Laying a natural stone driveway?
Question:i am going to pave my driveway with natural stone, and was wondering if it would be alright to drive on it..and if so the best way to lay it from the sub-base, either concrete or hardcore up ?
Does anyone have any ideas how to lay a nat stone drive ?
Many thanks
Answers:
You want at least 5 inches of hardcore (preferably MOT grade scalpings) compacted with a whacker plate (hire at HSS) with at least 7 passes over the area. Then lay the stone on a full bed of strong mortar in a ratio of 4:1:1 (Building sand:Sharp sand:Cement). Point in between with a semi-wet mix of 5:1 (Building sand:cement) ensuring you try and avoid getting too much mix on the face of the slabs as it will stain. If it does stain any, get some cement removing acid from your local builders merchants and clean any affected areas.
If it is for vehicular access you need to be 12" deep to start, or a little less if it is clay, then lay a landscaping fabric, lay the hardcore in layers and 'whack' or roller it with a good, heavy quality machine to within 2" plus the depth of the stone, whack or roll the sand in 2 layers, set the stone so that the joints can be pointed with a cement/sand/granite mix and leave for 3 days to cure
Hi, What you are referring to is called,"Cobble Stones". Cobblestones and Gravel are used more for their decorative qualities than as practical paving. Cobbles, in particular,are uncomfortable to walk on and,although a firmly consolidated area of gravel is fine for vehicles,walking on a gravel footpath can be annoying. If an area of Cobblestone or Gravel is going to be used as a pathway for vehicles,construct retaining edges of brick,concrete pavers,or pressure - treated boards.This will stop it from being spread outside the planned area. To construct a cobble or gravel drive,the sub-base and cobbles itself must be compacted and leveled to prevent cars from skidding and churning up the material. Lay a 6-inch bed of compacted bank-run gravel ,topped with a 2- inch layer of very coarse gravel mixed with sand. Roll it flat,than take a 1-inch layer of fine pea gravel across the surface and roll it down. I hope this helps you out,I love natural stone driveways and fences, not to mention Fireplaces! Bye
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