Sandstone Pavers and Tiles

Sandstone Pavers or Sandstone Tiles?

It is the same stone. The difference is thickness, and thickness decides what you can lay it on.

Our 30mm sandstone is paving. It goes on compacted road base with a sand or mortar bed, or onto a concrete slab, and it takes foot traffic, furniture and garden use without complaint. The 15mm and 20mm pieces are tiles. They need a sound concrete slab underneath and a full bed of adhesive, because there is not enough stone there to bridge a soft spot. Tiles are the right call on suspended balconies and on slabs where you cannot afford the extra height, and they cost less per square metre.

If someone has quoted you sandstone for a patio and not told you which thickness, ask. It changes the base work more than it changes the price.

The Three Sandstones We Carry

Sunrise Gold is the warm one, gold through to soft rust, with a natural split face that has real grip to it. It comes in 400x400x30mm, 600x400x30mm, and in 15mm as 600×400 and 600×600.

Himalayan White is the pale option, closer to bone than white, also natural split. Sizes run 400×400 and 600×400 in both 15mm and 30mm.

Teakwood is the banded brown one, honed then sandblasted so the surface is smooth but not slippery. It comes in 600×400 at 20mm and 30mm. Teakwood is the one people pick when they want sandstone that does not read as rustic.

All three have matching pool copings and stair treads, so a whole outdoor area can run one stone from the paving up over the steps and around the pool edge.

Why Sandstone Stays Cool

Sandstone is porous, and porous stone does not store heat the way dense dark stone does. On a 35 degree afternoon a pale sandstone terrace is walkable barefoot when a charcoal granite one is not. That single property is why sandstone keeps winning pool surrounds and alfresco floors in this country.

The trade-off is the same porosity. Sandstone takes up spills, red soil and leaf tannin more readily than granite does. Sealing after installation deals with it and makes the surface washable. Plan on resealing every few years in full weather.

Where Sandstone Works, and Where It Does Not

It works for pool surrounds, patios, courtyards, garden paths, steps and wall capping. It is the traditional Australian choice for all of them.

It is not the stone for a driveway. Sandstone is softer than granite and bluestone, and repeated vehicle loading will chip edges and wear the surface where the tyres track. For a driveway use granite or bluestone. Sandstone is also the wrong pick directly under a heavy-shedding tree unless you are prepared to seal it, because tannin staining on pale stone is stubborn.

Buying Sandstone from a Melbourne Warehouse

We import in crate quantities and hold stock in Keysborough, which is why our per square metre pricing sits below the landscape yards buying through a middle layer. Crates run roughly 15 to 27 square metres depending on the size and thickness you pick, and the crate figure is listed on every product page so you can work out how many you need before you call.

Freight is quoted to the address, not to the state. A fair amount of our sandstone goes to Sydney and to Brisbane, usually as a full crate on a tailgate truck. Melbourne customers can pick up from the warehouse if they have the gear to unload.

Samples are free. Order two or three, put them outside where the paving will go, and look at them wet as well as dry. Sandstone changes more between wet and dry than any other stone we sell.

Frequently Asked Questions

How thick should sandstone pavers be?

30mm for anything laid on road base or taking regular use. 15mm or 20mm only over a sound concrete slab, fully bedded in adhesive. Neither thickness is suitable for a driveway.

Do sandstone pavers get hot in summer?

Much less than dark stone. Pale sandstone like Himalayan White and Sunrise Gold stays walkable barefoot in full sun, which is why it is so common around pools here.

Does sandstone need sealing?

It will survive unsealed, but it stains more easily than granite. Seal it after laying if it is near a barbecue, a garden bed with red soil, or a tree that drops fruit.

Is sandstone slippery around a pool?

Natural split sandstone has an open textured face with good wet grip. The honed and sandblasted Teakwood is smoother to look at but sandblasting puts the texture back, so it also works around water.

Can I get sandstone delivered outside Melbourne?

Yes. Crates go Australia wide from Keysborough, most often to Sydney and Brisbane. Freight is quoted per delivery address.