BFG Garden Maintenance

Patio slabs / flagstone choices

SANDSTONE

Sandstone slabs are hand cut with a riven finish, and available with circular and octagonal motifs for an individual look. Available in a range of stunning colours including Fossil Mint, Sunset, Sunrise, Forest Glen, Sunset Flare and Mountain Mist. For an authentic aged look BFG also offer tumbled sandstone in Sunset, Forest Glen, Twilight and Fossil Mint.

RIVEN

Riven-effect -is the name given to those patio flags manufactured from cast concrete that mimic the appearance of the traditional old stone flags. There is a vast range available, and an equally massive range of quality to suit, from cheap'n'cheerful budget flags sold by the DIY chains, to top quality, highly accurate copies that can easily pass as genuine stone to the untrained eye. The better quality ranges come in a wide selection of plan sizes to enable traditional random layouts to be laid.
While the budget flags, have their uses, they really aren't very authentic. They are often knocked out by the DIY sheds with amazing claims that "you too can build this stunning patio for under £100". If you're looking for realism, you're going to have to pay a lot more!
Generally speaking, you get what you pay for with all of these riven flags. The cheap'n'cheerful usually have a low cement content, are worryingly thin, down to 20mm in some examples, and with poor dyes that fade in UV light. They also tend to come in just one size, 450x450mm.
The quality products from the big manufacturers tend to have better dyes, a higher cement content, and are generally that bit thicker. To emphasise the quality, they usually come in a wider range of sizes, often based on a 150mm module, so pattern formulation is fairly straightforward.
Give some thought to the surface of these flags. While some have a reasonably smooth finish, others are exceptionally 'bumpy', making them difficult for those unsteady on their feet, young children in pedal cars and the like, and, in some cases, it can be almost impossible to stop the patio table from rocking.

Obviously, the aesthetics will often drive the choice of flagstone, and while heavily textured riven effect paving might seem to be the ideal choice for a country cottage, the amenity or useability of the flags should be considered. Back in Ye Olden Dayes the property owners didn't choose rough textured flagstones because they looked pretty: they were chosen because there was nothing else!

TEXTURED PAVING

Textured flags are those with a surface that has been altered in some way. These include a coarse textured finish, the smooth ground or polished types, and the exposed aggregate ranges. Most of these types of flags are manufactured by wet-press methods, rather than casting in a mould as the rivens and decoratives tend to be, and we generally find them to be somewhat stronger.
There is a good range of shapes, sizes and colours available to suit every application. The exposed aggregate flags can look stunning when used sympathetically with the immediate area, and the smooth ground types are our personal favourite. We find that the coarse textured flags very rapidly become a haven for mosses and lichens in untrafficked, shady spots although they sometimes can be successfully cleaned with a power washer, if the jointing is sound and the paving is competent and intact.

DECORATIVES

Decoratives includes all the other flags that don't fit into one of the above categories. There are flags mimicking cobbles, setts, old bricks and even wooden decking and railway sleepers, as well as flags making an attempt to look like block paving, stuff with leaves or cheesy wildlife images stamped into the surface.

There is a vast range available, although some products are specific to local manufacturers, and the larger Builder's Merchants tend only to stock the products of the big, national manufacturers. Once again, it seems fair to say that you generally get what you pay for. Some will be soft 'fence post' concrete, while others are quality products. At the end of the day, it's a matter of personal taste. It is you that has to live with the chosen flag.

PATIO CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

There are only two essential layers to light-use flagged paths and patios: the flags themselves and the bedding. For pavements experiencing heavier usage, or where the ground (sub-grade) is unreliable, a sub-base may be used. Drives, forecourts and public footpaths should use the thicker type of flags (50/63/70/80mm) or may use a concrete sub-base onto which the flagstones are laid directly before it sets.

Patterns and Designs

There are many techniques to make these flags look even more glamorous. They can be combined with paving bricks to create borders or panels of contrast and they are available in a variety of colours.