I would second Blue Onions opinión of slate chippings - soil, leaves, debris and seeds dropped by birds etc. makes it a nightmare to keep tidy looking. If you are looking for low maintenance use a natural mulch, which also eventually feeds the soil and can be topped up as required.
As for your patio, the ‘professional’ way would be to kill off any weeds growing between the slabs, pour a thin concrete screed (at a mix 4 parts sand to 1 part cement) to level the flags, allow it to go off completely, then lay the slabs using a flexible adhesive. To get good adhesion you need to apply the flexible adhesive (I use Sika Starflex) using a raked comb to rough up the surface, no more than 1m2 at a time, then ‘batter’ the back of each individual sandstone slab with more adhesive they lay, tapping and levelling as you go with a rubber mallet and checking with a spirit level. Make sure you don’t smear adhesive on the face of the tiles, it’s very porous. The raised edges are best finished off with more stone, with the patio level overlapping the vertical finish. Finish with two coats of sealant suitable for sandstone, such as Lithofin. This is a job for a professional unless you have really good diy skills! I don’t know how stable your suggested approach would be...
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
PS, you can apply 1 coat of the sealant to the tiles in advance, to help reduce the porosity and protect the delicate surface, then a final coat when the tiles are grouted.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
PPS - current project showing laying sandstone slabs - the little grey ones are tumbled marble - the second photo shows the flexible adhesive on the back of the slab. There is just enough space between stones for very narrow grout lines, a design decision, but normally you would have a bit more.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I'll now be digging up the entire garden so I can level with topsoil once done
Will be removing the existing flagstones and using the subbase for the new patio
I will create a new subbase where the patio is to be extended
May even paint the fence if time permits
Once the garden is all dug up, I intend to use Tarpaulin to cover the 'patio area' to prevent it from getting wet whilst I wait for the new flagstones to be delivered.
And remember to put your old paving slabs on Gumtree or Freecycle - someone will want them! Are you buying a ready-made patio circle for the far corner?
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
And actually your lawn doesn't look too bad. I would lay off digging it all up until your patios are laid and then see what it looks like when you have reshaped it. You may just be able to use sieved topsoil or compost to level off any bumps. It would always save you one more job.
'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
Agree it seems a bit drastic to dig up your entire lawn when you could level out what’s there as Hogweed says, then sow the patches - but I do have a very relaxed attitude to my weedy grass, so long as it’s green I am happy. Not at the moment though, so many excavations and building work it’s a mud bath at the moment.
What sort of flagstones did you go for? Just being nosey!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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As for your patio, the ‘professional’ way would be to kill off any weeds growing between the slabs, pour a thin concrete screed (at a mix 4 parts sand to 1 part cement) to level the flags, allow it to go off completely, then lay the slabs using a flexible adhesive. To get good adhesion you need to apply the flexible adhesive (I use Sika Starflex) using a raked comb to rough up the surface, no more than 1m2 at a time, then ‘batter’ the back of each individual sandstone slab with more adhesive they lay, tapping and levelling as you go with a rubber mallet and checking with a spirit level. Make sure you don’t smear adhesive on the face of the tiles, it’s very porous. The raised edges are best finished off with more stone, with the patio level overlapping the vertical finish. Finish with two coats of sealant suitable for sandstone, such as Lithofin. This is a job for a professional unless you have really good diy skills! I don’t know how stable your suggested approach would be...
Once the garden is all dug up, I intend to use Tarpaulin to cover the 'patio area' to prevent it from getting wet whilst I wait for the new flagstones to be delivered.
Are you buying a ready-made patio circle for the far corner?
What sort of flagstones did you go for? Just being nosey!