Finally, lay down commercial-grade landscaping fabric. The last thing you want is a nice new patio that gets flooded every time it rains. Paving needs to sit on a hard well drained Foundation. Using your rubble hammer hit the slab 3 inches in from the corners. To check the depth as you go use your ultra high-tech stick to keep checking the height, removing more soil where the level is still too high, and raking it back over if you’ve dug slightly too deep. Step 2: Preparing the site. A concrete slab is poured right on the ground. You don’t always need to lay a stone base when constructing a patio... 3. To do this you will need a concrete breaker or a jackhammer. Tamp the slabs into place and check for level. Never leave wet cement on your skin, wash it off with water. Its a good idea to watch it before you read, then refer back to it during and after reading for a visual demonstration. Step 5 – Lay Gravel Base. BUT you should read the whole guide before you start. Some equipment is essential and some is optional but useful. Work out the volume of the waste you are removing so that you know how large the skip needs to be. A slab foundation is usually less expensive to install than a full concrete wall foundation with a concrete floor. This method is still used for some things but new materials are far superior in our experience. Flatten this out to around 8cm above ground level. paving calculator to help you work out the desired quantities of all the materials you are going to need. These can be rented out or bought quite cheaply. Lay paving slabs all along the perimeter of the area first. if the area that you are laying the paving on has poor drainage (puddles sitting on the surface after it rains) it is likely to have poor drainage after laying paving. Unless you are laying something with only 90 degree angles you will need to shape paving slabs to fit the area and get around obstacles. See this article for a step by step breakdown of how to mix concrete. Ensure the slabs are level using a spirit level. If you need to remove cement at this point you can put it in place for the next slab. Remember when you are laying these, you’ll need to allow for a slope of 1 in 60, as this will encourage the flow of rainwater. If this isn’t going to work you will have to break up the hard surface and remove it. How to avoid loose slabs when laying your paving flag stones. 4) Place your slabs Begin laying down your slabs, starting at the border running alongside your house. You may find it useful to set up more than one string line. Lay all full and cut slabs until your project is complete. The makeup of the paving structure is as follows however the hardcore can be deeper if need be. For example, Indian stone paving typically comes in 4 size packs. Paving needs to sit on a hard well drained Foundation. Using pegs, the string and a spirit level or line level, set up a string which is level and runs precisely down the line you would like the edge of the paving to follow. Pointing was traditionally done by pushing concrete into the gaps between paving slabs then cleaning off the excess. When laying, line up the edge of the paving so it is almost touching the string. You can lay slabs for paving … This how to guide will show you how to lay your new paved patio, or path perfectly. The ground should be dampened but not soggy, no muddy spots or puddle should be found out on the ground level. Teaching you tricks of the trade we usually keep to ourselves. The next step on how to lay paving slabs on a slope is to install the paver, starting from the areas with lower altitudes. If your clothing gets covered in wet or dry cement, make sure to wash it off as soon as possible. Lay down this edge first then go from there. Once you’re happy with your estimates head to your local DIY store and load up the trolley with all the materials you need, at this point it’s also worth buying any of the tools you’ll need if you don’t have them already.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'lawnmowerwizard_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_13',125,'0','0'])); Mark out the area you wish to pave, you can either do this by scoring a line on the ground along a straight edge or by placing some other sort of marker on the ground such as a piece of strong tied between two pegs. The ground below the slab should support its weight. Acorn Construction Ltd trading as Acorn Landscape Gardening, 81 Alderfield, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 9HA, Marketing or website enquiries email david@acorn-gardening.co.uk. A patio needs a solid and drainable Foundation. The slabs will be laid on roughly 5 cm or 50 mm of concrete. There are two acceptable methods of laying flags - individual bedded and screed bedded. You need to go over the entire area at least three times to ensure that the hardcore is properly compacted. For a detailed breakdown of how to cut and shape paving see our cutting and shaping article. This can either make things much easier or much harder. Lay slabs on a bed of mortar 5cm – 8cm deep, tapping down firmly with a … This guide will work if you are laying on most normal garden surfaces including already existing patios, concrete, tarmac, grass or mud. 115mm angle grinder (slower but can cut fairly steep angles. You should make out the area using some spray the edge of a spade or whatever works on the surface you are working with. Ensure you use eye, ear and hand protection when using these tools. eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'lawnmowerwizard_com-box-4','ezslot_11',119,'0','0'])); With your cement mixture prepared, carefully pour it into the hole and use either a stick or cement trowel to evenly spread it level, again making sure that it only fills the hole half way so that the slab will sit flush with the ground once positioned on top of it. Once you have finished laying the remaining stepping-stones between the two end slabs you can them remove the string line and pins and then gently replace any gravel around the slabs. Never leave wet cement on your skin, wash it off with water. These grooves allow the paving to be pushed down easily enough to level. The base of your prepared area should be at least 150 mm plus the depth of the slab below that. Paving slabs can be installed on a slope, by gradually moving the stones with the grade. If you lay paving on soil with no supporting hard base, it will eventually deform and need replacing. Step 2: Building the base. This takes into account all of the preparation right through to completion. Each type of paving will have its own recommended spacing. depending on what the surface is you will either need a concrete breaker or just a spade. Our breakdown of paving and sealing is designed to help you work out the best approach for your paving. This can be ordered from builders merchants who will drop it off for you in ton bags. This number is called the drop, and represents the depth difference between a fixed higher and lower point. Its a lot to take in, but getting it right can save you thousands compared to paying professionals. Before starting to lay the paving it’s important to have the slabs in a readily available position so that you can grab them quickly. Next, using your cement trowel, drag some grooves through the cement which go almost to the hardcore base. These days I have truly mixed feelings about petrol powered tools. The gradient should be 1:80. How to lay paving slabs on a patio 1. Lay the slabs onto the ground. To hang a slab door, you will first need to fit the door to the existing doorframe. There are some things which are not intuitive but if you don’t do them, it could go wrong in the future. Depending on what you are doing, there are two essential tools if you want to get a clean cut. The aim is to get the slab to remain as level as possible whilst dropping down to the correct level. Then, lower your first paving slab into position. Aim for a 2mm horizontal gap but ensure it is the exact level of the string line. During this digging out phase you will generate a lot of waste. This is why we lay the two end slabs first the fix a string line between them. Step-by-step guide Step 1: On paper. if you don’t do this step properly it could result in subsidence and uneven paving. 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