Welcome to the new website

OF

CLAYAX YORKSTONE LTD

The Stoneyard,    Derry Hill,    Menston,    Leeds  LS29 6AZ,  Yorkshire     England

 

Tel 01943 878510 for a quote

 

WE SELL ONLY  GENUINE YORKSTONE - A NATURAL ENGLISH STONE

NOT PRECAST OR MAN MADE - NOT IMPORTED FROM ABROAD

WE HAVE BEEN SELLING GENUINE YORKSTONE FOR THIRTY YEARS

BUY FROM THE EXPERTS - THE YORKSTONE SPECIALISTS

 

This picture shows new riven york stone paving slabs laid randomly as a driveway

 

Clayax Yorkstone Ltd is a friendly, professional company based in Yorkshire, with thirty years experience of selling yorkstone.

We always aim to provide a quality product with quality service.

 

This website is updated daily.

PLEASE CLICK ON ANY OF THE TOPICS ON THE

LEFT FOR MUCH MORE INFORMATION AND MANY

MORE PHOTOS

OF YORKSTONE PAVING

 

click below to email

 clayax@hotmail.co.uk

 

Please note: We do have a fifty pounds plus VAT, mimimum charge.

 

 

 

If you would like to contact us about any of the materials seen on this website please click on the email link above, OR alternatively if you would like an IMMEDIATE RESPONSE on availability and prices, then please ring 01943 878510. We also receive fax enquiries, the fax number to contact is 01943 870801. The normal working hours are 08.00 to 17.00 Monday to Thursday inclusive. We take telephone calls on Friday and Saturday and provide a mobile number for urgent enquiries.   more »

How can I make it as easy as possible? Laying yorkstone paving can be an easy or hard task depending on how it is tackled. Obviously it helps if the surrounding area is cleared and can be used to sort out the yorkstone slabs into approximate sizes before they are laid. It is also important to mark out the site clearly and prepare the sub base carefully. Once the area is ready for the laying of the slabs the mix should be prepared for each slab. The ratio for the mix is open to much discussion, and is a matter of personal choice. I use a five to one mix allowing for the bed size of the individual slab.   more »

We have received an increased number of telephone calls seeking advice or help, from some very unhappy people, who have bought yorkstone paving slabs from an internet site (not ours we hasten to add), only to find they have been let down with the delivery or delivered the wrong kind of paving slabs. We do urge prospective purchasers to be vigilant in their dealings with internet sites to ascertain if they are reputable companies with a long standing tradition of selling genuine yorkstone paving. We know there are some excellent internet sites selling yorkstone, but there are also some to avoid. We do have some handy tips for those who want to buy genuine yorkstone on the internet, these tips are listed below. We also suggest prospective purchasers check an internet site for an easy to find address (hopefully where there is a stoneyard to possibly view the yorkstone paving), and a landline number which someone answers.    more »

Our current winter opening hours for the stoneyard are 07 30 to 16 00 Monday to Thursday and some Friday mornings (please ring first)....we are closed Saturday but we do take phone calls and can usually arrange to meet customers by appointment so long as we have sufficient notice. - thanks   more »

We do require payment from non account holders prior to delivery. We accept cheques, wire transfers, BACS, and all major credit cards, although we have to pass on the 2% charge for mastercard, visa and company cards. Thank you   more »

We are often contacted by people who want to sell reclaimed paving slabs. We do buy locally in the Leeds/Bradford area but we do not buy from further afield as we insist on seeing the old yorkstone paving slabs before we decide to buy. We are not looking for internal old slabs at the moment only weathered external old slabs. WE DO NOT BUY OLD CONCRETE SLABS or man made slabs. We offer a reduced price if we have to collect any old slabs. We do not buy walling stone unless it is delivered into the yard and is good quality walling stone.   more »

The delivery of the goods is very important. It is essential that customers supply us with all the relevent information regarding delivery of the paving slabs and/or stone. The most common delivery method for small orders - usually less than 50m2 - is by hired national pallet line hauliers. These hauliers deliver by tail offload, and require a hard standing area of tarmac or concrete (NOT A GRAVEL DRIVE) and access for an eighteen tonne gross, high sided wagon. If for any reason the delivery fails there could be an additional charge for a re-delivery. All relevent information such as restricted access, no parking areas, low tree branches etc must be conveyed at the time of ordering.   more »

To calculate the area of a rectangular drive or patio simply multiply the length by the breadth - so the area of a patio with a length of 8.5m and a width of 4m would equal 8 x 4 = 32 plus .5 x 4 = 2 so the total area equals 34m2   more »

..TIPS ON HOW TO LAY PAVING SLABS Are you going to lay paving slabs for the first time? Here are some handy tips on the random laying of paving slabs Get yourself prepared ! Buy yourself some knee pads, put on some old clothes. Find a wooden batten to kneel on as well, and walk on this batten to and from the laying point. Make sure your sub base is compacted solid (with a wacker plate for example) and it’s thickness is tailored to the weight of traffic usage for the paving slabs. Pedestrian usage is most common and a sub base depth of 50mm to 75mm is usually adequate. Sharp (river) sand on top 10mm to 20mm (personal choice) and then a required mix again 10mm to 20mm (personal choice and dry or wet) five dabs of wet mix not recommended!! Sort through the slabs before you lay them, putting them into piles or rows according to your selected criteria, such as colour or size or thickness. Spread the piles along the most accessible side next to the laying area. Check the weather forecast, only work on a dry day. Have a flask full of your favourite warm drink, tune in the radio to your favourite station (mine is radio four) and adjust the volume not to annoy your neighbours. Tightly string out your edging lines according to the area to be paved. Preparation is everything! Allow for a drop for drainage, approximately 20mm per one metre, edging strings at height required. Remember to drop towards existing drainage. Look at the varying thickness of the slabs and decide on the amount of wave for each individual lay. Mix ratios vary according to personal choice - I use a four, one, one dry mix, but know other people who use stronger or weaker mixes, and not necessarily dry. Start at the highest corner (top left for example) and work from left to right to make the first complete edge. Put down sharp sand bed for the length of the lay. Then put down mix bed for each slab (each lay) Lay each slab individually, handling the length vertically, so as not to stretch the arms too much and make laying easier. Decide on the high and low points required in the mix by looking at the varying thickness of each slab, wave the mix accordingly. Always lay each slab slightly proud ( 2mm to 5mm) in order to tamper down, thereby not having to lift the slab and relay. Decide on a consistent gap between slabs, this will sometimes depend on the type of slab being laid, i.e. sawn edges (which could be butt jointed) or hand fettled edges (which best suit a gap of 5mm - 10mm, personal choice) Have the necessary tools to hand and a watering can if laying on a dry mix, in order to wet just before laying each slab. After each slab has been laid, stand back and stretch your legs, and view from a distance to check level and select next suitable slab. Lay slabs left to right and top to bottom (not haphazard) Fill in gaps with most suitable sized slabs then cut to exact size with angle grinder or stihl saw. Fill in gaps as you go along. Hope this helps!   more »

Yorkstone is a natural product. It is a sedimentary sandstone and when newly quarried has a natural buff sandy colour. It is possible, however for the flag rock to have a slightly different colouring, hence the possible availability of rust, bronze, different shades of brown and even grey yorkstone. The flag rock which provided the new york paving slabs is cut down to size by hand or by machine in order to make the yorkstone slabs. The splitting of the flag rock is known as riving the rock. Hence the term riven yorkstone. New riven yorkstone has a natural riven, rippled surface which gives it it’s natural appearance and character. The new riven yorkstone can have smooth machine cut sides, or it can be cut by hand. The term fettling is cut to describe the cutting by hand. Hence the tem hand fettled new riven yorkstone.   more »

Square metres and square yards .....There is a big difference between square metres and square yards.!!!! To calculate square metres ...   more »

Small delivered orders. We are based near Leeds, many of our enquiries are from places many miles away. We have enquiries asking for the price of only one paving slab (often for a hearth or a step). We classify small orders as less than 8m2 of average 50mm thick paving slabs. We classify very small orders as less than 3m2 of average 50mm slabs. Please remember the haulage for these orders becomes a significant part of the total cost and in some cases the haulage will be more than the cost of the paving slab. PLEASE REMEMBER WE HAVE A MINIMUM CHARGE OF £50 POUNDS PLUS VAT   more »

We no longer provide a catalogue/brochure/price list service for our customers, as all the information and photographs are constantly updated on this comprehensive website.   more »

We do not list prices on the website (except for special offers) because of the seasonal nature of landscaping / the building trade and the fact that supply and demand varies throughout the year. PLEASE ring 01943 878510 and we will supply you with the price of any product required.   more »

YORKSHIRE WALLING STONE - As well as top quality yorkstone paving slabs, we also sell new and old yorkshire stone for walling. The yorkshire walling stone can be punch faced or flat faced and comes in different course heights. The reclaimed stone has been backed off to a bed size of 100mm to 150mm. We also stock some newly dressed stone which again comes in random course heights. This stone is ideally suited for sneck walling. Photos of these can be seen on this website.   more »

The first tip is to ask if the stone is genuine yorkstone! Paving advertised as sandstone is not always yorkstone, even though it may be alongside various yorkstone products. Sometimes it is Indian sandstone, a much cheaper product. Also remember that standard sized reconstituted paving has various names, some implying they look like old yorkstone. Remember nearly all genuine old yorkstone comes in random sizes, not in standard sizes such as 600mm x 600mm and 450mm x 450mm etc    more »

When enquiring about old york slabs always ask if they are externally or internally weathered yorkstone. Externally weathered yorkstone comes from outside sources such as paths, patios, courtyards, driveways etc. Whereas internal yorkstone comes from cellars and internal floors etc.   more »

Useful tip number three is to remember the difference between a square yard and a square metre is very nearly a fifth. So if you are quoted a price of £60 m2 by one company, and £50yd2 by another company -they are the same price!   more »

Old yorkstone from internal sources usually has some kind of covering/debris on the surface, such as a thin layer of concrete screed, paint, lino etc. These have to be removed before they can be sold. Usually the best way to remove such debris is by sandblasting, which brings out the original buff colour of the york stone.    more »

When buying old yorkstone it is important to ask the size and thickness of the slabs. A slab 75mm thick, measuring approx 900mm by approx 600mm would be extremely difficult to lift or manoeuvre unless experienced at working with slabs or alternatively very strong naturally. As a general rule of thumb we do not stock old yorkstone which is more then 4 inches (100mm) thick   more »

When buying old yorkstone, ask if the paving slabs have been sourced from a mill. Some demolition sites provide yorkstone at less expensive cost but with the possibliity of the paving slabs being contaminated with oil which cannot be seen initially but will be drawn out on warm sunny days. Also ask if the slabs are in stock as often people are given a cheaper price but the seller doesn't have the slabs in stock - as he is buying from someone else. WE DO NOT BUY SLABS FROM MILLS   more »

Some of our customers, especially those who order large amounts and/or are in the building industry have a fork lift so we palletize the paving slabs putting any thinner ones on top. The maximum weight on a pallet is 2 tonnes.   more »

Most of our foreign customers buy paving slabs by the container load. The containers are loaded in the yard, usually by fork lifting the pallets of slabs into the container and using a trolley jack to position them into the required position. A 20 feet container will take ten standard sized pallets.   more »

"Handball off" is the term used when the paving slabs are physically manhandled off the wagon. This mainly happens on local deliveries where the amount required is normally less than 25m2 of yorkstone and when the paving slabs are not too large or heavy.   more »

Delivery by hiab offload (crane offload) is usually made when the size of the delivery is quite large - usually 50m2 or more. Of course smaller orders can be delivered as a part load but it often means waiting for the next hiab delivery.    more »

No matter what type of paving slabs you intend to buy, it must remembered that the delivery has to be carefully planned and discussed in detail. The size of the delivery will often determine the type of vehicle used. Approximately eight square metrs of new yorkstone weighs a tonne, and if the delivery is by hydraulic tail offload, the maximum weight allowed on the pallet is one tonne. A hard standing area is required for the tail offload which has to be of concrete or tarmac NOT gravel unfortunately. If there is any requirement for a re-delivery there will be an extra re-delivery charge.   more »

 

  Pauline, the boss, celebrated her 25 years in the stone business by bringing out a special one-off calendar.

 Since most stone yards are usually men-only, and Pauline's normal  attire at work is a jumper, trousers and wellies (with steel toe caps of course), as she spends a great deal of her time outside checking on the orders of paving slabs and stone, she thought she'd take the opportunity of celebrating her quarter of a century in the business by allowing herself the priviledge of posing in more feminine form for the photographer amongst the products she sells.

It was a very hot Sunday in August when the photographer arrived at the stone yard at Menston near Leeds.

It was so hot Pauline finished up taking off more clothes than she'd intended!!

The calendars were a huge success and sent to customers, suppliers, people in the stone trade and many othes who requested them.

She has no intention of making another one.

"It was a one-off" she insists.

 

COPING STONES - Coping stones (or wall cappings as they are sometimes called) can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are flat topped copings, half round copings (sometimes called hogback copings) and triangular copings. We stock all three kinds and most of these are reclaimed, although we can make the flat topped copings from new yorkstone if required.   more »

We do have some reclaimed punch faced walling stone for sale in the yard. The coarse sizes vary from 3" 75 mm to 12" 360mm. This stone is randomly dispayed and stored in the yard to customers to view. The surface of punched faced stone can vary. If you are interested in this type of sandstone it is best to view the stone available as often customers are marrying up to existing works.   more »

We sell a variety of different types of reclaimed stone. All of this stone is Yorkshire stone. We sell pitch faced stone which comes in a variety of coarse sizes ranging from 50mm to 250mm. The narrow coarses tends to be a local delph stone. Most of the delph stone has weathered over the years and has a darkened or black face. It is very important to remember that all the reclaimed stone in the yard comes in random sizes, we do not have x amount of reclaimed stone in x thickness.   more »

We do have a large stock of good quality reclaimed granite setts. Most of these setts (or cobbles as they are sometimes called) are rectangular in shape. The sizes vary but the bulk of them are about 175mm -200m long by 75mm - 100mm wide, the depth is usually about 150mm. The majority of these setts are a blue/ grey colour and pictures of them are avilable on the new website.   more »

Yorkstone setts....we do have in stock a large amount of reclaimed stone cobbles (sometimes called setts). These reclaimed cobbles were sourced locally, many of them originally laid in the backsteets in the area around Leeds and Bradford. They are a york stone and vary in size. The bulk of the cobbles in stock are about 100mm to 150mm wide and between 100mm and 250mm long. The depth of the cobbles is approximately 150mm. They are ideal for driveways and edgings.   more »