Please talk to me about patio paving

[felicitythemangyfox]

Having seen the Indian sandstone thread my eyes have been opened to the fact that not all patio paving is created equal..

We are having a patio installed in a couple of months (to replace the decking and hopefully displace the rats). It's a relatively small area (approx 11m²) facing north so obviously prone to algae, getting slippy etc. We are on a fairly low budget but are thinking long term so willing to spend a bit more if it lasts a lot longer iyswim. Does anyone have knowledge/experience they would like to share?

I have looked at Yorkstone and think it looks nice so views on that would be appreciated.

N.b. we are going for more of a traditional rather than modern look (house is victorian red & yellow London brick) and would like stone to be ethically sourced.

Thanks in advance!

We have York stone and it faces north and east. We do wash the algae off but it’s lovely in the morning with the sun. I would highly recommend it and it’s a good selling point. It’s way better than Indian sand stone. (We have some of that elsewhere).

Thanks Bubbles that's good to know. Would you mind telling me how often you wash it and do you use a pressure washer/herbicide?

Hopeful bump..

York stone is lovely.Please don't buy Indian sandstone. It is not suited to our climate and marks very easily with fungi eg black spot. You'll spend half your life cleaning it and hundreds on a powerful pressure washer. I know this from experience.

Thanks for the advice. York stone does indeed look lovely but omg the price! Can anyone recommend a good, economical, supplier?

Second hand? My stone looks so dreadful after 5 years, even with a pressure washer. Each slab is spotty with black algae spots, and I promise you they do not come out, regardless of what you use.

Reclaimed?

Reclaimed is more expensive!

@Mrsramsayscat would you mind saying whether you had your sandstone sealed when it was installed?