There are many different types of sealant available and it can be a bit of a minefield choosing which one is right for you. This is not to say that all natural stone should be sealed, but there are times when it is essential. Examples of this might be if you have a north facing or particuarly wet garden. Another instance when sealing is essential is if you are using porous natural stones. Be very careful about which seal you buy. Some of the cheaper seals can leave an awful looking shine on the surafce of the paving, completely changing the look of the natural stone that you originally fell in love with. To avoid this sheen you need to buy an impregnating paving sealant. Impreganting paving sealants fill the holes of the stone which present moisture getting inside, while still allowing the stone to breathe.
http://www.londonstone.com/Sealants-and-Grouts/Stone-Sealant/
There are many different types of slate available on the market today. English & Welsh slate is so far beyond most peoples budgets that it is no longer a viable option for anybody but the extremely wealthy. Most slate now comes from Brazil, India & China. The quality of Brazilian slate is superior to Chinese & Indian slate. http://www.londonstone.com/Interior-Stone-Tiles/Slate-Tiles/
Brazilian slate is much more dense than Chinese & Indian material, so when it is split the result is a flat, even surface and a richer colour. If you are thinking about slate tiles althought the Chinese & Indian varieties are cheaper, it may well be worth paying that little bit extra for Brazilian slate.
London Stone are continually looking to improve the quality of the goods and services we provide. We are currently in negotiations with our Indian partners to further improve the quality of our Indian sandstone paving. There are many different grades of stone quality available on the market. London Stone only supply first grade quality, however we are looking to further improve the quality of the stone we provide. We are now working with our suppliers to initiate an evern more rigorous quality control prior to packaging. While this will increase our costs it sits in line with our policy of continued improvement. We are taking delivery of a large consigment of this new and improved material towards the end of September and based upon the feedback we recieve from our clients we will be looking to roll this out across our complete product range for 2011
http://www.londonstone.com/Exterior-Stone-Paving/Sandstone-Paving/
On first impressions it may seem that natural stone is a hard and unflexible material. This is certainly not the case. With the right tools and skills natural stone can be crafted and then utilized in a wide variety of applications. These diverse qualities go a long way to explaining why natural stone has been used as a building material for centuries. When you also consider that unlike concrete, natural stone will age gracefully it is easy to see why stone is now the first choice for specifiers who are not only loooking for an asthetically pleasing design, but who are also looking to achieve long term value for money. London stone are continually developing our bespoke natural stone services to reflect this rise in demand for bespoke natural stone solutions. http://www.londonstone.com/Bespoke-Stone/
At the end of any natural stone paving project comes the pointing. There are so many different methods of pointing practiced by different people that it has become a bit of a black art. An extremely wet mix will guarantee that the pointing is strong, but the downside to this is the wetter the mix, the more chance of staining the edge of the slabs. What most tradesmen settle for is a semi wet mix which while being wet enough to bond is not so wet that it stains the edge of the paving. The problem with this type of mix that it is prone to flaking away.
We are currently supplying a product called Easipoint. It is a mortar based product which is applied through a mortar gun. It is available in a range of colours and we have found an installation technique which is both fast and minimizes the chance of staining and picture framing. The end result is a durable finish with a consistent colour. Check out Easipoint in the following link:
www.londonstone.com/Sealants-and-Adhesives/Easipoint/
For product specific information on any of the products displayed on our website contact customer support on:
01784 455433
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