Granite Setts & Paving

Granite Setts & Paving

Granite is a hard, igneous rock, slightly porous and water absorbent, found across the world, although materials available in the UK will either be British, Portuguese or Chinese in the main. Composed of quartz and feldspar, with smaller amounts of mica and other crystalline minerals, in various hues of pink, grey, yellow or red. It has a high skid and slip resistance, especially when cropped into setts by means of a guillotine. (See Picture Framing.)

The surface appearance is attractive, with many sparkling minerals giving the finished product a unique appearance when light plays on the setts, kerbs or sawn slabs.

It is very versatile, used for cladding, paving, swimming pool copings, worktops in kitchens, sawn paving slabs and the ubiquitous granite sett paving. It is also used as the terminal to driveways, where the boundary ends and roadway begins, acting as a strong edge restraint to finish a project (usually a metre deep, set into concrete and half bonded).

In sett form – usually 100mm x 100mm x 100mm or 100mm x 100mm x 200mm (all sizes nominal) when used as a paving or driveway material, it may be laid in various patterns, including fan or fishtail arcs, or in rows of matched sizes. The setts, being cropped, vary in size from 115mm to 90mm wide with differing facets across the six cuboid sides, offering the layer a choice of where to place the next sett during laying by selecting the required dimension.

Sawn granite paving is very attractive, although care must be taken during pointing or grouting operations to ensure a through cleansing of the compound, especially those that are cement based, as any residue left on the surface will deaden the sparkle of the crystals that give the product its appeal.

As hard as granite is, it does tend to be slightly porous when sawn to 20mm thicknesses for paving purposes, and care must be taken to provide a full mortar bed, with a full application of bonding mortar to the back of the slabs to reduce moisture from being drawn through the slabs and effecting the surface by water staining.