Paving cut to size for your layout
Natural stone slabs cut to set sizes, plus the circles, borders and edge pieces your layout needs, so the work on site is laying rather than cutting.
The layout is the order
Stock paving comes in fixed sizes and packs, and whatever doesn't fit is cut on site. Mixed sizes don't add up exactly either: three 300 mm slabs and their joints aren't the same as one 900 mm slab, so the joints get rebalanced by eye as the paving goes down. Cutting each piece to its work size, the space it fills less the joint, takes that problem away.
When the edge pieces are planned with the rest, the pattern can be shifted so the cuts are even at both sides, with no thin slivers. Slivers are hard to lay and break easily.
Patterns
- Single size, laid in a grid or with offset joints.
- Coursed random: rows of set widths with random lengths.
- Random mixed sizes, from a set of three or more.
- Herringbone or basketweave, from one rectangular size.
- Circles, with rings of equal width, so there's no thin last ring.
- Borders and edging, in equal lengths along each side.
How to measure an area
- A rectangle: the length and the width.
- Any other shape: each side in turn, plus a diagonal if the corners aren't square. Four sides and one diagonal fix a four-sided shape exactly.
- Obstacles: manholes, trees or planters inside the area, and where they sit.
- The edges: which sides meet a wall, a lawn, a door or steps, and which way the paving should fall for water to run off.
- The joint: the width you want between slabs, since it changes the size of every piece.
For example, an L-shaped patio 5 m by 4 m, with a 2 m by 1.5 m corner left out, covers 17 m².
Joints, mixes and spares
Trade guidance from pavingexpert.com, used as checks on a layout.
- Joint width
- Riven paving is usually laid with joints of about 9 to 15 mm, and close-jointed sawn paving with 2 to 5 mm. Tell us which you want, as every piece is cut to suit.
- Random patterns
- A good random layout avoids four corners meeting at one point, and avoids any joint running straight for more than about 3 m.
- Mixed sizes
- Sizes sold as 600 mm are not always 600 mm, so the sizes need confirming before an order. Cut to size, the work size is whatever your layout needs.
- Spares
- Each piece is cut once to its final size, so there's little cutting waste to allow for. You may still want a spare or two of each size.
Choosing the stone
- York stone is a hard sandstone, buff to grey-blue. It's grippy underfoot and weathers well, for paving inside and out.
- Granite is very hard and dense, for kerbs and areas that take heavy wear. A flamed finish adds grip.
- Limestone is fine and even, in pale creams and greys, for interior floors.
Riven stone has a natural, uneven face; sawn stone is flat and even.
What we need to quote it
- The size of each area, with a sketch of its shape
- The pattern, or the slab sizes you want
- The joint width
- Any borders, edging or circles
- The stone, finish and thickness, if you've chosen them
- Where the paving meets steps, walls or a door
- Photos of the space
Don't have every measurement yet? Send what you have and we'll ask for the rest.
Questions about paving cut to size
How much extra should I order for waste?
Very little, if any. When every piece is cut to its final size there's no cutting allowance, as there is with stock slabs cut on site. A spare or two of each size is still useful for later repairs.
What thickness do I need?
It depends on the stone, the finish and what the paving has to carry. Tell us what it's for, such as a patio, a path or an interior floor, and we'll suggest a thickness.
Can I have a circle in the middle of my patio?
Give us the diameter and say whether it stands alone or sits inside other paving. The rings are planned at equal widths, and the paving round a circle is cut to its curve.
Will the colour match the photos?
Not exactly. Stone varies from block to block, so colour and markings won't match a photo. Ask us about seeing the stone before you order.
Can you match paving that's already down?
Send photos in daylight and, if possible, a small piece of the existing stone. We'll tell you how close a match we can get before you order.