I am about to start replacing my existing patio with a natural sandstone or travertine and I'd like some help to know how much extra work I need to do for the bedding layer.
Existing patio (40msq) = Clay base + 40mm sharp sand (no cement) + slabs.
Questions:
1. Is the clay suitable as a sub-base (feels quite solid)?
2. Do I need to remove the existing sharp sand down to the clay base or can I use the existing sand layer?
3. If I use the existing bedding sand should I plate compact down and then ripple before laying the slabs?
4. Do I need to add a 10:1 dry mix to firm up the bedding sand?
5. How do I prevent the ants from digging my new patio up!?
1. Is the clay suitable as a sub-base (feels quite solid)?
NO
2. Do I need to remove the existing sharp sand down to the clay base or can I use the existing sand layer?
yes it needs to be removed
3. If I use the existing bedding sand should I plate compact down and then ripple before laying the slabs?
its got to be dug out to at leat 200mm below finished flag height
4. Do I need to add a 10:1 dry mix to firm up the bedding sand?.
i think you have been watching groundfarce mate,you need to dig out 200-250mm add 150mm of type 1 ,wack this,then you are ready for a mortar mix and flags
5. How do I prevent the ants from digging my new patio up!but an anteater,alternatively make sure all the cement mix is well mixed so it goes off hard
hope this helps
tony
You do NOT need 6'' of type one for a patio. 3'' would be ample and in many cases if you use a ground stabilizing membrane, no sub base is required. Just 2'' of ballast and cement or sharp sand and cement (anywhere between 6 and 10 to 1)
6" wacks down to about 5" which then leaves you 40mm for the bedding and 40mm for the flags
the Op mentioned clay as the soil,would you lay a patio straight onto clay RMS??
cheers tony
I may trade off the expense of digging down vs. the fact it's a light use patio and the original clay and patio have been down for a couple of decades with no problems.
Do I lay down the complete coverage of bedding layer and compact in one go (10:1 for individual bedding) or do I do a section at a time. I assume I do in stages as the bedding will harden before I lay all the flags - if it takes me a few days. Thanks.
