Limestone Paving

Yes, with the right build. Our limestone slabs are 22mm thick, which is patio thickness, so they only take a car if they are laid on a full mortar bed over a properly compacted sub-base. There must be no voids under any slab, because a 22mm slab bridging a hollow will crack the first time a wheel sits on it. Laid correctly, limestone handles cars and light vans. For a driveway that takes heavier vehicles, regular turning or a skip lorry, we would suggest block paving or tarmac instead. 

Our limestone starts from around £23 per m² for single-size Kota Black slabs, with mixed size packs from £24.48 per m². A typical two-car driveway of 30m² therefore works out at around £700 to £750 for the stone. Budget separately for the sub-base, which matters more on a driveway than a patio: Type 1 limestone is £98.99 per 800kg bulk bag with free delivery.

On materials, limestone is dearer. A poured concrete driveway or concrete block paving generally costs less per m² than natural stone, and concrete blocks are purpose-made for vehicle loads so they need less care in laying. What limestone buys you is appearance: real stone with depth of colour that will not fade to flat grey the way pigmented concrete does.

They suit different priorities. Driveway gravel is far cheaper, drains freely and is quick to lay. It does migrate, needs topping up, and is harder on pushchairs, bins and heels. Limestone slabs give a flat, clean, permanent surface, but cost several times more and need a proper mortar bed and sub-base. Many people use both: slabs for the parking bay and approach, gravel for the rest. 

It is less about thickness than what sits underneath. Our limestone slabs are 22mm, which is enough for family cars and light vans when every slab is laid on a full, unbroken mortar bed over 150mm of compacted Type 1. The mortar supports the whole slab, so the load spreads into the sub-base rather than bending the stone. Spot bedding, soft ground or a skimped sub-base will crack a 22mm slab quickly. 

Allow 150mm of compacted Type 1 sub-base under a limestone driveway, against around 100mm for a patio. Excavate to around 250mm below the finished level, lay the Type 1 limestone in two layers and compact each with a plate compactor, then lay the slabs on a 40 to 50mm full mortar bed. Our Type 1 comes in approximately 800kg bulk bags with free delivery; a 30m² drive at this depth needs around 11 to 12 bags. 

No, the same compound works, but the joints matter more. Our Joint-It Simple is suitable for driveways as well as patios, and a 20kg tub covers around 12 to 15m². On a driveway, fill every joint completely to its full depth, as a partly filled joint lets a tyre load work the slab edge and chip it. Turning wheels put more sideways force on joints than footfall ever does, so check them each year and top up any that have worn. 

We sell slabs and cobbles, not block paving. The thickest limestone we stock is our Kota Black cobbles at 30 to 50mm, in 20 x 10cm and 10 x 10cm. These are well suited to driveway edging and small areas such as a parking bay border, since the load spreads across many small units.