STEPPING UP... HOW TO INCORPORATE TILES, PAVING, CLADDING, CAPPING, FLAGGING AND STEPS FOR YOUR NEXT SANDSTONE PROJECT
The natural and beautiful colours of Australian sandstone can be one of the most striking and engaging features of landscaping projects and architectural designs. Particularly when it comes to tiling, paving, cladding and capping where the visual face becomes the hero feature with our range of banded sandstone colours. Banded brown, white and pink sandstone with its unique visual interest, when integrated into your landscaping, creates a high-quality bespoke look. You can achieve a high-grade landscaped garden on almost any budget. Of course, unbanded sandstone can also have its place in landscaping projects; it depends on the overall garden ideas that you realise in the aesthetic of the design.
Commonly, a “sandstone colour”, is typically understood and associated by everyday Australians as Gosford Quarries medium brown sandstone range. When people think about Australian Sandstone, they observe naturally occurring bedrock and cliff faces in the environment that often have variations of banded sandstone such as the medium brown and pink range. Sandstone has been historically used in civil and residential landscaping throughout the country, and the medium brown colour range comprises many iconic buildings and sandstone structures such as the Park Hyatt in Sydney.
Gosford Quarries Medium Brown Banded Sandstone Colour Range
Gosford Quarries Sandstone, being Australia’s No. 1 Sandstone Supplier, has iconically produced banded Medium Brown Sandstone and supplied all over New South Wales, making it the identifiable sandstone in Australia. However, Gosford Quarries have access to the largest variety of sandstone colours in Australia and can supply a variety of colours for any project.
There are many sandstone solutions at Gosford Quarries Sandstone for any budget and application. In this article, we will outline the various options for incorporating sandstone in flooring solutions such as sandstone tiles, sandstone paving and sandstone capping for walling and sandstone steps.
Not many Australian sandstone supply companies have access to traditional iconic looking Gosford Sandstone characterised by its rich banding, hues and variation. It is in this look and appearance, so recognisable, that the good name of Gosford Quarries Sandstone has become synonymous with actual Gosford Sandstone.
With an emphasis on quality and continuous testing of our sandstone for durability, be aware that if it is not Gosford Quarries Sandstone it is not “Gosford Sandstone”.
Sandstone Paving Products For Landscaping At Gosford Quarries
Sawn pool paving medium brown colour range Crown Casino
Sandstone pavers are commonly requested and specified as a material for flooring applications. Sandstone is an exceptional flooring solution due to the durability, slip resistance and thermal ratings making it a practical and aesthetic choice.
Sandstone pavers are often referred to as ‘stepping stones’ for garden landscaping projects. Pavers and stepping stones are interchangeable terms. There is no difference between the two products except in the ways this sandstone product is laid. Sandstone stepping stones are simply pavers laid and spaced apart; the gaps between the stepping stones are often filled with grass or pebbles to create a pathway.
Gosford Quarries generally recommend various thicknesses for paving projects depending on the intended substrate and application. Whether the stone will be laid on concrete, compressed sand and or gravel or if there will be foot traffic or vehicular traffic will all influence the overall recommendations for thicknesses. Speak to one of our experts to discuss the best paving option for your next project 02 8585 8282.
Firepit entertainment area stepping stones medium brown colour range
If you are looking for sandstone stepping stones for your next architectural sandstone project we suggest to generally request our largest format sandstone tile, shaped or profiled to squares or rectangles. Your choice will be determined by the space in-situ and considerations of how you want to ‘lead’ people through your landscaped area.
Our standard width 400mm wide tiles are perfect for garden stepping stones, with no less than a 35mm gap between the stepping stones, so it is safe to step between each one. Think about a foot span and the distance between natural steps someone takes, and you can see how this is dictated naturally by the average stride.
Sandstone Steps In Garden Landscaping And Design With Gosford Quarries Sandstone
Sawn sandstone steps rock faced finish medium brown colour range
Sandstone steps are a popular product requested at Gosford Quarries to create a new staircase or finish off an existing staircase. Sandstone steps are a fantastic solution as they can be 100% customised in colour, size and edge finish. Customers have a variety of options to choose between for the edge finishes such as bullnose, split-faced, rock-faced edge finishes or gang and diamond sawn face finishes for a superior, bespoke look.
Curved rock faced walling, bullnose steps, brown sandstone colour range
Sandstone Solid Step or Step Tread And Rise Sandstone Products
Ballast random squared walling retaining wall, sawn steps, “White Range” colour range
If there is not a pre-existing staircase, Gosford Quarries can also supply a solid sandstone step product instead of a step tread and riser option.
A solid step means that the sandstone product is profiled out of one solid sandstone piece usually 180mm standard step height. You can customise any solid steps to the length and width of your space. You can also customise heights to achieve staggered steps to reach the top of the overall staircase height. The height of each step is referred to as a ‘riser’ in architectural terms.
Sandstone steps, rock faced finish, medium brown colour range
There is, however, a formula for proportion in public places. A wide step and small riser could potentially be dangerous in a design.
Gosford Quarries Sandstone standard products for sandstone steps feature our solid landscaping steps, between 900mm-1200mm length and 350mm-400mm wide and 180mm high. They have a split-faced finish on the front and back edge, smooth, sawn, top and bottom and ends. They also feature a nonselective colour range. Our standard sandstone step is an economical and practical solution for any landscaping project.
“Suppose you are after a more controlled colour range, size or finish on your solid steps. In that case, Gosford Quarries sandstone steps can be customised to any requirements; however, this will be a premium cost product due to the customised nature of the request.”
Sandstone Step Treads In Landscaping
The alternative to having a solid sandstone step is where you have existing stairs and can reface the steps to appear like solid sandstone.
Sandstone step treads are also available at Gosford Quarries in a 50mm, 75mm or 100mm thickness and can be bullnosed, rockfaced, hydrasplit, diamond or gang sawn in the sandstone finish.
Architects will often use step treads and riser combos. The step tread refers to the landing of a step (the part you step on) and the “riser” refers to the thin upright cladding for the back of step reveals. Step and riser combos can create an exciting facelift to existing staircases. The “step and riser” combination gives the illusion of having solid sandstone steps.
Large Sandstone Rocks Profiled As Seats And Steps
Gosford Quarries Sandstone Landscaping blocks, yarning circle
Gosford Quarries large landscaping blocks have been used extensively in large landscaped gardens, civil and public council landscaped spaces, not only as solid retaining walls but as rustic seating and even stacked as large steps. These large blocks are ideal solutions to sloped and uneven spaces which call for a tiered application. There are a variety of standard stock items such as Gosford Quarries 1000mm x 500mm x 500mm landscaping logs or 1000mm x 300mm x 300mm Landscaping Billets. However, much like the other products at Gosford Quarries, these can be customised in size, colour and texture to suit any project needs.
Quarry run landscaping logs and landscaping sandstone steps
Sandstone Tiles For Garden Landscaping Projects At Gosford Quarries
When architects call us or visit us at one of our showrooms in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, people usually ask to see our range of sandstone “tiles”. Usually, clients have considered porcelain tiles, travertine, slate, granite, reconstituted material, glazed tiles, all of which can be used as flooring and wall cladding.
“Standard tiles” are usually used to refer to products with a thickness of around 6mm-10mm. However, Australian sandstone is different. Australian sandstone cannot be cut in the same thickness as porcelain or man-made tiles. The thinnest we can cut Australian sandstone is 18-20mm thicknesses, and even so, this product is only suitable for non-load-bearing wall cladding application.
Sandstone tiles and any thin cut sandstone is only suitable for wall cladding, not flooring. This is due to the sedimentary and porous nature of Australian sandstone which would compromise the durability and integrity of the natural material if cut too thin. The 18mm-20mm lightweight, honed cladding is not suitable for pin fixing, paving, flooring or installation above head height; they are intended as an aesthetic facade for low retaining or feature walls.
This is not to say that sandstone is not suitable for floor application period, rather, it just means that the thicknesses of sandstone tiles, commonly referred to as “paving” will have to be adjusted to suit the intended substrate and application.
There are various substrates for floors; These are compressed sand and gravel or a concrete slab. Architects will consider sandstone tiles to cover these substrates or to retile over existing tiles.
Gosford Quarries recommend 30mm thick sandstone tiles on level concrete slabs that are completely compact, with no air pockets or undulations. Alternatively, suppose the sandstone pavers or sandstone tiles are going to be laid down on a compressed sand gravel base. In that case, we recommend thicknesses of no less 50mm for the sandstone tile to ensure the stability and integrity of the material.
Sawn paving, medium brown colour range
Sandstone Tiling and Sandstone Cladding At Gosford Quarries
Honed sandstone cladding, COS store, Gosford Quarries Pink colour range
Sandstone tiles and sandstone cladding are also interchangeable terms, as are the counterpart terms tiling and paving discussed above. People who use the terminology ‘sandstone tiles’ are typically industry professionals such as tilers and builders.
Split faced sandstone wall cladding, medium brown colour range, Pennant Hills Golf Club
Sandstone cladding refers to any material used as a superficial facade intended to enhance the aesthetic visual value of a wall. Sandstone cladding is a non-load bearing material to cover a surface; this allows a skilled architect to bring in a textural, visual interest to any project. This is particularly true of a feature wall and any sandstone fireplace or enclosed entertainment areas. Sandstone cladding is also useful for weatherproofing and protecting outdoor spaces.
White-light brown Select rock faced sandstone cladding, with sawn fireplace mantle
At Gosford Quarries, not only are we able to produce sandstone tiling in its classical honed format but we also have wall applications such as a texture split rock-faced finish available. These sandstone tiles can be utilised for internal and external applications. Sandstone cladding can vary in size, thickness, thickness, colour (banded or unbanded colour ranges), depending on how you wish to specify the sandstone product.
Rock faced outdoor fireplace, Pure white colour range
Sandstone Flagging Products at Gosford Quarries
Sandstone flagging or “split flagging” is a sandstone product commonly used to create random, irregular patterned “crazy” paving or “sandstone cobblestone”. Sandstone flagging, as a natural stone product, can also be used as a wall covering, functioning as wall cladding.
Choosing Australian Sandstone means every piece of sandstone brings the originality of textural and colour interest to a floor or wall.
There are two main types of flagging: sawn flagging; “crazy paving” and “split flagging”.
Add Texture And Interest To An Outdoor Space With Irregular Paving - Sandstone Crazy Paving
“Sawn sandstone flagging”, is utilised to create “crazy paving”. When considering sandstone crazy paving, irregular pieces of natural sandstone are put together and laid out like a jigsaw puzzle. These paving products are sourced from large sandstone sheets called “slabs”. These slabs can be colour selective and are broken up and pieced together by landscapers and stonemasons. Installers may also use off-cuts from standard pavers; these are not consistently irregular. Sawn flagging can be diamond gang sawn in any of Gosford Quarries’ colour ranges for a superior and bespoke finish.
Split flagging features a textured face split directly from the quarry and is untreated. There is no colour selection of this raw material and ranges in thickness. Split flagging is a popular rustic choice for stepping stones and creates natural cobblestone-style paving. Basically, this sandstone product is like a more flat textured stone that can be used as a floor in an outdoor rustic finish design meant to blend in with natural environmental surrounds.
Random square rock faced sandstone cladding, capping and crazy paving pool surround, light-medium brown colour range
Sawn flagging used to create “Crazy paving”, Brown Range Colour
Sawn flagging used to create “Crazy paving”, light- medium Brown Colour
Sawn flagging used to create “Crazy paving”, Brown Range Colour
Specifying Sandstone For Your Next Architectural Project
Our sandstone experts at Gosford Quarries Sandstone can assist and support you in specifying any sandstone product to apply and match to the vision of your architectural design. Working closely with our team will ensure the integration of any unique and high-quality sandstone product you choose to apply with innovation and the individualistic ways you have imagined.
Dealing with Gosford Quarries brings peace of mind, knowing everything executed in your sandstone project has the right expert advice; a project that will withstand the test of time and remain a legacy to your creativity for many years to come.
“Remember, if it’s not Gosford Quarries Sandstone it’s not Gosford Sandstone.”
Call us at Gosford Quarries today 02 8585 8282.
A shorter version of this article appeared on the Outdoor Design Source website here.