old cottage or as a hard-standing in a courtyard garden, but how is this look achieved using materials that are frost-proof and sustainable in the garden? Try clay pavers.

Clay paving has a wonderful array of burnt earth hues to suit the colours seen locally around the country. Clay was traditionally used as a building material across most of the UK and many older properties have regional variations of this natural material. Traditional clay paving stones have an understated finish that looks just right when used in combination with classic cottage garden planting to give a typical English garden appeal. Choose from a selection of natural shades to suit your regional colour palette or find a subtle contrast to blend with other features in your garden.

Paving Superstore has two new products to complement its existing range of clay paving setts in rustic styles suited to older properties or a cottage garden feel. The first of which is the Mellow Mixture range which has burnt yellow, amber, charcoal and limey white colours offering a warm buttermilk set of colours. The second new product is the Tudor Blend which has a selection of warm terracotta, burnt red, charcoal and chalky white shades. These two new products are offered in full packs covering 15.12 square metres or half packs covering 7.5 square metres. All our clay paving stones may be loose laid on an MOT Type 1 sub-base on a bed of sharp sand or for a more permanent feel, set within a mortar base and pointed between. Paving Superstore Clay Pavers - Tudor Blend @ £47.81 per m2 inc. vat & delivery

Although clay setts are mostly used in traditional styled gardens, they also offer great texture when used as an isolated feature in a more modern contemporary styled garden. These clay setts from Natural Paving show how to achieve a clean modern appearance that benefits from the subtle shade variation and matt texture of clay. Clay is making real comeback as a paving material, so why not consider it for your garden.

Natural Paving Clay Pavers - Terrestre @ £50.46 per m2 inc. vat & delivery

Natural Paving Clay Pavers - Forum @ £47.17 per m2 inc. vat & delivery

Natural Paving Clay Pavers - Aureum @ £51.55 per m2 inc. vat & delivery

Make a Statement with a Paving Feature

Stonemarket Compass Points Feature When planning your new patio, sometimes a large expanse of paving can be a little dull and nondescript, especially if the area is all on one level, and so an interesting feature within the paving such as a stone feature kit or a paving circle can break up this expanse and draw the eye to the exquisite focal point. Similarly, it's often a nice style feature to include a paving circle at an intermediate point in the garden to join the theme together whilst at the same time, creating another seating area to catch the sun's rays at a different time of day perhaps.

Marshalls Natural Sandstone 'Fairstone' Silver Birch Paving Circle Kit Paving features come in many different style options and often have matching squaring kits either included in the price or as an optional extra. These are useful if you are looking to set the paving shape feature within a larger area of paving slabs as it means the edges of the feature are finished square enabling it to be seamlessly integrated within the patio without a considerable amount of cutting. Standalone features do not always require a squaring kit as a circular or octagonal paving feature looks great as a unique and individual shape in the lawn or surrounded by a planting border.
Bradstone Old Town Weathered Limestone Paving Circle Feature Some paving feature kits have intricate designs and as such, are almost like a work of art in the garden. Their exquisite styles are cut from natural stone in contrasting and complementary shades to make a real talking point at the envy of your neighbours! By leaving out sections and using an alternative material, such as decorative pebbles, you can make the feature individual to your own tastes and also continue the theme elsewhere in the garden, for example, as a mulch on planting borders, as this will ensure continuity of the design. Try edging a smaller feature with cobble setts to increase the size of the feature in addition to adding extra texture and interest. The cobble setts may then be continued around the planting borders of the garden to maintain the edges and at the same time, ensuring the rhythm of the design feature continues throughout. Natural Paving Promenade Sandstone Paving Circle Feature
It's possible to achieve extra large features using some of our large diameter paving circle kits. These kits extend up 5.6 metres diameter enabling them to be used as a complete standalone patio feature in their own right! More often they are used to create the rings around a semi-circle staircase or to frame a multi-tiered focal point. Natural Paving's sandstone 5.6 metre diameter circles come in a choice of several sandstone and limestone colours to choose from.

Whatever your choice of feature for your garden, Paving Superstore has a paving kit to suit your requirements. Click here to see all our paving feature circle, octagons and more

Paving Superstore's Clearance Paving - Why is it so Cheap?

We're often asked why our paving is offered at such a reduced price - presumably there must be something wrong with it. Well, you may be interested to know that there is nothing wrong with our paving, you will not be buying seconds or sub standard quality paving when you place your order with us. We simply sell huge volumes of paving from the major paving manufacturers and therefore obtain specially reduced rates that we can then pass onto you, our customers. We also like to offer you clearance paving products from time to time as these offer even better value. These extra cheap paving slabs are most often surplus stocks that we're looking to sell quickly in order to release the space. These offers are usually based upon limited numbers and you will need to order quickly before the allocation has gone. Very occasionally we will have some items that haven't quite come up to standard and we sometimes offer these for sale, but with a full description of the fault, for example, the paving maybe slightly thinner than the normal tolerance or the pack is a non standard configuration. So you will always know in advance from the product description if this is the case. Paving Superstore would like to assure you that all products offered for sale are genuine major brands of paving from the most recent manufacturers' brochures, so you can be safe and sound knowing that the quality is that which you would expect with a reliable brand. Click here to see our current special offers on paving

Setts Please - We're British

The quintessential English country home usually has a 6mm gravel driveway as its standard time-tested uniform, however how practical is this surface and should other options be considered? When first laid and raked even, gravel looks delightful, however over time, the finish can become worn, leaving tyre track areas prone to puddling. The other issue affecting the majority of gravel driveways is the area at the end of the driveway where it meets the public highway. Often this area is exceptionally worn from repeated tyre spinning when making that quick getaway.

A simple answer is to create a cobble sett apron to the driveway to provide traction when accelerating away from a static position in addition to considerably reducing the amount of gravel taken onto the public highway, therefore retaining a tidy appearance at the front of your property.

In a similar way, the gravel from the driveway is often walked into the house and therefore a similar approach is viable at the entranceway to your home.

If the gravel has all become a bit too much, then why not consider creating a cobble sett driveway instead of the usual driveway blocks. Cobbles setts are far more informal in appearance than traditional block paving and offer a rustic charm and courtyard style.Cobble setts also look stunning when used as a pathway in the garden, especially when combined with use as a pathway edging around beds and borders to complete the look.

Natural stone cobble setts are available in a spectrum of sandstone colours, dark sultry black limestone and old English street granite. Other, less used stone types such as porphyry offer a different, more unusual appearance.Like paving slabs and flags, cobble setts require laying in a full mortar bed and pointing in between which can often take longer than concrete block paving, but it's worth it for the finished appearance.To see our full range of cobble setts click here