Storm Grey Sandstone Copings & Steps

We have branches across the South Coast of England, including Poole in Dorset, Winchester, Tadley, Romsey and Portsmouth in Hampshire. Internal showrooms are available to view in Poole and Portsmouth and external displays are available at Portsmouth, Poole, Winchester and Tadley. 

Please visit our contact page for further information.

Cleaning Slate paving is simple. Use soapy water and a stiff brush or, for tougher stains as well as moss and algae, we recommend using New Clean 60 available from our website. Leave on for around 60 minutes and wash off with a hose and stiff brush or power washer to ensure you have removed all of the cleaner. For further reading, please follow the link to our tech guide:

Outdoor Maintenance Guide

You can lay Slate paving in the same why you would install any natural stone or porcelain paving products. Basically they should be laid on a full wet bed of mortar over a compacted hardcore base, deep enough for the site conditions. For further reading please follow the link to our tech guide:

Outdoor Installation Guide

We would additionally always recommend using a slurry primer when installing slate paving to help bond the slabs and the sub-base together. This will result in a greatly improved installation.

It is possible to scratch slate paving in the same way it possible to scratch any paving material. Scratches are more visible with black slate paving as the scratches appear as light marks on the surface, these marks soon disappear with weathering. Slate has been used for many centuries as a paving material and scratches are part of the eventual character of the stone. Try to embrace the change in the material and its appearance over its lifetime.

As with all paving product over a long period of time you can expect there to be some fading, due to the effect of climate and especially UV radiation affecting the surface layer of the stone. This will be the same for slate paving, but with good maintenance and care your paving will remain the same for decades, well outlasting the life span of the average garden in the UK.

The most important way to prevent slippery slate paving is to undertake regular maintenance and make sure the surface of the slabs is cleaned regularly. More information can be found on our tech guide section link below:

Outdoor Maintenance Guide

Slate paving is generally less porous than most natural stone paving products available today. This greatly helps reduce the maintenance of you slate paving as dirt is less likely to penetrate the surface of the stone. This means that slate paving is well suited to our UK climate and with regular maintenance will provide a long lasting solution for paths and patios.

Slate paving will generally have a natural riven surface which help with slip resistance making it less slippery. Slate is less porous than most natural stones, which does help greatly with maintenance as dirt will tend to sit more on the surface, but this also makes it more important to keep your slate paving well maintained to ensure you reduce any algae build-up which can be slippery if left unchecked.

Yes you will need to keep up regular maintenance to keep your wall and swimming pool coping looking their best. Cleaning all natural stone copings is simple and the same for all types and finishes. Use soapy water, or, for tougher stains as well as moss and algae, we recommend using New Clean 60 available from our website. Leave on for around 60 minutes and wash off with a stiff brush, power washer or a hose to ensure you have removed all of the cleaner. For further reading please follow the link to our tech guide.

If being used around swimming pools we would advise not allowing any of the cleaning products to enter the water as it may have adverse effects on the chemical balance of the pool.

Yes we would always recommend sealing all natural stone copings and steps, this will give some additional protection against hard to remove stains and also help to further reduce the maintenance needs of the product. It is advisable around swimming pools not to seal the stone as you want to maintain the maximum porosity of the surround stone to improve slip resistance.

Always make sure your paving is completely dry before sealing and that you have at least 24 hours of dry weather ahead after sealing has been completed.

Swimming pool copings can be sealed in the same way as all natural stone paving materials, always make sure your paving is completely dry before sealing and that you have at least 24 hours of dry weather ahead after sealing has been completed. With swimming pool areas more care is needed not to spill the sealant into the water as it could upset the chemical balance in the water, or at least sit on the surface of the water requiring additional cleaning of the pool before use. Always read and follow the manufacturers instruction fully when using any sealant products, and ensure you do a small test area first to make sure you are happy with the final finish before sealing the whole patio.

Cleaning natural stone coping is simple. Use soapy water and a stiff brush or, for tougher stains as well as moss and algae, we recommend using New Clean 60 available from our website. Apply with a sprayer and leave on for around 60 minutes and wash off with a hose and stiff brush or power washer to ensure you have removed all of the cleaner. For further reading please follow the link to our tech guide:

Outdoor Maintenance Guide

If being used around swimming pools we would advise not allowing any of the cleaning products to enter the water as it may have adverse effects on the chemical balance of the pool. Please consult with your chemical supplier, before undertaking any chemical cleaning around you pool area.

Travertine paving’s porous nature means that it easily absorbs water making it relatively nonslip. We would recommend using tumbled travertine coping around a swimming pool and not filling the surface of the stone with grout. This will help improve the slip resistance further.

Travertine is an excellent product for pool copings, it is easily worked making a wide variety of designs possible. It is hardwearing and has enough porosity to aid water absorption which draws water away from the surface of the stone helping with slip resistance. Travertine is also available in matching paving stones which will help enhance the look and functionality of any pool area.

We always send a representative sample from the current batch of tiles or paving we have in stock, so as long as you requested a sample close to the time of purchasing, this will help to ensure the tiles and paving you receive matches  the sample you have been sent as closely as possible.

All of our products are either natural or porcelain and therefore there  is always scope for variation in shade, colour and to some extent the texture and finish with the natural products and with porcelain there will always be some slight colour variation between different batches, although the surface texture and finish will remain largely the same. 

We would strongly recommend that you visit one of our showrooms or paving displays to look at the current selection, so you can be entirely sure of what you will receive.

Yes, we recommend you seal all sandstone and natural stone paving upon (or shortly after) installation, to ensure it stays looking at it’s best for longest. Sealing will help make it resilient to staining and increases it’s longevity. We recommend Universeal Hydroseal or for an enhanced look Universeal Ultimate Stone Enhancer

Yes. Our opening hours and address are found on the Contact Us page. We have fork-lift trucks for loading onto suitable vehicles at all sites, and staff are always available to help with loading of smaller items. We highly recommend that you call your local branch, before visiting, to confirm the items you wish to collect are available.