New Patios Stanford in the Vale

Porcelain patio installation in Stanford in the Vale

Porcelain is now the most requested patio we lay. It does not fade; it resists staining and algae far better than natural stone. The slabs are dimensionally consistent, so the joints come out straight, and it stays looking the same for years with almost no upkeep.

It is also the least forgiving material to lay. Porcelain will not bond to mortar on its own, so every slab has to be primed with a slurry primer on the back before it is bedded. Skip that, and the slabs lift within a season. It is the single most common reason porcelain patios fail, and it is why we would rather quote against a specification than against a square metre rate.

We lay porcelain patios across Stanford in the Vale, including large format slabs, matching steps and coping, and porcelain over existing bases where the base is sound.

Patio cleaning and sealing in Stanford in the Vale

A patio that looks past saving usually is not. Most of what you are looking at is algae, moss and ingrained dirt sitting on the surface.

We clean patios with professional rotary equipment rather than a lance, which lifts the dirt without stripping the face off the paving or blasting the joints out. After cleaning, we re-sand or re-grout the joints, treat for weed, moss and algae regrowth, and seal the surface where the material suits it.

Suitable for porcelain, natural stone, concrete paving and block. Call 01367 613046 for a price.

How we lay a patio

Worth checking any quote you receive against this, because the difference between a patio that lasts and one that lifts is almost entirely in the bedding.

1. Excavation to suit the paving and the ground, with spoil removed from site.
2. Compacted sub-base of MOT Type 1, laid and compacted in layers.
3. Full mortar bed. Every slab laid on a solid bed, not on five dabs of mortar. Spot bedding leaves voids that fill with water, and that is what cracks slabs and lifts them in frost.
4. Primer under porcelain, applied to the back of every slab.
5. Falls set away from the building, so water runs off rather than sitting against the house.
6. Finished level kept at least 150mm below the damp proof course, or drainage designed in where levels make that impossible. Getting this wrong causes damp inside the house.
7. Jointing with a brush in compound suited to the paving, rather than a dry sand and cement mix.
8. Clean down: Site cleared, patio washed off, waste taken away.

How much does a Patio cost in Stanford in the Vale

We survey before we price. What moves the figure:

• Size and shape: Cuts, curves, circles and steps add labour.
• The paving: Concrete sits well below natural stone, and porcelain above both.
• What is there now: Breaking out an old patio, concrete or decking and disposing of it adds to the groundwork.
• The ground: Soft, wet or made up ground needs deeper excavation.
• Levels: Sloping gardens need steps, terracing or retaining.
• Access: Everything through a side gate by barrow costs more than a garden a machine can reach.
• Drainage: Channel drains, soakaways and dealing with standing water sit outside the paving.