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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Building Questions >> Paving slabs https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1082030069 Message started by coggy on Apr 15^th, 2004, 12:54pm

Title: Paving slabs
Post by coggy on Apr 15^th, 2004, 12:54pm

This is more of a gardening question really but will give it a go.

Fitst off, i am a crap gardener :'( and know nothing about laying slabs.

I want to lay a patio (quite big) in our garden which is currently grass. Ok i need help on this, i want to lay the slabs dry if poss, because its easier. ;)

Right what do i do next:

1) Take up grass
2) ??

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by thescruff on Apr 15^th, 2004, 1:13pm

Probably not right but I've seen it done this way so;

Get a sheet of that stuff they put under roads to stop the weeds growing.

Load a fine scalpings and smack it down hard with a plate wacker.

Spread a load of dry sand and cement mix over the site and level, if you put boards around the edge you can make up a simple scrapper using a length of wood.

Lay slabs and tap em down.

Sweep the dry sand and cement mix in the cracks.

plumb

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by ColG on Apr 16^th, 2004, 9:25pm

Nah Coggy, just lay a load of decking - you're a chippy for crissake!!!!

;D ;D

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by coggy on Apr 16^th, 2004, 11:06pm

Dont like decking, sorry to slippy and in our weather nope sorry :'(

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by Charlie Farley on Apr 19^th, 2004, 1:00am

The slabs must slope away from the building and an easy way of laying great slabs every time is to lay a subbase as mentioned above but lay two sticks of 4x2 and level across and fill in between with sand and cement. Screed it level and lay on the slabs onto the correctly spaced 4x2's. Next, pull out a stick and move it across to the next line of slabs. A surefire way of keeping it level across the house line.

A rule of thumb is when a bucket of water is thrown on a finished slabbed area it should be seen to be drying within two minutes on a dry day else it will get all slimy and green in the winter

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by Dewy on Apr 19^th, 2004, 3:18am

1st thing to do coggy is make sure the grass & weeds are dead. If you have somewhere to put it I'd take the turfs off & stack them upside down in a pile for a year. This should turn them into a good loam (I'm on blue clay & good soil is hard to get). Digging out the turfs makes room for the mortar & slabs.
As thescruff said. Put that weed suppresant material down. If you use the dry mix, the damp from below should set the mortar but you would get a better result with a fairly dry but workable mix laid level then ridged with a trowel. Lay the slab then you can level it by tapping with a rubber mallet. The ridges in the mortar flatten til you get to the required height. Make sure you use a spirit level so the fall away from the house is maintained.
I wouldn't use the 5 spot of mortar method favoured by many as the voids underneath make weak spots & they will soon be inhabited by hoards of ants & other creapy crawlies.

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by Big Al on Apr 29^th, 2004, 10:36pm

glad you asked coggy. I need to lift and relay around 60 4x2 slabs to the side of my house and the answers you've got will help me just fine. Got a feeling my backs gonna feel like s**t for a month but hay ho. keeps the boss happy.

[glb]Thanks guys[/glb]

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by Dewy on Apr 29^th, 2004, 10:46pm

4x2 slabs? I hope they arent ex council ones like mine. They are 3x2 & so thick I could hardly move them but laid a 100' path with them & used half slabs for steps up to it then down the bank to a bridge I built over the brook. I was tempted to use the 5 spot method but am glad I didn't. They are firm and likely to be there long after I'm gone.

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by highlander on May 3^rd, 2004, 11:05pm

Go a truly great site www.pavingexpert.com
It will give you all the information you need regarding flags blocks gravel etc. etc

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by coggy on Apr 1^st, 2005, 9:43pm

Thanks for that site it,s a good site ;)

Can you lay flags on top of flags ? It would save taking up the 3x2 massive heavy council ones :( :( :(

I was hoping i could lay on top of them with a dry mix of somthing ???. They are solid and not to bad level wise. I could then just add and extra row.

Any advise welcome

Jase

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by chappers on Apr 2^nd, 2005, 8:30am

I just pulled some up in our garden last weekend they were 70mm thick, 2x2s could barely move them when I went to smash them up found out they were even reinforced there were about 25 of them wouldn't have fancied being the bloke who had to carry them through the house and then lay them. Over-engineering don't you just love it

Title: Re: Paving slabs
Post by CWatters on Apr 3^rd, 2005, 4:31pm

Hope this forum owner won't mind but....

This is a fantastic site for anything to do with paving, driveways, drainage etc...

http://www.pavingexpert.com/

Checkout their site index..

http://www.pavingexpert.com/pavindex.htm