London Stone products Blog

Situations Vacant

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:33:20 +0000

London Stone Paving Ltd is currently seeking the following candidates:

1, Sales adviser, you will be manning our busy sales desk, the main role will be dealing with customer enquiries and processing orders. A track record in the stone industry or construction industry would be advantageous. Email CV and covering letter to gavin@londonstone.com

2, Outgoing Sales Person, you will be responsible for bringing new trade clients to London Stone Paving Ltd, a proven track record is required with industry experience being advantageous. Email CV and covering letter to gavin@londonstone.com

On a lighter note, we visited a stone production facility in Brussels last week, to see a CNC saw in action. The company in question were producing Belgium Blue Limestone and had an excellent set-up. The factory was bristling with state of the art machinery and was fully automated, with minimum manual handling required. There was also little machine downtime and waste reduction optimisation, a real eye opener on what can be achieved with the right ambitions. The products being produced were various ranging from tiles through to sculptures, and were clearly high quality. The only thing missing was Hi Viz jackets. I did not see a single Hi Viz jacket all day! I thought since ‘apparently’ all the H&S directives were being produced in Brussels they would surely be rife in that part of the world!!?

bespoke stone and stone work machinery is not exactly ‘MADE IN THE UK’

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:44:15 +0000

At London Stone Paving Ltd we always try and embrace new technology for use in our bespoke stone production, and ideally we would like to source our machinery in the UK to support the UK economy. The fact of the matter is that we don’t produce the required machinery in the UK. We have automated bridge saws (Spanish) Stone crushing machinery(Swedish) CNC saw (Italy) Wire saw (Italy) and HGV’s (Germany). It is a bit of a dour situation that government after government has failed to support, encourage and ensure manufacturing’s future here in the UK. We are a fast growing company and are investing heavily in plant and machinery, but all the money generated is simply going abroad. It’s not even as though the equipment is low quality Far East imports. This is high tech, modern machinery which should be designed and produced in the UK. We are continually being told the SME’s will help boost the UK recovery, but how this is supposed to happen is beyond me, when all the big investments being made are going to bolster the UK trade deficit.

Time to spring clean your stone paving

admin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:40:35 +0000

Dare I say it, but it seems the winter is almost over and spring is upon us, baring of course, some freak April snow we have to deal with of late.

Winter is a hard time for your paving and often a spot of maintenance is required to get your sawn paving looking great for summer. Due to the damp conditions caused by lack of sunlight, increased rainfall and low temperatures some paving stone can become affected by algae during winter and if not will most likely be dirty. If the stone is just dirty a light jet wash will normally be all that is required. Be careful not to use an extremely strong jet wash and keep the nozzle well away from the surface of the stone. Over time a powerful jet wash can damage the surface of natural stones. If the jet wash doesn’t work a good option is Lithofin’s Outdoor Cleaner. Be careful when using this product with natural stones, as it is not suitable for all stones. Limestone can be extremely sensitive so seek guidance prior to using and always test a small amount on an inconspicuous area prior to giving your patio a good soaking. The difference a good clean can make to your natural stone paving is incredible, and even the oldest, neglected paving can be bought back to life with a bit of TLC. If you require any guidance with cleaning or maintaining any natural stone products contact a member of our team, who will be able to guide you further.

Moving our Operation

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:21:11 +0000

It’s out with the old and in with the new here at London Stone Paving Ltd. We have outgrown our current location, and are in the process of packing up our things and moving on. The new site is four miles away, and is a larger and much more useful space. We also have more covered storage. The new site will bring massive efficiency savings through the improved site layout, and will result in a safer, cleaner and more pleasant working environment for our employees. We also envisage the relocation will contribute to the continual improvement of the business, including our customer service levels and the quality of products supplied. We are also investing in some new machinery to cope with increasing demand for our busy stone masonry department and in particular the demand for yorkstone paving we are experiencing.

Seeking people with experience of natural stone paving

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:25:11 +0000

London Stone Paving Ltd is on the lookout for some new staff to help support our fast growing business. We currently have 20 employees and are looking for some additional people with specific experience of the industry to bolster our workforce, and deal with increasing demand. The following positions are available to begin work in late March.

Sales Advisor: The candidate should have a proven track record in Hard Landscaping, with extensive experience of installation of natural stone paving. We believe it essential for all employees to have the knowledge to answer any questions our customers may have. This helps to maintain high customer service levels and certainly adds a great deal of value to the service we provide.

Estimator: The main role of the estimator will be the management of large projects featuring bespoke stone for our prestigious clients. In depth knowledge of both interior and exterior stones will be required, along with a high level of technical and installation experience.

Stone Mason/fabricator: To join our busy masonry department, experience with bridge saws, edge polishers and CNC machinery would be advantageous. Main duties will be cutting paving stones, bespoke step treads and risers along with producing a variety of coping stones and pier caps.

Outgoing Sales: To drive new business, create and manage leads and manage existing leads. Correct candidate will have appropriate industry experience and contacts and also be highly motivated and target driven. Will need to be able to work under own initiative.

If you are interested in any of the above positions please contact gavin@londonstone.com and include a CV and covering letter, clearly stating which position you are interested in applying for.

Yorkstone Paving is still a firm favourite

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:54:55 +0000

Over time as tastes change fashions come and go. This is also true of exterior design style and paving choice. I remember the concrete flags, commonly known as council flags. Big grey heavy things, which were back breakers, I should know as I have laid a few in my time; though my back survived. Then there was the imitation natural stone paving made from concrete moulds. What people really wanted was the natural stone paving the slabs were based on, however high costs ensured these products were the preserve of the wealthy. As globalisation reduced the cost of the imported natural sandstone paving, the popularity of these products grew from strength to strength, and reigned supreme for a good ten years. The must have products of the moment, which have come on strongly in the last five years are sawn paving products, which perfectly complement the clean contemporary designs which are popular at the moment. One product which has seen all these styles come and go is Yorkstone Paving. Available in both natural split and sawn finishes, the strong demand we experience for these products is testament to their staying power. Reclaimed Yorkstone Paving is also a great seller. This can be very tricky to lay, due to the varying thickness of the stones, but a great finish can be achieved by using a good contractor.

The benefits of Slate Paving

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:26:05 +0000

If you are looking for a low maintenance patio, Slate paving is a really good choice. Due to the low porosity of the stone you will not have too much trouble keeping the slate looking like new. Most dirt will simply wash off in the rain, but should you require anything harsher a light jet wash will normally do the trick. The slate supplied by London Stone Paving Ltd is high quality, as with all our stones. We never source our materials based on price, quality can vary significantly from quarry to quarry and like most things in life, you get what you pay for. Another positive regarding slate is its versatility. Slate will look at home in a super contemporary garden and is also comfortable in a more traditional design setting. The riven surface will lend itself to traditional whereas the sawn edges will deliver when a contemporary feel is required. If you are looking for a natural stone you will not have to be too precious about, you could do a lot worse than slate.

Price freeze on all paving slabs

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:39:17 +0000

London Stone Paving Ltd is pleased to announce there will be a freeze on prices of our paving slabs for 2012. We are committed to providing high quality products at competitive prices to our valued customers. As part of that commitment, our aim is to keep prices as low as possible without affecting the quality of goods and service standards. We would also like to wish all existing and new customers a happy and prosperous new year. Throughout 2012 we will continue to increase the range of products on offer, as always seeking new and exciting products to keep our business relevant. Popular again this year will be large format rectangles in sawn limestone and sandstone as the clean lines are still in high demand. I would also predict an increase in demand for mid-range products, such as the new hand cut sandstone paving with sawn edges, Crema sandstone, and tumbled sandstone pavers, and of course bespoke stone products, such as step treads and coping stones, which can make the difference between a good finish and a great finish.

Recycling Waste Material

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:32:30 +0000

Here at London Stone we are concerned with the environment, and our impact on the environment. As part of our latest commitment to operating in a responsible manner we have recently purchased a concrete crushing machine. The Bespoke Stone aspect of our business is rapidly expanding and creates a large amount of off cuts and stone waste. Until now this has been removed from site in skips, potentially ending up in landfill sites. In future all of our waste stone will be crushed to create sub base material which we will supply to customers for use in building up levels, patio bases and back fill.

Other measures used by London Stone to keep use of resources as low as possible are the recycling of all cutting water used in our stone masonry department, recycling of all office waste, email invoicing, and also high levels of good quality insulation in our office and showroom.

Soon to be implemented will be hand held devices for all staff, to vastly reduce paper printed such as pick notes and advice notes, rain water collection and re-use at our depot and the use of modern energy efficient machines and delivery vehicles. London Stone are fiercely committed to the future of the environment.

Other measures used by London Stone to keep use of resources as low as possible are the recyling of all cutting water used in our stone masonry department, recycling of all office waste, email invoicing, and also high levels of good quality insulation in our office and showroom.

Sealing stone in bad weather

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:42:00 +0000

As the cold nights draw in and damp winter conditions take hold one persistent problem I used to experience in my contracting days was the sealing of sawn paving. We would complete a project with only the sealing of the paving remaining before we leave site, and get paid for the work carried out. Ok, all we need now is for the paving to dry out….. The only problem was, in some gardens (especially north facing) this was not likely to happen until the following spring. Following manufacturer’s guidelines, stone paving should be bone dry prior to application of sealants and furthermore be likely to stay dry for up to 24 hours, depending upon the brand used. I would always recommend pre warning customers that sealing may not be possible until the following spring. With most materials this will not pose a problem as the correct cleaning products will normally result in bringing paving back to pristine condition. Lithofin produce a number of good cleaners which can vary a variety of stains and deal with problems such as algae, remember to seek expert guidance prior to using any chemicals with natural stone, and please please please NEVER use any acid based cleaners with limestone, it simply will not be pretty.