The beauty of Natural Stone

Even in the temperate climates of the UK there’s nothing quite like relaxing outdoors.  Regardless of size, an outdoor space to sit, eat and entertain is truly magical.

Homebuilders and developers are seeing the value and importance of these outdoor spaces with the trend of indoor/outdoor living on the rise.

Commercial developers have also been encouraged to include social spaces in their schemes with the Department for Communities and Local Government stating ‘shared and public spaces are vital ingredients of town centres and high streets.  These spaces are what knit a place together’.

The days of a boring mass of square grey slabs are long gone and in many places, paving plays both a practical and aesthetic role.

About 10 years ago, paving with natural stone staged a comeback.  With its lovely natural feel, it can give a superb warm texture to your outdoor space and will wear beautifully. Hard-wearing and durable natural stone is a great investment that will last for years.  Slabs are less prone to crack or break when handled compared to other materials and can endure cold conditions.

Natural stone holds many virtues however it is not an inexpensive solution.  Care should be given when choosing the jointing method as to not compromise the overall look and feel.  premjoint from UltraScape has been specifically developed to work with natural stone paving applications.

Traditional jointing materials can look patchy and discolour.  premjoint has been formulated using coloured quartz for its excellent shades and colour stability compared with others on the market which rely on mixing quartz with sand.

Using popular natural paving slabs as a guide, each shade has been developed to perfectly complement the stone. Natural Cashmere is a warm honey gold that when used with Cotswold Stone creates a traditional look.  Storm Grey is a true ‘grey’ jointing solution that perfectly complements Indian Slate and York Stone.  Pitch Black creates a bold statement when used with Quartz or the increasingly popular Carbon Black Limestone.

premjoint eliminates the need for hand pointing it can be used in all weather and is frost resistant.  Once applied you can walk on the finished paving in 24-48 hours.

premjoint is a permeable paving solution that can be used with UltraScape permeable bedding mortar perma-bed.  UltraScape perma-bed has been specifically formulated to meet and exceed the strict demands of BS 7533. The product provides a perfect bound base for natural stone paving and cobbles, concrete paving, flags and block paving.  The material is specifically designed to drain away any water migrating into the pavement via cracks or damaged areas, reducing failure.

UltraScape has been developing bedding, priming and jointing materials that have been used and specified by contractors, architects and engineers for over 15 years and is delighted to add the permeable solutions of premjoint and perma-bed to the range.

For more information on premjoint and perma-bed from UltraScape contact ultrascape@instarmac.co.uk or call 01827 254400