Stone paving installers, not a stone yard
Perth has plenty of stone suppliers and showrooms. IBP Paving is the installer that turns their pallets into a finished alfresco, pool surround or driveway. We are a Landsdale based contractor with over 20 years on Perth sand, fully licensed, with a lifetime workmanship warranty on the bed and the laying, and stone is one of the core paving services we offer across Perth.
There are two ways to work with us. Supply and lay: we source the stone from Perth suppliers, quote one price and hold one warranty for the whole job. Lay only: you choose stone at a showroom and we lay it. The difference matters when something goes wrong. With one contractor for supply and laying there is one party accountable, rather than a supplier and an installer pointing at each other.
For clay and concrete pavers see our brick paving page. For a stone quote, request a free site measure or call 0449 020 336.
Stone paving materials we lay
Stone suits Perth. Light stone stays cool underfoot in summer, the limestone look is local to the coast, and stone laid on sand can be lifted and relaid like brick. The table compares the five stones we lay most, and each has its own page.
| Material | Look and colour | Heat in Perth sun | Sealing | Bed | Best uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone | Cream to grey, natural Tamala or reconstituted | Cool | Yes, penetrating sealer; reseal every 2 to 3 years near pools, 3 to 5 elsewhere | Sand bed for 40 mm plus reconstituted pavers on patios and paths; mortar bed for coping and thin natural slabs | Patios, paths, pool surrounds; driveways only at driveway thickness |
| Travertine | Ivory, silver and classic cream, tumbled or honed | Coolest of the group when light and tumbled | Yes, penetrating sealer, not film; check the supplier's advice per product | Mortar bed on a concrete slab (30 mm stone) | Pool surrounds, alfrescos, French pattern areas |
| Granite | Grey, black and white, flamed or exfoliated finish | Dark granite gets hot, light granite less so | Optional, very low porosity | 30 to 40 mm on concrete, or 50 mm plus on a compacted base | Driveways, entries, steps, high traffic |
| Sandstone | Warm tan, brown and rose, mostly imported | Moderate | Yes, stains readily without it | Mortar bed, or sand bed for thick calibrated pieces | Low traffic patios and paths, not heavy driveways |
| Crazy paving | Irregular flagstone in travertine, limestone or bluestone | Depends on the stone | As for the stone | Always a mortar bed on a slab; highest labour of any paving | Paths, alfrescos, feature areas |
Limestone paving
Natural Tamala limestone is quarried locally and sold quarry cut or diamond cut. Reconstituted limestone is crushed limestone and cement cast into uniform pavers, cheaper and denser in use. Both are cool underfoot, give the Perth look and cut easily, but limestone is soft: edges chip on hollow beds and it needs sealing. Details on our limestone paving page.
Travertine paving
Imported, mostly Turkish, in 610 by 305 by 30 mm honed or tumbled formats and French pattern sets. Tumbled, unfilled travertine is slip resistant and stays cool, which is why it is the usual barefoot choice around Perth pools. See travertine paving.
Granite paving
The densest and hardest of the group, colour stable and low porosity, with the highest material cost. A flamed finish gives grip around pools and on driveways; polished finishes are slippery outdoors. Granite is also sold as cobbles and setts. See granite paving.
Sandstone paving
Warm tones for patios and paths. Sandstone is porous, so it stains from oil, leaf tannin and rust, can grow black mould in shade, and some beds flake, which is why it is sealed and kept off heavy driveways. See sandstone paving.
Crazy paving
Irregular stone pieces fitted by hand, bedded in mortar over concrete, with grouted joints. It is the highest labour of any paving we do, so it is priced per job rather than by a simple square metre rate. See crazy paving.
Perth heat, salt and sealing
Three things decide whether a stone surface is still a pleasure in February: heat, grip, and what the air and water do to the stone.
Heat. Light, porous stone such as tumbled travertine and honed limestone stays noticeably cooler than dark concrete or dark granite. Pick light colours for anywhere people walk barefoot.
Slip. Specify the finish, not just the material: tumbled, honed or flamed for wet areas. The CMAA and Midland Brick surface requirements factsheet gives a P4 minimum slip rating for external walkways and P5 for ramps. Polished granite and polished travertine are the ones to keep away from pools; see pool paving and coping.
Salt and pool chemicals. Coastal suburbs within a kilometre or two of the ocean, such as Hillarys, Sorrento, Mullaloo, Ocean Reef, Mindarie and Scarborough, get salt laden wind that attacks porous stone, and chlorine or salt water pools do the same from the other side. Limestone and travertine need a penetrating sealer against both. Bore water staining is a northern suburbs issue of its own, and sealing slows it.
Sealing rules. Use penetrating (impregnating) sealers that keep the natural finish and let the stone breathe, not film sealers, which can peel or turn slippery. Wait for efflorescence to work out and for the stone to dry, with at least 48 hours of dry weather. Reseal every 2 to 3 years around pools and every 3 to 5 years elsewhere, and use the water bead test in between. Some suppliers mark particular travertine and porcelain lines as not to be sealed with their own sealer, so we recommend per product. We laid it, we maintain it: see paving sealing and cleaning and our post on sealing limestone pavers in Perth.
Source: CMAA and Midland Brick, Surface Requirements for Pavers factsheet, July 2024; Freo Stone product care notes; Perth Pavers 2026 sealing guide.
Sand bed or mortar bed: how we lay stone in Perth
The rule of thumb: thick, calibrated, uniform pavers can go on a flexible sand bed like brick paving; thin, irregular or precious stone goes on a rigid mortar bed over concrete. The specifications below are typical Perth practice and we confirm them for your site at the measure.
Sand bed (flexible)
For reconstituted limestone at 40 mm or more on patios and paths, and granite at 50 mm or more on a compacted base. The build is the same as our brick paving: compacted sub grade, road base under vehicle areas, washed yellow paving sand screeded to a fall of 1:60 to 1:80, edge restraints on every free edge, and joint sand. Perth's deep Bassendean and Spearwood sands drain freely, which is why flexible laying works here. Crusher dust is an alternative bedding that compacts harder and suits stone, with the trade off that sand is easier to relay. The full base method is on our brick paving page.
Mortar bed (rigid)
For travertine at 30 mm, crazy paving, pool coping on the bond beam, steps, and any stone driveway using thin pavers. A reinforced concrete slab laid to fall, a sand cement bed or flexible adhesive, full bed contact so there are no hollows, and grouted or sand cement joints. Hollow beds are the cause of most chipping and cracking in limestone and travertine, so bed contact is the detail we are strictest about. Stone can be laid over sound existing concrete, such as an old alfresco slab, if levels and door thresholds allow.
Drainage
Falls away from the house, strip drains at thresholds, and runoff to lawn, garden or a soakwell, because Perth councils require stormwater to be retained on site. Mortar laid areas shed water faster than sand laid areas, so soakwell sizing matters more. We install soakwells in the same visit and design stormwater drainage for paved areas as part of the quote.
Source: City of Wanneroo, Stormwater Runoff information sheet, July 2019; City of Wanneroo, Setting the Scene (Swan Coastal Plain dune systems).
Stone paving cost in Perth
These are indicative Perth industry ranges drawn from published 2026 cost guides, not IBP's price list. Every stone job is quoted on site after a measure.
| Item | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Limestone pavers, per square metre | $80 to $160 |
| Travertine, per square metre | $185 to $370 |
| Paving overall, all materials, per square metre | $63 to $170, typical $105 |
| Pool paving, per square metre (national figure) | $130 to $180 |
| Pool coping, per lineal metre (national figure) | $130 to $220 |
| Sealing as an add on, per square metre | $5 to $15 |
| Granite, sandstone and crazy paving | No published Perth band; quoted per job |
Source: Perth Pavers 2026 paving cost comparison and sealing guide; whatsthedamage.com.au Perth paving costs; national pool paving cost guides. Indicative Perth industry ranges only.
Granite carries the highest material cost of the common stones, and crazy paving the highest labour because it is mortar laid and hand fitted, so we quote both per job rather than publish a number we cannot stand behind.
Stone on mortar costs more in labour than brick on sand because there is a slab to pour, then a second trade's worth of work on top: bedding, cutting, grouting and sealing. The drivers in a stone quote are the stone and its thickness, sand or mortar bed, whether a slab is needed or an existing one can be used, cutting and pattern, coping metres, access, and sealing. Our Perth paving cost guide keeps the bands current and limestone versus travertine compares the two most popular stones on price and performance.
Where the stone comes from
Perth suppliers we can source from include the showrooms homeowners already visit, so you can pick the stone in person and we handle the rest.
- Meteor Stone, Landsdale. The same suburb as us. Natural Tamala limestone, quarry cut and diamond cut, and reconstituted limestone in cream and grey.
- Freo Stone, Bibra Lake. WA made engineered limestone pavers and imported travertine, with a display in Greenwood for the northern suburbs.
- Remastone, Bibra Lake. Reconstituted limestone and travertine pavers.
- UrbanStone, Jandakot plant and Osborne Park showroom. Part of Brickworks. Limestone, granite and pool pavers.
We will also lay stone bought from any other Perth showroom. Our guide to paver brands in Perth covers who makes what.
Why choose IBP for stone paving
Over 20 years in Perth, Landsdale based, fully licensed, and a lifetime workmanship warranty on the bed and the laying. One contractor for the stone, the slab, the soakwells and the limestone retaining walls that usually go with a stone job. If stone laid by someone else has cracked or chipped on a hollow bed, we lift and relay it.
"Exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. Our new stone driveway has added real value to our property. Thank you for such an amazing transformation!" Daniel Maverick
We lay stone across Landsdale, Darch, Madeley, Wanneroo, Joondalup, Duncraig, Hillarys and the rest of the northern suburbs. See all areas we service.
