Natural Stone Paving

A premium finish for driveways and patios with genuine material character

Natural stone paving brings genuine material character to a driveway or patio in a way manufactured products can only approximate — each slab has its own texture and colour variation, and it's a finish particularly suited to period and higher-specification properties.

Unlike concrete block paving, which is manufactured to a consistent, repeatable appearance, natural stone comes with genuine variation in colour, grain and texture from slab to slab, which is exactly what gives it a character that many households specifically want, particularly on period properties where a manufactured product can look conspicuously modern against the building's age. Common options for driveways and patios include Indian sandstone, granite setts and limestone, each with different characteristics — granite setts are particularly hard-wearing and well suited to driveway loading, while sandstone and limestone are more commonly used for patios and pedestrian areas, though certain grades are suitable for driveway use too. Installation follows a similar structural principle to block paving — a properly compacted sub-base, then bedding, before the stone itself is laid — but natural stone is generally laid on a full mortar bed rather than a loose sand bedding layer, since the stone's variable thickness from piece to piece needs a bed that can be adjusted to keep the finished surface level. Because it's a premium material both in cost and in the skill required to lay it well, natural stone tends to be specified where the finished appearance matters as much as the functional job of providing a hard-wearing surface.