Autumn Brown Sandstone

Autumn Brown often takes a back-seat to the ever popular Raj Green sandstone. However, they come from the same mines, so are very similar. If you are looking for a deeper, richer colour than Raj Green, then Autumn Brown may be the one for you.

Vinegar is an acid, and on sandstone it eats into the natural cement binding the grains together, leaving dull, lightened patches that cannot be reversed. On a richly coloured stone like Autumn Brown the bleaching shows badly. Avoid vinegar, lemon juice, brick acid and any acid-based patio cleaner. Use warm water with washing-up liquid for everyday cleaning, or a pH-neutral stone cleaner for algae and black spot, and rinse well afterwards. 

Considerably, which is the style of the stone. Expect deep browns running through rust, copper, warm orange and the occasional grey or purple band, with no two slabs alike. Some will be noticeably darker than others. Open several packs together before laying and dry-lay an area so the deepest slabs are spread across the patio rather than clustered. Order the full quantity at once, as separate batches of natural stone can differ. 

Mixed packs only. Every Autumn Brown pack holds a balanced selection of four sizes: 90 x 60cm, 60 x 60cm, 60 x 29cm and 29 x 29cm, all 22mm thick with hand dressed edges. If you want a single-size layout in sandstone, our Kandla Grey, Raj Green and Rippon Buff ranges all come in individual sizes. For most gardens the mixed pack is no drawback, as the random pattern suits a warm traditional stone. 

Packs come in 1m², 5m², 10m², 15m² and 18m², all at £24.98 per m². The 18m² pack is the full patio pack, at £449.60. Because the sizes step in useful increments you can get close to the area you need: a 25m² patio, for example, takes an 18m² pack plus a 10m² pack, giving 28m² with a sensible allowance for cuts. Allow around 10% extra for cutting waste. 

Those are natural iron deposits in the stone, oxidised over millions of years, and they are part of what gives Autumn Brown its depth. They are not a fault or a stain, and they will not spread or wash out. The mottled rust banding varies slab to slab, strong on some and barely there on others. Spread these across the patio when dry-laying. A sealer deepens the rust tones; left unsealed they soften slightly as the stone weathers. 

Not in Autumn Brown, as we do not stock sandstone cobbles. Our cobbles come in Kota Black limestone and Silver Granite, both 30 to 50mm thick in 20 x 10cm and 10 x 10cm. Against warm brown, the Kota Black gives a strong dark frame and Silver Granite a cooler, more neutral one. For a closer tonal match, the 29 x 29cm slabs from the pack itself can be laid as a border in the same stone. 

Yes, and it is a combination that works well when kept deliberate. Warm brown against our Kandla Grey gives a clear contrast without clashing, since both are sandstone with the same riven surface and hand dressed edges. Use one as a border and the other as the field, rather than mixing them through the patio, which looks accidental. Lay a double row of the smaller Autumn Brown slabs around a grey field, or the reverse for a warmer centre. 

It can be, with care. Dark stone absorbs light rather than reflecting it, so a shaded patio in Autumn Brown will feel enclosed and cosy rather than bright and open. The warmth of the browns and rusts stops it feeling cold in the way a dark grey would. It also dries more slowly in shade, so algae needs watching. If brightness is what you want from a shaded corner, a buff or pale grey will lift it far more.