Help!! - bad screeding - do i start again?? - Uneven paving

[johnnyboy]

Hi everyone. Wonder if someone can help please....?

After much research into the correct way to lay block paving, ignorant son (me), against his better judgement, listened to his father when it came to do the sand laying & screeding...so am now in desperate need of some advice...

I have a good sub-base down (100-150 mm deep Type 1), very level, and well compacted. All going well at this point... the soldier edge courses concreted in, bar the final one at the front...again, still going well...then my father joins me to help lay the sand and this is where it starts going wrong... He turned me into 15 years old again which meant anything I know goes out the window, and therefore did not listen to me explaining the correct process, and I stupidly went along with his advice believing in his 'experience' !!

So the job was rushed, and the sand for two thirds of the drive is not levelled or compacted (light foot compaction, not stamped) to my satisfaction. The next day I was left to my own devices and the final third of the drive is well compacted and beautifully level and even. Unfortunately this now highlights how uneven the first two thirds of the drive are! It has what can only be described as 'ridges', not major, but if a job's worth doing.....

The blocks have not yet been whacked ...

So the question is - do I pull the first two thirds of the drive up and start over? Of course I'd rather not... OR can I risk whacking the blocks in the hope that they will level out a little and compact down enough to be stable - I can then fix any major 'dips'/'ridges' by pulling up and re-doing those areas only - before jointing and the final whack?? What worries me if I leave it as is, what will happen in 6 months time when the cars have been driving on the drive every day?

Really appreciate any words of wisdom...

Thank you!

[lutonlagerlout]

take the lot our again ,wack the sand ==> all of it
screed the sand to the correct levels,then lay the blocks again
then install kiln dried sand and wack again
sorry its bad news but you cannot lay blocks on unwacked sand its asking for trouble
cheers LLL

[Tony McC]

I'm with LLL - it's actually easier to lift and re-lay the whole unsatisfactory area before consolidation, than to wait and try to patch-repair various areas of dis-satisfaction.