Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend sealing all paved surfaces, especially those in high traffic areas. While not all natural stone needs to be sealed, it does help to reduce general maintenance and will keep your stone looking better for longer.
Sandstone
Due to it’s porous nature, we always recommend sealing Sandstone, especially in applications around pools and BBQ’s where it will see a high level of wear and tear. In most cases it’s good practice to dip seal Sandstone before installation.
If you’re not sure whether sealing is right for your project why not get in touch with us to find out
If you’d like to save some cost, sealing is definitely something that you can do yourself. Our recommended sealer, ProtectGuard HD, is water-based and eco-friendly so you’re not handling anything unsafe.
If you’re looking for a sealing applicator, Guard Industry or Prestige Surfaces should be able to help.
As stone is a natural product, it can be found all over the world. Some of the countries we source our stone from include; Australia, China, Egypt, Turkey and Iran.
In short, no. Just because a stone is more expensive doesn’t mean that it’s better quality.
Factors that contribute to expense include things like; additional transport from quarry to factory, certain natural products are less abundant than others, driving up the raw material cost, or -as with many Australian stones – the local costs could be higher than alternative products.
There are certainly occasions when a low cost indicates a low quality product. It’s very important to speak to your supplier to understand what you’re buying and what sort of quality you can expect.
All natural stone does contain an amount of crystalline silica. You can read more about this topic in our Crystalline Silica in Stone article.
As with any manufacturing or processing, correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be worn when working with stone. In general, yes, it is safe to cut natural stone but precautions should always be taken to avoid injury.
Bench tops are something which we’ve decided not to supply. While we have the facilities to produce them, bench tops require a lot of work and are best left to those who have the experience.
Whether natural stone is better than concrete or reconstituted paving is really a matter of opinion. Of course we consider natural stone to be the better option but, ultimately, it depends on your personal preference and the application.
Natural stone is available in hundreds of different colours and, with numerous finishes and textures to choose from, the options are almost endless. Many natural stones are also easy to clean and maintain and are resistant to scratching, burning and charring from hot items.
In addition to this it can also be easily fabricated, using curves, arches and 90-degree angles.
Natural stones are incredibly resilient and as such, under normal circumstances, should not chip or crack – especially when installed correctly. Many of the problems we encounter are due to poor installation techniques or improper care of the stone.
As with anything, if left in the sun long enough, even natural stone will eventually heat up – especially in Australian conditions.
The wonderful thing about natural stone is that we have hundreds of colour choices. We recommend when paving an area that will be exposed to extreme sunlight that a lighter shade and a denser product be selected.