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Indian sandstone patios look fantastic, but the cost isn’t always straightforward.
Prices vary depending on your chosen slabs, how much prep work is needed, and what installers charge in your area.
The good news?
With some planning, you can keep costs down and still get a stunning finish.
By the end of our Indian sandstone cost guide, you’ll have a clear picture of the prices, materials, and labour involved in creating a stunning patio.
Let’s dive in.
Indian sandstone is a natural stone from India that is often used for outdoor areas like patios and garden paths. It’s made from quartz grains that have bonded over the years, creating a solid, good-looking paving option.
Indian sandstone is an excellent natural stone paving choice. Available in various colours and styles, it’s already become one of the most popular materials for new patio installations.
Indian stone paving is a high-quality product that produces a stunning patio surface. Though it may represent a higher material cost than traditional paving slabs, Indian stone looks excellent in a modern patio design.
The installation cost for Indian stone paving varies significantly depending on whether you hire professionals or attempt a DIY project.
Hiring skilled landscape gardeners or contractors ensures a higher quality of work but comes at a more significant expense than self-installation. It’s crucial to weigh the cost against the expertise and long-term durability provided by professional installation.
The prices of sandstone slabs can vary considerably. Some products may be cheap imitations that, whilst looking okay, might be made from much lower-quality material.
Another consideration is the cost of transporting the materials from the source.
The price is often passed on to the customer and is expected when dealing with premium products like natural sandstone. The quality and colour of the flag you choose may need to be brought up or down the country.
Stockists, which we discuss below, sometimes don’t have these flags in stock and huge numbers.
This mostly depends on whether the materials have been purchased directly by the customer or whether the sourcing of the sandstone is included in the proposed contract with hired tradespeople.
Some pavers will be happy for the customer to purchase the patio materials directly and employ them as labourers.
Others will be more comfortable sourcing the materials themselves to ensure that the markup on the job is worth their time.
Generally speaking, it’s best to leave the sourcing of paving material to the professionals; this way, you can be sure that the product is of good quality and that the installation will be trouble-free.
Even if they add a markup, patio companies get huge discounts from builders and merchants compared to the prices they charge the public.
Riven Sandstone is the most budget-friendly option among Indian sandstone types, typically costing around £28-£33 per square metre. This style retains a natural look with less processing involved, offering a cost-effective yet appealing choice for patios with its varied textures and authentic look.
Mid-range Indian sandstone, priced at £29-£34 per square metre, undergoes machine processing to produce Sawn Sandstone with smooth, accurately cut edges and a slight sheen. Ideal for modern designs, these slabs lay uniformly.
Premium Indian sandstone, costing £33-£38 per square metre, is finely processed for an exceptionally smooth, matte finish and slip resistance. Uniformly cut for consistency, this high-quality paving option offers durability and a visually appealing patio surface.
For a standard patio paving project, a single paver will charge around £150 – £200 daily.
Considering that one or two labourers will be required to help, the overall labour cost to lay Indian sandstone will likely be around £300-£400 per day.
Additional costs can accrue if extra work is done, like digging out a drainage channel or adding retaining walls. Most companies prefer an overall quotation for a complete installation.
Many homeowners need to account for proper drainage during patio installation. Improper drainage can cause serious issues, such as subsidence, cracked patio slabs, and water pooling.
Consider how the water currently drains, whether there are any aco drains, or whether your garden has a surface water drain.
If laid in the patio correctly, these can be inset to the paving slabs and seamlessly blend into the design. Inset manhole covers are expensive, usually costing around £250 to install a single cover.
The benefit of these inset covers is superficial. Still, considering that laying a patio is already costly, the unsightly alternative can ruin the high-quality look of your finished Indian stone paving.
To properly finish your patio area, you’ll need to install edging. The options available have a wide price range, but choose wisely, as this will significantly impact your finished patio.
Pin kerbs are the cheapest option, at around £5-£20 per unit.
Block borders are similarly priced, at approximately £10-£30 a unit, and are often the most durable option.
Boot kerbs are larger and more expensive but require less labour to install.
Finally, a garden wall is the highest-cost edging material and will generally be considered in the design process of a patio installation.
The choice of jointing material is vital for the longevity and maintenance of your patio. Simple sand and cement mixes are inexpensive but messy and less reliable than jointing compounds with sealant properties.
These compounds enhance the patio’s resistance to weeds and weather and support better water drainage, making them preferable for a well-finished patio surface.
During the average patio installation, a two-person team of labourers can excavate 20-30 square metres a day.
Using this metric, you can see that the size of the existing patio that needs to be excavated and removed can significantly affect the cost of any paving job.
If further foundation work is needed, like removing sub-base aggregate and levelling a garden, the price to excavate and lay a patio can quickly increase even further.
Removing old patio slabs and other garden waste is essential but costly. Depending on the patio’s size, a typical project may require multiple skips.
A 4-yard skip now costs £180, while an 8-yard skip is £234, available from Mick George Waste Management.
Most projects need at least one full skip, and while recycling concrete into a new sub-base can reduce costs, expenses can still accumulate quickly.
Below is typical price per m2 to lay Indian Sandstone paving slabs in your garden.
Area Size | Costs | Time To Install | Manpower |
|---|---|---|---|
10 square metres | £1000 – £5200 | 2 Days | 2 Pavers |
20 square metres | £2000 – £3000 | 2-3 Days | 2 Pavers |
50 square metres | £4500 -£7000 | 4-5 Days | 2 Pavers |
100+ square metres | £8000 – £12000 | 8-9 Days | 2 Pavers |
Indian sandstone comes in an extensive range of colours and finishes; the best part is that the colour does not affect the price of the paving slab. Below is a selection of the most popular shades of stone on the market.
The average UK garden spans 14m2, but let’s assume we plan to pave 10 square metres to maintain space for greenery.
Opting for standard concrete slabs to cover this area would cost about £800, including labour.
Choosing premium Indian sandstone paving, which runs between £100-150 per m2, the total installation cost for 10 square metres would be around £1300.
Quality porcelain tiles would cost similarly, around £1300 for the same area.
Here is a detailed guide on the cost of laying a patio.
Patio Paving Stone | Install Price per m2 |
|---|---|
Patio Paving Stone | £60 – £65 |
Concrete Flagged Patio per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Limestone Slabs per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Porcelain Slabs per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Granite Flags per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Black Slate Paving per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Natural Stone per m2 | £100 – £150 |
Yorkstone Flags per m2 | £150 – £200 |
With a reasonably small range available, Jewsons isn’t great for finding more obscure sandstone colours, but their prices are reasonable at around £40 p/sqm.
Wickes offers a relatively extensive range of Indian stone, with some varieties exclusive to its online store. The price per sqm ranges from £50-£80.
Travis Perkins offers various sandstone slabs ranging from around £35 to £65. This reliable supplier is often used by professional tradespeople.
Stone Traders are a great budget option offering a reasonable range of styles for around £25-£35 p/sqm.
Paving Direct, a decidedly mid-range supplier, offers an extensive range of Indian sandstone styles from around £30-£50 p/sqm.
A professionally laid Indian sandstone paving can significantly boost your home’s value and enhance its visual appeal. However, a poor installation can do just the opposite. That’s why it’s crucial to gather at least three quotes before you commit to this investment.
We suggest using Bark.com to find skilled installers for your sandstone paving. They offer a list of experienced professionals in the paving industry, supported by top reviews, helping you quickly locate trusted local companies.
Knowing the cost and qualities of different paving materials is vital for your garden landscaping project. The price of materials plays a huge part in this decision-making process. For a detailed guide, visit our comprehensive landscaping cost guide.
Cost: £80.00 – £120
Pro: Block paving is generally easier to clean and maintain than sandstone.
Con: Most block paving is laid on sharp sand and jointed with loose sand, which can lead to erosion over time.
For detailed breakdown, read more about the cost of block paving here.
Cost: £100 – £150
Pro: Porcelain flags are highly durable and less porous than sandstone, making them resistant to stains and weather.
Con: Porcelain is similarly priced to Indian sandstone but can be more slippery when wet, requiring extra care.
For detailed breakdown, read more about the cost of porcelain paving here.
Cost: £60.00 – £70
Pro: Crazy paving is the most cost-effective option and offers a unique, irregular look.
Con: It is less uniform and more complex to lay correctly, potentially leading to uneven surfaces and maintenance issues.
For detailed breakdown, read more about the cost of crazy paving here.
Cost: £100 – £150
Pro: Slate offers a distinctive natural look with robust weather resistance, similar to sandstone.
Con: It can be slippery when wet and requires more regular sealing than sandstone.
Cost: £100 – £150
Pro: Limestone pavers provide a classic, elegant look and are generally easier to shape and work with.
Con: They are more susceptible to acid rain and can wear faster than sandstone in harsh weather conditions.
While cleaning sandstone with a pressure washer is possible, be careful. Sandstone is a relatively soft and porous material, so the likelihood of a high-pressure jet damaging the surface is high.
If you pressure wash your Indian stone, use a low-pressure setting and angle the power washer at a 45-degree gradient.
Indian sandstone is a soft natural stone, so it will be prone to showing visible signs of scratching. It’s also not recommended that you seal this type of stone, so take care to protect the surface from everyday wear.
Apply protectors to the feet of garden furniture you intend to place on your patio to protect the stone.
If your patio has been installed professionally, with a stable foundation and regular repointing, a sandstone patio can last 30-50 years.
Indian sandstone is a natural product, and variations will occur, so viewing samples before purchasing is essential. Sandstone is becoming more popular because it offers various colours and textures that can be tailored to any design scheme.
When choosing an installer, research and ask for references to ensure you get a quality job at a fair price. Indian sandstone paving prices vary depending on the quality of the stone, the size and shape of the pavers, and the level of the installer doing the work.
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