Autumn Brown Sandstone

No. We stock Autumn Brown in one specification: mixed size packs at 22mm with hand dressed edges, which is patio thickness. It takes a family car when every slab sits on a full, unbroken mortar bed over 150mm of compacted Type 1, as the strength comes from full support rather than the slab. If you want more thickness in a warm stone, our Yellow Limestone is calibrated to 30mm, though the colour is lighter and more honeyed. 

Porcelain is the more practical surface and sandstone is the warmer one. Porcelain does not absorb oil, fuel or brake fluid, never needs sealing and keeps its colour indefinitely, where Autumn Brown is porous and will mark permanently if a spill soaks in unsealed. Against that, Autumn Brown is cheaper at £24.98 per m² against £31.98 for our entry porcelain, easier to lay without a primer, and no porcelain matches the depth of a natural stone blend. 

Yes, considerably. The deep browns, rusts and plums mean mud, leaf debris and tyre dust blend in rather than standing out the way they do on Kandla Grey or a buff stone. It is one of the strongest practical arguments for the colour on a drive, particularly on a rural property or anywhere cars come off unmade lanes. The trade-off is that it shows dried salt and pollen more, both of which wash off easily. 

Yes, and they are often the more robust pieces. Each pack holds 90 x 60cm, 60 x 60cm, 60 x 29cm and 29 x 29cm slabs, and the smaller ones have less unsupported area to flex across, so they cope well provided the bed is continuous. The weak point with any size is an edge sitting over a void. The 90 x 60cm slabs need the most care, as a hollow anywhere under that span will crack them. 

The rust tones in Autumn Brown are natural iron deposits already oxidised over millions of years, so they are stable and will not bleed or spread. What can happen on a drive that stays permanently wet is a general darkening and algae growth, which looks like staining but brushes off. Genuine rust marks on paving usually come from something else: metal furniture feet, a dropped tool, or steel reinforcement in the bed. Keep water draining away. 

Our Silver Granite cobbles give a cool grey frame that stops a brown drive looking heavy, and granite is the hardest-wearing edging we sell. For a warmer match, our Yellow Limestone cobbles at £1.50 each pick up the buff tones in the blend. Kota Black limestone cobbles work where the house has dark windows or doors. All must be bedded and haunched in concrete to act as an edge restraint. 

A two-car drive is usually 30 to 36m², so order around 35 to 40m² to allow roughly 10% for cuts. Packs come in 1m², 5m², 10m², 15m² and 18m² at £24.98 per m², so two 18m² packs gives 36m² at around £899, or add a 5m² pack for a larger area. Order the full quantity in one go, as natural stone can vary in appearance between batches.