LANDSCAPING
Obviously, the odd job builders have no idea how to lay paving properly. That is when homeowners begin to have problems and they call us up.” She explains that there has been instances when a customer has employed an “odd job builder” to construct their patio, and they do not do the job properly. The customer then feels it is a fault with the product, and they call up Pavestone to express their grievances with the issues they are having with the product.
Pavestone then sends someone out, who it trusts, to correct those faults. Williams adds that some people may just not have enough money to have their patios done properly, this be could be because of the cost-of-living crisis.
She also says customers should be
aware of how to ensure their patios are winter ready, whether that be through products used to keep your patio clean or using a paving product that is ideal for winter conditions. “For instance, we have our own range of cleaning products. For a patio or driveway our products are completely safe to use. There are lots of products in the industry which claim to be safe to use but they are not,” she says.
Quality cleaning “A bad product can eat away at the surface; some products are suitable for natural limestone products but other products might not be suitable. When a product is not suitable for a particular patio, for example with a limestone patio, it will eat away at the slab and it can burn away the top of it. Which would then mean we have a homeowner who is very upset, and rightly so. This is why it is so important for people to make sure they get the right product for the their patioes.” “Another example of something that could happen; is that it could turn the constumers patio from its original lovely grey colour to brown. This happens when the wrong product is used, it burns away the colour. This could lead to the customer having a patchy looking patio, something that they do not want. “For natural sandstone you can sometimes get a layer algae form over the surface of the paving, this can make it extremely slippery and wet. This makes it really dangerous, it can be like an ice skating rink. “We offer a range that is suitable for all paving stones, it can be used on sandstone, limestone and any concrete patios. I think
that it is probably the best way to give it a completely good clean.” Williams recommends customers pay close attention to the surface of their patios to ensure that they can stand the test of time, so customers get better value.
The market is still definitely leaning more
towards Porcelain, because the maintenance required for a Porcelain patio compared to a limestone patio is much lower. It is also frost resistant and algae resistant.
So, it is ideal for the winter months as well as the summer months.
She says “if you use our Black Spot and
Algae remover, it is a really quick way to deal with that problem. It saves the consumer from having to scrub away at their patio. You just leave it on the surface and that will make sure it does not have algae on the top of it. “So, if it does rain the patio will not be your slippery. It is ideal for elderly people or anyone who is not as stable on their feet. A slippery patio can actually be quite dangerous.”
Which colour? Recent Sandtex Trade research has revealed that 95% of people deem the colour of the outside of the property important when looking to purchase a new home.
Colour is one of the most important topics when discussing a new patio. It can sometimes make or break the customer’s choice between
September 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
going ahead with the plans, or, if they are unable to decide between colours, they could prevent them from going ahead w ith a new patio all together. Williams says that grey is still the defacto number one choice for customers, but that more people are beginning to go down the beige route. “My current favourite is greige, a mix between beige and grey, which is one of our most popular colours right now. I think many householders are looking for something that is different, but not too different, and this is how we created the idea for the colour.” Sustainability is also a hot topic right now for businesses across the country, with every company bringing out its net-zero targets. Williams explains how at Pavestone, this is no different. She says: “Through everything that we do we are constantly seeking out ways to improve our carbon footprint. The nature of the work does involve a certain amount of use of single use crates and plastics. However, we always make sure we recycle and reuse things that can be. For example, the crates that we use for transporting paving slabs get mulched down and used for animals.” Williams concludes: “I think it is going to be a challenging time but we are hopeful that we can keep on going on as we are and we endevour to provide support to our builders’ merchants through this troubling time.” BMJ
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