How to lay block paving?
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Step by step guide on how to lay block paving with photos on this site
http://www.letmebuildit.co.uk/18/step-by...
hope this helps
thanks
Mick
http://www.192directory.co.uk/
Preparation
Set out the area to be paved, working from the design or plan, and allowing adequate working space at the edges. Taut string lines carried on wooden pegs knocked into the ground can be used to indicate layout and height.
Make sure that the surface of paving will be at least 150mm below the damp proof course (dpc) of the property.
All paving needs to be adequately drained, and this needs to be considered at the preparation stage. A 'fall' (slope) of 20mm per metre (1 in 50) will be fine for most purposes.
Excavation
Dig out the area to be paved to a depth of at least 210mm below the planned final paving level. The depth of excavation can be calculated as…
Thickness of pavers (60mm) + bedding layer (50mm) + sub-base (100mm minimum)
…if you find any soft spots or unsuitable material when digging, these should be excavated and disposed.
If you have sticky clay or other suspect ground, you might want to use a geo-membrane to prevent the sub-base layer mixing with the ground.
Edging
The edges of a block paved area must be restrained so that the rest of the paving is held firmly in place.
Where edges are up against a wall these are often firm enough, but elsewhere, the edge courses, sometimes known as soldier courses, should be laid on and haunched with concrete.
You may also want to use kerb units or some other form of edge restraint, such as Rockborder.
These, too, should be laid on and haunched with concrete.
If the edges are not restrained, the paving will be free to move and this will lead to serious problems.
Sub-base Layer
Lay, spread and compact a layer of crushed stone (known as granular sub-base, DTp1 or crusher run at your local Builders Merchant) so that it is at least 100mm thick.
For a driveway that will be used by heavier vehicles such as vans or 4x4s, use 150mm of sub-base material.
The sub-base material should be spread out and compacted with a vibrating plate compactor (Wacker® Plate) or vibratory roller.
The finished surface of the sub-base should be laid to an accuracy of ±15mm.
Laying Course
This is the sand bedding on which the blocks are to be laid. It should be 35-50mm thick when compacted and must consist of a coarse, clean grit sand, not soft sand or building sand.
Spread the sand over sub-base and roughly level it out. Lightly compact it and then screed it with a timber board or a screeder bar to create a level bed for the blocks that will be 6-10 high.
Once the laying course has been screeded, it is important that it is not walked upon until the blocks have been laid, as this can lead to unevenness in the finished paving.
Laying the blocks
The blocks should be drawn from at least 3 packs and mixed during the laying process to ensure an even distribution of colour variation.
Using blocks from just one pack, or not mixing the blocks before laying can result in colour banding.
Working from the laid surface, the blocks should be laid hand-tight against the preceding units.
Advice on compacting
After laying, concrete block pavers are compacted to level using a vibrating plate compactor (Wacker® Plate). It is essential that the base of the compactor plate is clean and free from concrete, cement or any other material that could stain or mark the surface of the blocks. Compaction during wet weather, or compaction of a damp surface can cause marking/staining of the surface, and so is best avoided. Any staining or marking should be washed off with clean water as soon as possible.
To avoid damaging the surface of the pavers, it is strongly recommended that the base of the plate compactor is covered with a rubber/neoprene mat during the compacting process.
The laying course material should be flexible during compacting of the pavers. Compacting (wackering) pavers on a firm bed, such as hardened concrete, can cause significant damage to the surface.
Once the pavers are consolidated, the joints should be filled with an approved joint-filling sand. Use of building sand or other unsuitable sands can result in permanent discolouration of the paving.
Lay it on a thin (1 - 2 inch) bed of sand. Then use a vibrating weighted plate to level it all out. Broom in very fine sand between the blocks and finish with fine mist water.
Look in the back of the bloc k manufactures cataloge
then u will realise what is involved
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