Paving Slabs Help

faolteam

i have an area of 35 sq meters out side back yard , i have decided i will put down paving slabs,unfortunately they area has different levels and some parts are angled were it goes from low to high,

Can anybody recommend were i can get good paving slabs, Whats best size etc ?

were the best place to buy them,

and is it sand u lay them on

how do u break them ?

Davy

It might be worth getting someone if your not familiar with them. Its something that you will be looking at for years, and if its not right it would annoy you, well it would for me anyway. Its not complicated really, but someone who does it the whole time should make a better job of it on corners etc. They would use an angle grinder to cut the slabs. Their isnt a best size, its more about your personal taste and price. A lot of people go for that the Indian sandstone.

AckwelFoley

I got this from onlinetips.org. Im too lazy to type it out
I had to go through a few different sites to get this which is imo the best advice, there is alot of sites shoveling bad advice on this subject out there.


Laying Paving Slabs
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Excavate the Designated Area

Plan out the area where you want to install the paving slabs, and make sure there is enough space for any water to drain off easily. Check your paving slab thickness, and consider the amount of sub base and bedding layer needed before you begin to excavate.

The sub base layer needs to be set up in order to take the brunt of the weight of the slabs and traffic. This will help to give your paved area durability and strength, and should be about 150mm deep.

It should usually be a mix of compacted, crushed rock, with little or no gaps where the bedding can seep in. Make sure it is even in thickness, and that your sub base essentially reflects how you want to see your paved surface.

Placing the Bedding

This layer will hold up and support your paving slabs, so it should be a mixture of dry cement and coarse grit sand – this should be laid down so that it allows the stones to lay flat and level. Building sand is far too soft for this layer, so use a 10:1 ratio of sand to cement, and you’ll find that the mix is firm.


Laying the Paving Slabs

Spread out the bedding and make sure it’s compacted before laying down any of the slabs – . If you ripple the bedding mix with a trowel before placing each stone down, you’ll find that the stone is able to bed itself down much more firmly.


Make sure you have a maul on hand to help align the stone in its position, tapping lightly on the corners as needed, to make it flush and secure against any adjacent stones. When it’s in place, walk on the stone to make sure it’s firmly in place and doesn’t move.

Joining and Pointing the Slabs

If you’re planning on dry jointing, make up a mixture of sand and cement and brush it in place – but only do this if the slabs are perfectly dry, and if there is no forecast for rain.

Use a soft brush to push the mixture into the joints, and pack it down with your trowel to make sure the joint is solid. The mortar mixture should be removed from the surface of any stones as soon as it gets on them, just to make sure there is no staining.

Pointing is a more time-consuming process, though it will last longer. The mortar should be mixed wet, and then trowelled into the joints between the paving slabs. If you can, use a larger trowel to hold the mixture and a smaller one to get it in the joints, which will actually help to minimize potential staining on the sides of the slabs. You’ll have to press the mixture down into the joint, and finish it off with a specialized jointing trowel.

stapeler

I laid about 25meters a couple of years back and found www.pavingexpert.com a very useful site for tips and ideas.
At the time I went with Indian Sandstone and purchased for a chap called Ambrose Rooney near Navan, he advertises in the buyandsell. He certainly was the most reasonable back then but a lot has changed since then so there might be better value out there.

I have no connection whit the above, just a satisfied customer.

faolteam

all the tips,