A patio is more often a porcelain decision than a sandstone one these days. The two materials behave very differently, and how they're laid matters as much as which slab you pick.
Porcelain is fired clay — a very big, very hard floor tile, really. It doesn't stain, doesn't take moss easily, and stays dead flat for decades. The catches are that it's brittle on a hard knock, and it has to be laid on a slurry primer between the bed and the slab — skip that and the bond lets go within a couple of winters.
Natural stone — sandstone, limestone, granite — has a variation and character porcelain can't copy. It also asks for more: most stone drinks water, marks with rust where water sits, and grows algae on the shaded side. Sealing slows all that down but doesn't stop it.
Price is closer than it once was. Mid-range porcelain sits about level with mid-range sandstone per square metre, and laying costs are similar — the slurry-primer step adds a little on porcelain, but it cuts faster.
Where we usually land: porcelain for modern houses and shaded, mossy gardens; natural stone for period properties, where the variation suits the building. We'll talk it through against your own garden rather than just handing you a sample board.
