Patio Paving Slabs

Caring for Your Patio Paving Slabs

Arthur_Role — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:33:27 +0000

Few sights are as satisfying to the amateur home gardener as an exquisitely assembled patio, with finely-cut paving slabs that delight with their patterns and colours. While a layout of paving stones is lovely to behold when it is newly laid, however, if left alone over time, these once-beautiful outdoor features will eventually deteriorate. Weather conditions both harsh and sustained, as well as the scrapes and impact of heavy objects caused by all sorts of activities held on the patio, chip away at your patio paving slabs and leave them looking old, worn and damaged. Keeping your patio in a pristine state demands that you do some periodic maintenance work, which doesn’t have to be back-breaking if you know what to do, and do it on a regular basis.

Conduct a timely sweep of dirt and debris from your patio, which do accumulate from the surroundings or from tracking by man and beast alike, so that they don’t cake into unsightly formations and ruin the clean, smooth surface. Pull up weeds and grass that grow between the pavers. Speaking of pavers, purchase some extras for the almost inevitable chipped or cracked ones that you’ll have to replace. Even if stuck to their spot by adhesive or cement, you can usually remove old pavers with a hammer, a chisel, and some careful tapping.

Stains are another common problem — who hasn’t spilled paint, beverages or other stuff on his patio pavement? Well, paint splotches are dealt with easily enough, with some paint thinner and a rag to wipe the stain away gently. After the area is clean, make sure you wash it with a decent soaping. A good scrub brush with tough bristles and some dishwashing liquid are fine for most other conventional stains, and for the seasonal wash that you’d like to give the paving stones. Rust stains can be tricky, as most solutions for cleaning rust may be too corrosive or otherwise damaging to the paving. If the soap and water path doesn’t yield results, you had better look for a product made specially for rust removal on patio paving, which you’ll probably be able to get at a home improvement shop. The best form of treatment for rust stains is prevention; make sure your metal furniture is rustproofed to minimize these kinds of stains. Lastly, oil strains can be quite stubborn, but kitty litter can reverse the damage if the stain isn’t too deep. Just lay kitty litter on the affected area overnight, and clean it up the next day. A grease-removing product, combined with a good scrubbing, should do the trick. Keeping your patio clean is a combination of constant vigilance and the occasional act of character-forming physical labor, but the rewards will be plain as day.

Wicker Patio Furniture and What to Do With It

Arthur_Role — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:59:34 +0000

A gorgeous patio, set finely with an excellent selection of patio paving stones in a design that captivates the eyes, deserves some equally lovely furniture to complement it. One of the more popular choices is wicker furniture, which sports a number of advantages. Wicker furniture is lightweight but sturdy, so it is easy to transport out into your garden area, or stow away in the event of some inclement weather. It also comes in a wide variety of beautiful designs, a few of which are sure to match your amazing patio. Lastly, it is environmentally friendly, since it is formed from fast-growing, sustainable bamboo. Good for you if you’ve got a set just waiting to soak up the sun’s rays. There are plenty of things you can do once your wicker furniture is in place.

Catch up on your reading. I have a pile of books that have accumulated over time, all of which came highly recommended when I bought them, which I have promised myself I would read before I died. On a nice day when it isn’t too hot, it would be good to spend some time lounging on a wicker chair with a good book.

If you have sons or daughters, you know that kids can be a joy simply to watch doing what they do best, which is play around and be children. You can sit outside and keep an eye on them, while ensuring that they get more exercise than if they simply engaged in video games indoors or lay like zombies in front of the television. Even better, the physical activity will tire them out faster, leaving you free later on when they nap for alone time with your spouse or other forms of child-free entertainment.

Speaking of fun for older folks, why don’t you invite your friends over to a cookout? Wicker furniture and a spread of steaks and hotdogs make for great companions, especially when chased with some cold beverages. Catch up with neighbors and loved ones, who will surely admire the pleasant patio environment that you’ve crafted for their enjoyment. If you’re the type who doesn’t like talking all afternoon, consider some card or board games instead to keep you occupied.

Lastly, sometimes you just want to chill out in your patio and put your feet up, basking in the sun after a cold, gloomy winter. When the opportunity arises in the spring or summer, just set your wicker furniture accordingly, and let the sun’s rays warm you. Just remember to apply the appropriate amount of sunscreen first.

Basking in Homemade Luxury

Arthur_Role — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:03:39 +0000

It isn’t too often that I get to spend time relaxing outdoors, what with my busy work schedule and the often inclement weather that plagues my region of the country. For this reason, when the weekend rolls around and the sun is out warming my front yard, I drop everything I reasonably can (not my baby daughter, of course) and prepare to soak in more than a few rays to help my pasty complexion.

Until recently, however, my outdoor area hasn’t been particularly inviting. Overgrown foliage is to blame for some of this; I haven’t been the tidiest of gardeners, and it always seems as if the spotted patches of green that I can behold are perpetually offset by the large stretches of brown and grey. I used to not mind that my yard looked like the remnants of a nuclear wasteland after it had been trampled by a hurricane. Lately, though, what with my growing family and the gentle but firm comments of my wife that I should do something about the look of the garden, I decided to man up and do some research.

It wasn’t hard to come across photographs of home outdoor areas that looked amazing, not just for their manicured lawns but also for the impressive layout of walkways and places for garden furniture that I could see. The stonework of these places was brilliant, simulating old stone blocks that looked like they were carved out of the side of a mountain or crafted by fine artisans of ancient times.

I decided that I, too, wanted a garden that looked like these photographs, a place where I could put out a deck chair and relax with a nice beverage in my hand, and without looking destitute. My research led me to the excellent products crafted by Stoneflair, patio paving stones made to match any sensibility or taste. The sheer amount of color and design variations that I faced was astounding. I could, if I wanted to go for some understated elegance, choose stones that looked like polished marble. Or, if I wanted to be more fanciful, there were stone patterns that blended different colors and textures to create a nifty image on the ground.

In the end, I settled for the Natural Sandstone Paving Modac variant. It’s got this rich reddish-brown look going for it that contrasts nicely with the new, lush foliage that I planted in the garden, and helps to conceal the occasional spot of unplanted dirt that I was too lazy to fix. This afternoon, I’ll get to nap in the middle of a beautiful outdoor setting, with Stoneflair and my local gardening shop to thank for it.

Check out the Modac stone here and let me know if I made the right choice.

Just Another Outdoor Patio Meal

Arthur_Role — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 06:06:05 +0000

The Sunday afternoon meal has become something of a tradition in my family, a way to relax in each other’s company while enjoying a delicious spread of food and drink. I am hopeful that my children will carry on this practice as they grow older, leaving the house to establish families of their own, and perhaps find some time to visit us for a grand celebration of this ritual. For now, however, I am content to help my wife with the preparations as my three children, two boys and a girl, play around in the garden.

And what a garden it is! Once a thing of embarrassing disrepair, a tangled mess of overgrown grass and patches of unsightly dirt, it is now an object of envy from my neighbours, or so I would like to think. Perhaps the closest I’ve come to confirming that are the lingering stares that I occasionally catch from the people in the houses around my own, of the transformation that has occurred. To think that all it took was a few days of honest gardening labour, and a couple of patio stone paving packs.

Now the outdoor area of my home looks much more like those gardens that you see in magazines, a little rough around the edges perhaps, but still much classier than its former incarnation. But I digress. The point is that the garden is now presentable enough that my children and my dear wife, who fancies herself a frustrated interior decorator, will not be ashamed of breaking bread with me while sitting in it.

Soon everything is ready, and the kids are already looking up from their games, enchanted by the fragrance of the spices and the cooking meat. A bowl of mashed potatoes garnished with some cheese and garlic has also been laid out on the gingham cloth that covers the outdoor table, along with a relatively fresh loaf of brown bread with a stick of butter waiting to patted on its slices. This afternoon’s drink of choice is a pitcher of fine raspberry lemonade, crafted lovingly as only a mother of three whose children have rather discerning palates can muster. At once, the kids have started filling their plates, and we wait for the ravenous beasts to pile their dishes until we also dig in. The lemonade is poured as the pitcher is passed around, and as I take my first sip of the thirst-quenching delight, I look around me and wonder how could ever have been satisfied with a pre-stonework garden. Somehow, everything seems to taste better.

Creating An Outdoor Patio For Relaxation And Enjoyment

Patio — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:39:29 +0000

Gone are the days that homes are simply thought of as bed-space and we as mere lodgers. If you’re one of the lucky home dwellers to live in a house and not in an apartment in the heart of a bustling metropolis, you can definitely enjoy all the benefits of outdoor living by simply having your very own outdoor patio. Patio paving areas make for fun family barbeques, reunion cookouts, company sit-down dinners and even neighborhood parties. No matter how easy it might seem, do bear in mind that a lot of money and time can be saved by having a carefully planned out design for your patio before starting your latest home improvement project.

Begin with the end in mind – imagine the look of the patio you desire and start from there. Set your budget cap and go over the materials you have on hand. From concrete to brick, flagstone and natural stone, you’ve got plenty of options, but would do well to discipline yourself to stick to your plan. Pay extra attention to the stonework, as you don’t want to muddle up the appearance of your patio with a bad mixture of shades, textures and colours. Furnishing a patio is a lot like furnishing a small house, as you will have to think about the lighting, incorporate aesthetic features, a roof cover to protect against rain and heat, boundary fences, furniture pieces like tables and chairs, and other odds and ends.

An outdoor canopy makes plenty of sense these days, considering the harshness of the sun against one’s skin in the midday. If you’re expecting visitors to your outdoor patio, that canopy will protect them from the heat and glare of an angry sun, without detracting from the beauty that your patio offers. You may also want to purchase a couple of patio umbrellas to spread the shade around, and keep nosy folks from staring into your business of pleasure. A respite from your hectic day, your own outdoor patio should give you a chance to recharge and smell the roses that you forget are around you. The overall result will be a lush, relaxing environment that blends the comforts of modern living with the beauty of outdoor surroundings.

Stoneflair, Purestone Limestone Paving Tor Blue