Sandstone paving installers, supply and lay
IBP Paving installs sandstone; we are not a stone yard. Sandstone is part of our stone paving in Perth and one of the paving services we have offered from Landsdale for over 20 years, fully licensed, with a lifetime workmanship warranty on the laying.
We can supply and lay, which gives you one quote and one warranty for the stone and the work, or lay sandstone you have already chosen from a showroom. To start, request a free site measure or call 0449 020 336.
Sandstone, honestly: porosity, staining and flaking
People search for sandstone paving problems before they search for sandstone pavers, so here they are. Sandstone is porous. It drinks up oil from a barbecue, tannin from wet leaves and rust from furniture feet, and holds the stain. In shade and damp it grows black mould or green algae. Some beds of sandstone flake or delaminate, shedding a thin layer from the face. And colour varies piece to piece, sometimes a lot within one pallet.
None of that rules sandstone out. It means the stone wants sealing, quick clean up of spills, proper falls so water does not sit, and the right location, which is a sunny or airy patio rather than a dank side path. It also means a note on supply: most sandstone sold in Perth is imported rather than quarried locally, so order spares with the job, because matching a batch later is hard. Sealing and later care are through our paving sealing and cleaning service.
Where sandstone suits in Perth
Low traffic patios, courtyards and garden paths where the warm tones suit the house. Sandstone sits well against red brick, timber and native planting in a way cream limestone does not. It is not a stone for heavy driveways; the surface is too soft and too absorbent for tyres and oil drips.
Around pools it is possible, but it must be sealed against salt and chlorine and kept clean, and in Perth tumbled travertine and limestone are the more common choices for good reason; see pool paving and coping. For heat, sandstone sits in the middle, cooler than dark granite and warmer than light limestone. The application pages have the detail: patio and alfresco paving, courtyard paving and garden path paving.
Sandstone in Perth conditions
Shade and damp are the enemy. The mature, treed 1970s suburbs such as Greenwood, Kingsley and Duncraig are where mould on shaded paving shows up, so on those sites falls and drainage decide how the stone looks in five years. Bore water staining is a northern suburbs issue of its own, and sandstone takes rust stains readily, so bore reticulation should not spray across it.
Within 1 to 2 km of the coast, salt laden air attacks unsealed porous stone, which shows as crusting and spalling. Perth's free draining sand suits a sand bed only for thick, calibrated sandstone; irregular or thin pieces go on mortar. See our Greenwood and Kingsley pages for those suburbs.
Sealing and cleaning sandstone
Yes, it needs sealing. We apply a penetrating sealer once the stone has dried out after laying, after at least 48 hours of dry weather, and recommend resealing every 2 to 3 years. Clean with a pH neutral cleaner and low pressure. No acid, which eats the binder in the stone. For black mould, an oxygen based outdoor cleaner lifts it, and then the fix is to improve the drainage or the shade and reseal, or it comes back.
Published Perth guides put sealing as an add on at roughly $5 to $15 per square metre, an indicative range only. Ongoing care is through our paving sealing and cleaning service.
How IBP lays sandstone
Irregular, thin or uncalibrated sandstone goes on a mortar bed over a concrete slab, with full bed contact and grouted or sand cement joints. Thick, calibrated pieces on patios and paths can go on a sand bed over a compacted sub grade, the same flexible build as brick paving. Falls run at 1:60 to 1:80 away from the house and runoff goes to lawn, garden or a soakwell, because Perth councils require stormwater kept on site. The minimum thickness we accept on sand depends on the stone, and we confirm it at the measure.
Sandstone paving cost in Perth
Honestly, no published Perth supply and lay band for sandstone was found in the research behind this page, so we quote it per job after measuring. For context only, as indicative Perth industry ranges and not IBP's price list: paving overall in Perth runs about $63 to $170 per square metre supplied and laid, typical $105, and limestone, the closest sand bed stone, runs $80 to $160. The drivers are the stone and its thickness, sand or mortar bed, whether a slab is needed, cutting, sealing and access. Our Perth paving cost guide keeps the published bands current.
Source: whatsthedamage.com.au Perth paving costs; Perth Pavers 2026 paving cost comparison. Indicative Perth industry ranges only.
Sandstone or another stone
Limestone for the cool cream Perth look with similar care needs. Travertine for pools. Granite where wear and driveways matter. Crazy paving if the irregular look is the point.
