How do i lay paving slabs in my garden, which is has a concrete path and a small grass lawn?
Question:My garden is not very big but i have a concrete path and a area next to my house concreted. The i have a lawn which also needs paving over. Should i be using a wet cement base of should it all be leveled off with sand first and then paved ontop? what type of sand should i be using? I want to do it myself as all the quotes i have been getting are for block paving and i heard ist quicker for the gangs of men jumping out of vans, so have been stronger advise against this.
please help i have some DIY experience but not building/ lanscaping knowledge. also could someone explain how to allow drainage
thank you
Answers:
ok here we go lol
firstly i am a landscaper i lay 100s of square metres of paving a month so i know what i am talking about please beilieve me lol.
dig the area out that you wish to pave to between 8 and 10 inches below the desired finish level,
once the area is dug out fill in with type 1 (hardcore) to between 4 and 6 inces, then hire a whacker plate and whack the entire area till you can walk on it with out any movement under foot.
there are two options for laying paving,
1 laying on sand
for laying on sand you must have a regular depth slab so it needs to be a pre cast concrete paver unless you are using the very expensive caithness natural stone which is designed for laying on sand.apply a course granite or concreting sand to the area and whack the area checking levels all the time, then simply apply the slabs to the top, it is very difficult to get this method perfect unless you have experience.
2 laying on wet cement
easier method but you need a cement mixer and have the cost of buying bagged cement. simply lay the wet cement down on your type one in the same shape as your paver so its peeked all the way round and is higher than your finished level, also put a line of wet cement through the middle of the shape for support of the slab, tap the slab down with a rubber hammer gently, till you achieve a level slab, if the slab is connected to a house to need a 2mm in 1 metre water run off away from the house to stop the paving causing damp in your house.
its that easy,
mate go 2 Mite 10 they have lots of DYI pamphlets sure they will have one 4 that and draining. Bunnings also have DYI class on different things and there is always someone that will explain things 2 U Good luck
Right - here goes.
First of all the concrete part. You can lay this on a semi-dry full bed of stone-dust, sand & cement (roughly 7-2-1, 7 Dust, 2 sand, 1 cement)
There are two options in regard to the lawn.
First of all you could dig up the lawn, put a concrete base down (about 3 inches deep, 75mm) and do the above, this is a little more expensive,but you can work out all your levels in this base.
Or you can dig up the lawn and put a 4 inch (100mm) bed of scalpings (hardore) and whack it down with a wacker (most hire shops charge around £25.00 for the day). This will give you a good sub-base. Then lay the slabs on a 2inch bed of the same mix above.
Your levels should include a 1/4 inch fall in every meter to allow water to run - try and run it down to any drains you may have or failing that the garden its-self.
One way you can do your falls is to put stakes in the ground(pegs) Put your first one at the lowest point eg drain or garden and using a spirit level set your next peg a little higher etc until you have your highest point.
If you were to lay block paving, most of the water would run through the blocks, but you would still have to have your falls.
Block paving is laid on the following
Scalpings whacked down - 6inches.
Grade A Sharp sand - max 2inches
Then your block. altogether 11inches.
This means a lot of digging out, a few skips and a fair bit of materials.
Have fun
Before you start, get yourself fit for manual work.
Learn to lift without giving yourself a hernia
The most important thing in any project is preparation, which you have started.
make sure u put polythene down first to stop any weeds coming through the slabs :-)
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