Are these paving slabs faulty or ok?

[adzyp]

Hi all,

Ive had some concrete paving slabs delivered ready for laying next month but im not sure if they are knackered....can slabs even be faulty?

They have been on a pallet for however long and I took them all off last week to get them round into the garden, but I have noticed that they all seem to have a dark patch in the centre.

Initially, I just assumed they were damp as they have been outside and weather hasnt exactly been great but our existing slabs of a similar design seem to dry out quickly in dry weather. Yet these just dont seem to dry out before it rains again.

Of course I can lay them and hope that come summer they do dry out completely (if they are in fact just damp) but how do I guarantee they are ok.

As I say, is it even possible that there can be something wrong with them?

I have contacted the supplier, just waiting on a response. I was just looking to get other opinions in the meantime

 

[^woody^]

Ok

 

[adzyp]

Ok

Thanks Woody. So you think they will dry out and be unnoticeable eventually?

Any idea behind why they appear to be constantly wet looking when the outer edges of the slab and all other existing slabs seem to dry quite quickly on a dry day?

 

[^woody^]

There are two processes - drying out, and weathering out.

For the drying, you could just let them dry in the open (but sheltered) and see.

For the weathering, it will involved cycles of wet and drying after laying to wash and evaporate out and salts etc and can take a while longer.

If you want to be sure you need to contact the manufacture's rep and get his opinion, but they do look like common storage marks.