Sandstone

What sandstone actually is

The species behind sandstone is clastic sedimentary rock of cemented sand-grade grains, dominantly quartz, Quartz SiO2 with feldspar and rock fragments, cemented by silica, calcite or iron oxide; it forms in the aggregate system.

Iron oxide cement gives the buff, gold and red tones; glauconite gives green is responsible for the colour — and the chromophore, not the name, is what decides whether a colour is stable.

On the instruments it reads a refractive index of 1.544-1.553 (quartz) and a specific gravity of about 2.20-2.70, with none; bedding planes control splitting cleavage.

Where sandstone comes from

Commercial material comes from Elland Edge and the Pennines, Yorkshire, England (York stone), Dholpur and Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India (the red and buff export stone), Navajo and Aztec Sandstone, Utah and Nevada, USA, Weser and Main valleys, Germany (Buntsandstein) and Al-Ula and Petra region sandstones, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Different localities give different colour and different clarity, and the trade prices them differently. We state which one.

How sandstone is treated

Sawn and dressed; sometimes resin-sealed for flooring. Porosity and salt crystallisation are the durability issues that matter in building conservation. Indian sandstone paving supply has attracted documented child-labour and bonded-labour concerns in Rajasthan, and ethical sourcing schemes now exist - worth a line on an honest reference site. Not CITES.

We state the treatment on every stone, including when the honest answer is that it cannot be determined. A treatment disclosed is a fact; a treatment discovered later is a refund.

What sandstone is confused with

Watch for Quartzite (metamorphosed, harder), Limestone and Cast concrete paving — these are what turn up sold under this name.

The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.544-1.553 (quartz) and specific gravity 2.20-2.70 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.

What sandstone is used for

The trades that buy sandstone are architecture and interiors, heavy industry, carving and sculpture and decorative objects. They do not want the same thing, and they do not pay in the same unit.

We quote each application in the unit that trade actually buys in, by the square metre, by the tonne or by the block.

Durability and care

Hardness 6-7 where silica-cemented; much softer with carbonate or clay cement; cleavage none; bedding planes control splitting. That combination decides what it can safely be set into.

With no cleavage plane to worry about, the practical limit is abrasion rather than breakage, and it takes daily wear well.

Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners on anything fracture-filled, stabilised, dyed or visibly included.

What sandstone costs

Expect roughly $3-15 per square foot paving; block stone $200-900 per cubic metre, depending on quality.

That is a range, not a quote. Colour, size, clarity, cut and origin move the figure a long way inside it, and the only honest price is one given against a specific stone. Send us what you need and we will price it.

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