Coping Stones

Features of coping stones

• Provide a formal finish to your garden walling
• Protect your wall from water and frost damage
• Extend the lifespan of your garden walling
• Available in both traditional and contemporary styles
• Can easily be co-ordinated with other garden features and furniture

Coping stones FAQ

While all our wall caps provide the same weather-resistant features, it can still be tricky knowing which type of wall coping is best suited to your particular set-up. That’s where Simply Paving come in.

To help you find the best concrete coping stones, we have collated the answers to our most frequently asked questions, including how to style and maintain coping slabs.

What is a coping stone?

• Flat coping stones are slabs of stone that sit atop exterior walls
• Capping stones are used to protect the structural integrity of the wall, minimising water and frost damage
• These wall caps also provide a stylish finishing touch for both traditional and modern garden walls

What is a coping stone used for?

Wall coping stones are used to add that all-important finishing touch to garden walls.

Coming in many different colours and sizes, capping stones for walls, or capping bricks for walls, fit on top of the structure. This allows you to further customise the style of your garden wall.

Wall caps aren’t just popular for their attractive qualities. Ultimately, they perform an important function in weatherproofing the bricks of your garden wall. This means your walling will last longer, while also retaining their stunning good looks.

Do I need coping slabs?

While they might appear to be a fanciful afterthought, stone capping is absolutely vital to the integrity of your garden wall.

By adding capping stones atop the bricks, you essentially seal the top of the wall off from water damage. That’s because rainfall can no longer penetrate the mortar and brickwork underneath, reducing the effect of erosion on the structure and prolonging its lifespan. Wall caps also protect against frost damage, just by acting as a physical barrier between the cold weather and the bricks.

Even though capping stones are sold separately from walling, they are an essential purchase to maintain your garden wall.

How to style coping stones

• While typically used in traditional set-ups, there are plenty of contemporary wall caps available
• It’s easy to co-ordinate wall coping with other finishing touches in the garden, such as lawn edging and stepping stones
• From sophisticated grey coping stones to sandstone coping stones, there are plenty of coping stone colours to choose between.

What styles of coping stones do Simply Paving sell?

Here at Simply Paving, we offer a wide range of capping stones to suit any style of garden walling.

Our once weathered coping stones, for example, are perfect for those looking to recreate the vintage charm of a country cottage garden. For a decidedly more modern motif, opt for our Easy Stack Coping in Anthracite, which marries the look of sleek grey coping stones with contemporary uniformity.

We even offer porcelain coping stones, if you want to co-ordinate your walling with the sleek sophistication of your porcelain paving.

Whatever your preferred style may be, browse our full collection to find the right capping stone for your wall.

How to maintain coping stones

• As wall caps protect your walling, it’s important to properly maintain the slabs
• Clean capping stones regularly to prevent mildew growth, taking special care between the joints and mortar
• Sealing coping slabs can help to extend their lifespan

How do I protect my coping stones?

Protecting your wall coping is essential to maintaining the integrity of your garden walling.

Ensure you clean your coping stones regularly to prevent mildew build-up and minimise colour fading. Pay extra attention in-between the brick joints and the mortar under the wall caps as these often-neglected areas are hotspots for harmful mould growth.

Do I need to seal coping stones?

While not essential, adding sealant to your wall coping can increase the effectiveness of its resistance to weather. This is because sealant essentially waterproofs your coping slabs, prolonging its lifespan as well as the lifespan of the wall itself.

How to use coping stones

• Stone capping is typically used on top of walling, although they can also be used on a roof
• It’s important to ensure the mortar joints around a coping stone are appropriately maintained to preserve weathering resistance.

Do coping stones need an overhang?

To ensure drip channels are properly maintained and function as intended, wall coping should overhang the wall by a minimum of 30mm on each side. This prevents water from dripping down and damaging the walls.

Buy coping stones online from Simply Paving

If you want to find out more about the benefits of wall coping, get in touch with us today. You can give us a call on 0800 032 6307 or start a live chat with a member of our team. We’ll answer any and any questions you may have about coping stones, paving slabs, or landscaping in general.