DRIVEWAYS & PAVING NOTTINGHAM

We sure almost everyone is familiar with block paving although this have a wider definition than most people will realise. Block paving literally is the use of blocks laid down next to each other to provide a hard wearing outdoor floor surface. A block can theoretically be made from any material but most will be formed from using concrete or clay poured into a block mould to provide a uniform and angular block. Other block materials, often imported, will add more to the variety of options and more natural block such as those cut from granite. The laying process is quite similar across the board but if the block is a harder material which takes longer to cut and blunts cutting blades quicker they will be a little more expensive to install. Cement based blocks are generally the easiest to work with and come in a variety of colours and are very uniform. This means that they are easy to mix and match, so if you want a border or multiple borders it is easy to do. you can use the different colours to create images of letters or numbers as though they were pixel blocks to provide a truly unique driveway or patio. Alternatively you can simply decide on the configuration of how the blocks will be laid against each other such as herringbone, basket weave or stretcher bond, which are shown in more detail on our block paving page.

Resin driveways are extremely popular in Nottingham as they are across the UK. Whilst it will be a choice to be explored as an option it is one of the most expensive driveway materials around so whilst many people will have an initial desire to upgrade their driveway to resin unfortunately sometimes the costs jus becomes a barrier and an alternative driveway surface will be chosen. Clearly the aesthetic appeal of resin is one of the first reasons people will choose it, and the other is that it provides a low maintenance surface too. However, you may have heard mixed reports on resin and that is probably down to there being two main ways of constructing a driveway with resin. The cheaper option being resin bonded and the more expensive and better option being resin bound. We'll go into more detail about the two types on our Resin driveways page but we would always recommend a resin bound surface over resin bonded and would probably suggest looking at an alternative option such as block paving or tarmac rather than going down the bonded resin route..

For the same reasons resin driveways have grown in popularity so has the use of reason for pathways and patios. Whilst we will generally discourage choosing a resin bonded driveway a resin bonded patio will be a more feasible option if resin is definitely what you want and a resin bound patio is just stretching the budget a little too far.

Most resin patio and pathway projects will incorporate an element of block paving to provide edging to the resin. In actual fact choosing a contrasting colour for the block paving  provides a frame to the resin and often brings out its colour more and enhances the aesthetics from the resin.

There are now many colour options for resin with more coming onto the market all the time. We've provide more information regarding the options you could have for resin patios on our page so please have a look there to see if there are any which you like.

Whilst we replace many gravel or chipping driveways in Nottingham we still to install new ones too.

This is the cheapest option for a driveway if you simply want to extend replace the front grass area of your property with a service which you wont get muddy from and along with perhaps a new drop kerb will allow you do bring your vehicles onto you property.

When we install chippings and gravel we know that most people will fear that they will be most prone to weed growth. However we always use the best quality weed membranes to minimise weed coming through from the bottom of the chippings. However, over time the leaves and other general debris will gather on top of your gravel and create a base from which weeds could grow. However, there are many good weed killer products on the market and as long as you apply these on a regular basis you should have a good looking chipping drive which has traditional character.

Whilst resin patios continue to grow and gravel patios continue to decline using different types of paving stones continues to be the most popular option for building a new patio. As with all our work as paving contractors the most important aspect is getting the ground base right and then, depending on the type of paving slab chosen we will fit these in the shape and style you want.

Different paving slab will require slightly different methods of fixing the paving stones down. For example Porcelain paving are very hard wearing due to their low porosity. This low porosity means that mortar has less places to 'soak into' in order to achieve good adhesion to the tile therefore porcelain and other low porosity tiles and slabs should always be laid with an SBR bond product applied to the back of the paver to improve the overall adhesion of the tile to the mortar base.

Below we have listed a number of the most popular types of paver many of which will have colour and size options too. If you have any questions or need help selecting a suitable paving slab please feel free to ask.

Porcelain Paving Nottingham

A few years ago porcelain paving was something most people associated with indoor tiling and flooring but in recent years the outdoor grade of porcelain tiling has rapidly become one of the most sought after patio paving stone and it is easy to see why.

There is quite a wide variety of porcelain paving slabs and whilst white or light grey are the colours most associated with porcelain these are not the only options. Similarly certain paving slabs designs will come in a variety of sizes allowing for a amore interesting paving stone layout rather than the same slab simply being laid next to each other in a continuous row. 

Most people still see Porcelain paving as a more luxurious, highly expensive paving option but they have come down in price to be comparable with may other types of paving slab. Similarly they are often associated with holiday homes which you may see in the Mediterranean with modern houses and pools and yes porcelain paving does look great with modern housing but don't discount certain styles, which can also work very well in older properties too.

Indian Stone paving probably wasn't mentioned in this country twenty years ago but in the last ten and certainly the last five years it has become one of the most sought after paving slabs for both patios and driveways.

Indian stone paving, unsurprisingly is primarily imported as it is a natural stone rather than man made. This means that there will be variations from one slab to the next in the stone colouration but this is one of the reasons it has such appeal - it is natural and that means that anyone having a patio or paved area using Indian stone will have something unique to them. Depending on the importer the edges of the paving slab can differ too. Sawn slabs will have much crisper angular edges and this will allow them to be laid very close to each other and be consistent in their thickness too. The other scenario is that they have been hand cut and as a result there are more subtle variation in edging and thickness. You may wonder who would want to choose the hand cut option but if you are looking to achieve a older cottage style patio the hand cut variety work brilliantly.

Indian Stone is generally associated with sandstone shades and darker buff colours but you will also be able to find shades of greens and purples. It is the mixing of colours and sizes which can really bring some character to a patio or driveways using Indian stone Paving, so please get in touch to find out more.