STONE OPTIONS FOR YOUR PAVERS

Stone paving is ideal for outdoor areas such as patios, entertainment areas, around the pool and piazzas. Pavers are thicker than tiles, typically being around 30mm compared with a standard 10-15mm tile. This gives pavers an enormous amount of strength, and allows them to be used on softer substrates such as packed earth topped with sand. But with so many options available, how do you know what stone pavers will best suit your home?

Pavers come in a huge range of formats and patterns designed to suit a range of different traffic loads and substrate materials. Pavers come in squares and rectangles, but can be custom made to suit any design. Custom orders generally take around 12 weeks to produce.

Bellstone Stone and Slate Specialists have been producing high quality stone products since 1991, and invest heavily in scientific testing on all of their stone products. So confident are we of the stone we use, Belstone offers a 100% guarantee on all products purchased.

As for the options available, these include:

Willow sandstone paver

Willow Sandstone Pavers come in two options – a honed surface or a natural split surface. Both options are available in bullnose coping, and the honed surface comes with additional calibrated thickness. Sandstone has been rigorously tested to ensure slip resistance, making the pavers ideal for wet areas such as around the pool. Despite being incredibly “grippy”, honed willow pavers offer a silky smooth finish when dry.

Willow Sandstone pavers offer ultimate flexural strength and great water absorption. They are also resistant to salt attack, making them ideal for coastal areas and homes with a salt water pool.

Willow Sandstone Flagstone is available in crate lots, with each crate containing approximately 25m2 of loose pieces. Pieces vary in size, thickness and shape, with the largest pieces being up to 1300x500mm. The effect of the varying sizes makes for a unique and casual pool area, while the structured pavers offer a more formal look.

Sofala quartzite

Quartzite is tough, dense and incredibly durable, but has an unmistakably decorative quality and beauty. One of its greatest benefits is that it is one of the most stain resistant building materials on the market.

Quartzite is well known for its stain resistant qualities, but even so, it is always recommended that spills be cleaned up immediately to prevent any discolouration. If being used around the barbecue area, pavers can be coated with a sealant that will help protect it from oil and grease stains.

Like any pavers, quartzite gets dirty but with quartzite the dirt is often hidden. The grey disguises dirt beautifully, meaning quartzite is a relatively maintenance free product.

Quartzite is also highly salt and slip resistant, making quartzite pavers ideal for deck areas around a salt water pool.

Sofala Quartzite comes in pavers, bullnose coping and random cladding pieces. For a more informal look, Sofala Quartzite comes in flagstone paving. Flagstone creates an exquisite effect when used as a garden path, and its stain resistant qualities make it ideal for a high traffic area.

Bellambi bluestone

Bluestone is a popular choice for outdoor paving, pools and patios, as it offers low-glare and stays cool even on the hottest of days. Bluestone is incredibly tough and the darkness of pavers make them ideal for high traffic areas prone to stains and dirt. It comes with a five star strength rating and the flamed finish provides a safe, grippy surface when wet. This makes Bluestone a favourite amongst landscapers, who say the stone provides a safe walkway between garden beds.

The Bellambi Bluestone offers a five star salt resistance, making them ideal for coastal properties or around the edge of a salt water pool.

Bluestone is made from basalt – a volcanic derivative. This makes it prone to holes, which can affect its overall durability. Bellambi Bluestone is no exception, but holes are so small that they have no impairment over the stone’s strength. And the holes are barely visible, meaningBellambi Bluestone is one of the most visually appealing stone products on the market.

As well as pavers, Bellambi Bluestone also comes in step treads.