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Design Dilemma Gardens

Grey Cobbles or Grey Sandstone Paving Slabs For L-Shaped Garden Paths

5 years ago

For unusually shaped garden, L-shaped or one that wraps around the building, what would be the best choice of paving material: Grey Cobbles or Grey Sandstone Paving Slabs ? I want to keep the surfaces in grey colour tones and plant quinces all along the pathways. What do you think?

Comments (2)

PRO
User
5 years ago
I think it depends on your property and what goes best with the house. You will have more joints for weeds to come through and for pointing to deteriorate with cobbles, so that's a consideration. The cobbles are smaller and harder to walk on, whereas the sandstone gives larger flatter areas. Sandstone has it's own problems depending on which type you go for, and, there are quite a few. You can get honed sandstone, which is flatter than the non-honed, providing you with better joints.

We have Indian Sandstone ( unhoned ), looks great but the pointing is a mare due to the uneven nature of the stone, but looking at the fossils in it and the different colours is great.

Nothing will stop the algae though, so you will need to jet wash.................ours has been treated withe everything you can throw at it and it still has to be done at least twice a year. I don't think it's just us, as, our next door neighbour also has sandstone, a different type to us, but they jet wash as much as we do.
Sonia
5 years ago
I worked as a gardener, and I found small paving like cobbles and concrete pavers were a haven for air borne weed seeds. It was a lot of work trying to remove the weeds and I had to resort to weed killer, which I hate. All those joints create the problem. Now I have sandstone in my garden and there is a lot less weeding. It can go a bit green in the winter in shady spots, but I found the green disappeared once the hot summer arrived. Moss and Lichen do not bother me, they are part of the natural world and are very good for creating oxygen, rather like trees! The sandstone is also non slip, even the green bits. Obviously if you hate thr moss then there are specialist cleaners to deal with it.
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Thank you so much guys for your responses, I was really upset yesterday! But then I went out to have another look at the slabs (and managed to move two out of the way to see the third one) and that one was less grey and more... rust coloured? So I think it is a case of the top two were extra grey. In the online pictures the colour seems vastly buff with sections of grey, but the top two slabs were all grey :/ I'm sure I can return them (would need to find the receipt) but what stops me is the builder is coming on Monday (and I just want this patio already - you know how fickle the sunshine is here haha and I feel like I've wasted so much sun already :D ) but also because the york gold colour (that I think I want) I'd also be buying sight unseen so...... ugh! Lol However, I'm coming around to this colour :) and you're both right, a nice grey can be really nice! I need to stop second guessing all the decisions I spent months making, and triple checking and just let it all progress now, I do belive it's those super last min nerves getting to me! I will breath :)
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