Paving Slabs – Perfect for Patios and Pathways

To enhance the quality and appeal of your home, imagine how a new patio or path would look in the garden. If you already have these, but they look worn out, renewing them could improve the exterior of your house and add value to it too. At Madingley Mulch in Cambridge, we have a range of paving slabs to help you create a stunning feature in your outdoor space, which will last for many years.

So, how do you go about choosing where to place your new patio, or pathway – and what sort of pattern is best suited to your home?

Choosing the place

To choose the best stones, we recommend searching for the right colour and texture to suit your exterior. When you are ready to choose a new patio, check what its uses will be – for eating your meals or sunbathing? If it is mainly intended for socialising and taking meals, then it is a good idea to place it near the back door of the kitchen or dining area.

When you are deciding on the size, if you already have some garden furniture, check its size to see how much space you will need. This will indicate how many paving stones are needed, and the amount of room you will be required to leave for a comfortable gap around the patio set. If your terrace is for sunbathing, then plan to lay it where you will get the most sunshine during the day!

When adding a pathway to your backyard, think about where you want your path to go and the function of it. For a long, narrow space, a straight path will look great down the side of the house and shrubbery. It will offer a space to walk on, to place a washing line next to, or frame the border plants. However, if your back garden is large, and square, you could plan your footpath to meander around the beds and borders, separating them from ornamental structures and specimen displays. This will highlight those features and make the route an essential link to the different sections of the lawn.

Along with your patio or path, you can also create a small number of steps with flagging stones, which will create another interesting feature. To do this, start by making an outline with an aerosol to see where the path fits the best, and then you will be sure to know where the best position for your footpath is.

What type of design

There are plenty of different designs to choose from when adding pathways and patios to your outside area. If you have a traditional house and would like to continue with this style, our Courtyard Paving stones in Old Grey would be a perfect match, with their weathered look of centuries old stone masonry.

For a superior quality stone, which is straight sided for easy use, you could choose Premier Riven Slabs. These are ideal if you need a quick solution to your path and patio needs, with four different shades to choose from to match your colour scheme.

If your home is made from light-coloured bricks, then the natural finish of Rutland Oakham is ideally suited. It has a high-profile riven surface and includes dressed edges, which can be linked together to cover any plot, so they are ideal for driveways and large patio surfaces. A corner kit is also available if you want to finish off the project. Modern homes often need slightly different paving slabs to complement them, and our Textured Paving is a hard-wearing stone with a flecked pattern. This non-slip surface is good for playgrounds too, and, with three different colours, there will be one to match or contrast your exterior building.

Edging

Edges come in different sizes and shapes, so choosing the right one is down to preference. For a natural finish, you can leave the grass to slowly grow over the edges of the pathway, reducing straight lines throughout the lawn and allowing nature to take its course. But if you would like a modern, clean-lined space then our Scallop Topped edging will have a huge impact. You can edge paths and patios in either Round Top edging or Scallop Topped, as both look good against the backdrop of your floral borders and bedding. The traditional edging Terracotta Rope is an elegant edge for paths – bringing back the pre-war style which has been so sought after recently.

Finishing Touches

Adding finishing touches to your patio can be fun. Choosing planters of spring flowers and containers of evergreens will add interest through summer and winter. This will enhance the colours and textures around the courtyard. You can also hang solar lanterns along the path with lighting draped around the trees, which will brighten up and give character to your newly designed outdoor space.

Decorative stones, sharp sand and grout to use for the completion of your patio and pathway are all available at Madingley Mulch. Based in Cambridge, we have many customers from Essex, Suffolk and Bedfordshire.  If you have any queries or would like more information on our paving slab range, click here to contact us.

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