Gold leaf

1. What is Golden Leaf Indian sandstone?

Golden Leaf is a type of Indian sandstone, which is the UK’s favourite type of natural stone paving. Golden Leaf is immediately recognisable by its distinctive lightly honeyed shade, which incorporates golds and light browns, along with golden or purple veining. 

It’s one of our most popular types of Indian sandstone here at Bridge Street Stone - favoured for its traditional look, and its ability to effortlessly brighten its surroundings, lifting the mood of outdoor spaces. Its versatile style makes it well-suited to almost any garden design scheme, and it’s an especially popular option for driveways. 

Golden Leaf Indian sandstone has a naturally riven texture, but it can be supplied with a smooth sawn surface or a hand chiselled design, depending on what you’ve got in mind for your own space. 

Unlike some of our other Indian paving stones here at Bridge Street Stone, Golden Leaf doesn’t get its name from the area from which it’s sourced in India, but instead from its beautiful colour. 

2. Should you seal Golden Leaf sandstone?

Yes, if you want it to keep its beautiful and highly distinctive shade. Sealing Golden Leaf Indian sandstone is an effective and reliable way to protect it from fading.

Here at Bridge Street Stone, we’d recommend doing the same for all Indian paving stones, because they’re porous by nature. Since its surface is easily penetrated by moisture, it can potentially be marked or stained by liquid, unless it’s sealed in advance. Personally, we tend to recommend HG Impregnator as a standard treatment, which is the perfect measure against dirt or grease stains. A Nexus Colour Enhancing Sealer is another strongly recommended alternative. 

If you ever need any specific advice or in-depth assistance, whether that’s with sealing or anything else, our experts here at Bridge Street Stone are always happy to help!

3. Why is Golden Leaf Indian sandstone so popular?

Golden Leaf Indian sandstone is hugely popular here in the UK because of its unique lightly honeyed shade, which is perfect for reflecting sunlight. That makes it an excellent choice for brightening up your space, making it feel more cheerful and colourful - especially in the summer months! 

It’s the quintessential choice for outdoor environments and driveways bordering lawns and other green areas, as its golden shade complements the green to create a wonderfully relaxing, country garden feel. 

Like all other Indian paving slabs, Golden Leaf weathers naturally under the elements, causing its shades to become gradually richer and more exquisite over time - lending your outdoor space a stunning look and a highly distinctive charm. 

4. Pros and cons of Golden Leaf Indian sandstone:

Just as with all other types of Indian Sandstone, Golden leaf has a range of associated pros and cons. Its attractive shade and its effortless ability to lighten its surroundings both comprise two of its foremost draws for buyers, and happily it has very few drawbacks. 

Pros

• It’s durable and long lasting, so as long as it’s properly sealed, it’s more than capable of standing up to the worst rainy, frosty or stormy conditions, all the while adding value to your property over its lifetime. 

• Its cheerful, relaxing appearance makes it an invaluable design element for creating a beautiful space in which you can sit back and unwind. 
• It can be arranged into a wide variety of patterns and designs, so you can match it to the look of your property, or get creative to produce a unique and unrivalled look for your space. 
• It’s very easy to maintain. In fact, as long as it’s been properly sealed, you should have next to no issues with removing dirt and grime. 
• It’s eco friendly. There are fewer damaging chemicals involved in its manufacturing process compared to some other types of paving stones, and it can be recycled at the end of its lifespan. (Don’t forget to check that yours is ethically sourced!)
• It’s affordable and widely available, so you can always count on getting great value. 

Cons 

• It’s porous, which means that its beautiful colour is vulnerable to stains and marks from liquids, bacteria or mould. However, if the sandstone has been properly sealed, that effectively negates these dangers. 
• It’s naturally rough. Indian sandstone is 100% natural, so certain types can be a little bit rough on bare feet. 
• It can be marked. Indian sandstone is a relatively soft kind of stone compared to some other options on the market. That means that it can be easily scratched or damaged by considerable weight or sudden impacts, such as patio furniture being dragged or dropped on it. However, as long as you’re careful to avoid this, you shouldn’t have to worry about much else - it’s otherwise very resilient!