What is the difference between porcelain and natural stone?

In short, porcelain is more regular in appearance and tougher; natural stone is as it is - straight from the ground and varied, no two pieces are the same!

How do you work out the square meterage of an area?

Its best to try to break your area up into more manageable, measurable squares or rectangles so that you can achieve the most accurate calculations to get the overall square meterage you require. Then simply measure these areas in metres by multiplying the length by the width to give you the individual M²  for each area, then just add up the total number of these areas to get your complete square metreage required

How do I lay porcelain paving?

Review this helpful article at our blog - find it here

What are project packs?

Also known a patio packs.  These comprise of a mix of the 4 sizes of paving slabs and generally cover around 18-20 m² .  Each pack has a specific number of the 4 sizes of paving slabs to enable a random pattern to be created. Many suppliers only sell in full packs but we are able to to supply you with the exact square meterage or even numbers of tiles required.

Can I order any amount, or sizes, of paving?

You certainly can. At Miles Stone we have the ability to supply you with any amount, of any size, of any of our natural stone paving. From a single piece of paving to any amount of square meterage we are able to fulfill your needs as required.  We can even supply specific numbers of whatever size, or mix of sizes, of tile you may need, just let us know what you want and we are more than happy to sort this out for you.

What are the mix of sizes in natural stone paving

We have aways supplied our natural stone paving in imperial sizes comprising of a mix of 4 sizes – 845x560mm, 560x560mm,560x275mm, 275x275mm to create a beautiful random pattern. We can also supply these in single sizes if required.

What is the difference in the sizes of imperial/metric paving

We use imperial sizes for our Natural stone paving which comprises of a mix of 4 paving slabs -845x560mm, 560x560mm,560x275mm, 275x275mm.  There is also a metric size available which comprises generally of 4 sizes in a 600mm series.

Whats the difference between sandstone and limestone

The main difference in these two stones is in the characteristics  of their natural surface texture.  Sandstone has a riven surface with slight raised ridges on the top of the tiles giving it a lovely natural stone finish.  Limestone, however, is smoother and does not really have the riven characteristics of sandstone which gives it a flatter “orange peel” textured look.

One other thing to consider with limestone is that due to the natural ph balance the stone this makes the suspectable to the weathering and softening of their colours over time.  This by no means effects the durability of the stones.

Why does limestone fade/weather?

Due to the natural ph level within limestone this makes it susceptable to the weathering/softening of the colours within the paving.  This is a completely natural characteristic of limestone and by no means makes the paving any less durable.  Sunlight, uv levels also play a significant part in this process so if you want to slow the weathering process down we would recommend using a sealer to assist with this.  There are also products out their like Drytreat Intensifia which you can use to restore the stone back to its natural colour.

Do you need to seal Natural Stone Paving?

All natural stone is porous and therefore can be susceptible to staining from natural occurring debris such as trees and birds or by accidental spillages.   It’s for this reason that we recommend you seal sandstone and limestone paving to help with the ongoing maintenance of the stone.  Sealing acts similar to a “scotch guard” and will help when It comes to cleaning any marks or staining that may occur and can also slow down the colour weathering of limestone.

Whats the best base to lay a patio on?
Is there a recommended pattern for a 3 size patio random layout?

Of course - please see our suggested 3 size layout below for patios.  In a 600 series patio, this would use sizes 600x600, 600x300 and 300x300. In a 545 series, the 3 sizes would be 560x560mm,560x275mm, 275x275mm.