A Natural Stone Patio can Transform a Garden

The snow has only just melted and my garden is looking a bit of a mess but now is the time to start planning the transformation of my outdoor space if I am to enjoy it when the weather improves. After years of putting up with battered concrete slabs the time has come for a facelift – this year my garden is truly going to be an extension of my indoor living space with beautiful natural stone tiles on my patio. Now all I have to do is choose the right ones to improve my home both from the inside and outside…

The style and colour need to complement the mixed (but mostly yellow) old stock brick of the house and the surface finish is also important as there will be young children playing on it. So it needs to be tough and hard-wearing but also quite smooth to avoid too may scrapes when the little ones fall over.

Most natural stone has an extremely long life-span – think of the Greek and Roman ruins across Europe – the whole buildings may not be in tact but beautiful natural stone slabs and pillars are still standing. Even after hundreds or thousands of years of weathering their finish is still beautiful.

So how do I make the right choice?

Not forgetting, of course, my budget.

Clearly the choice is not just about how beautiful they will look this summer but also how the patio will look in a few years’ time since I won’t be changing it again anytime soon.

Natural stone tiles are available in a huge range of types, shapes and sizes from widths of 300mm home improvementupwards so I plan to use a random layout as it is quite a large area and I think this will soften the expanse. Although natural stone tiles can be expensive, the advantages of a natural stone patio are that it will look beautiful from the day it is laid for a lifetime and is available in such a variety of colours and styles that I am confident I will find the right ones for my type of home. I expect their finish to weather over time, which will add to their beauty, but I know they will not fade as coloured concrete alternatives do. With its resistance to severe weather and relative low maintenance, it will easily survive many more bad winters such as this one.

I have considered cheaper alternatives to natural stone but nothing quite beats the unique look of natural stone on a patio.

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1 Response

  1. March 30, 2016

    […] is a hard-wearing natural stone that is perfect for a patio as it needs very little cleaning or maintenance once it has been laid and it is known to weather […]

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