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Sandstone paving for a town scene

A sett broken from sandstone was cheaper and softer than a granite one, so you meet it in yards, in side lanes and on village squares rather than on the main avenues. The large format means fewer joints over the same area and a calmer pattern to the surface. The material covers an area of roughly 15 x 10 cm.

Settling it into a base

Paving is not glued onto a bare board but laid into a bed. Lay on a thin layer of filler or modeling plaster, set the part into it and wriggle it slightly so that the material is pushed out to the sides and fills the unevenness underneath. The base only has to be flat in appearance; slight waves in the surface are natural on old paving. Before the material sets, check that neighboring pieces lie at the same height, because a receding edge shows later in every kind of light.

The joint between pieces is the main task

The most conspicuous flaw in a surface like this is a visible division between two parts. The solution is simple: do not lead the edge straight but jog it around the outlines of the setts, and then mask the division with a slurry of fine filler worked into the joints over the whole area. The slurry is drawn off with a soft brush and the excess wiped away with a damp sponge. In the end the joint is the same everywhere and the eye has nothing to fasten on.

Coloring and life

Sandstone holds a warm ocher tone that turns greenish where water drains. Once assembled, work liquid pigment into the joints, sweep off the excess with a brush once dry and polish the surface with a cloth. Worn wheel ruts and chipped corners by a curbstone will give the surface its age.