Suggers wrote:Hey Scary - I think you've cleared the air - nobody here has an axe to grind - did ya start today? - lovely day here in Engerland - a nice moist mix? - don't rush it, & let us know how you get on - all the best.
No worries, didn't start today, was considering it up until about 5 mins ago as we're losing light here and while I'd love to lay a slab or two to get a feel for it, I'd prefer to get a good few down in one session.
I've done my prep, even down to measuring the area, measuring each slab and the numbers of each slab and then doing a mock up in photoshop of how to arrange them! It looks ok on paper, time will tell if I've screwed up the measurements though.
Thanks again for all the help with this. Once they're all down I'm sure I'll be back bothering people about the best method to grout indian sandstone!
scary m8, we tend to use terms loosely in the trade. for instance in my game we would tamp a wet mix ( that's thumping it down with whatever means available. ) thereby sinking the stones and bring the fat up. to take off the excess we would screed it from side to side. also there is a lot to consider with using an existing base, ie drainage / core holes etc; movement joints and finished levels. this site doesn't set out to undermine DIYers, its just that terminology can be confusing. it can be daunting for a first timer, so don't panic, stay focused and good luck.
Further update for anyone who is interested. I began the project yesterday evening. I nailed in a couple of nails, ran some twine between them to serve as a guide line (thankfully the wall was actually pretty damn straight) and hauled in the first bucket of sand (sand is out front in a tonne bag, live in a terraced house so no choice but to hand carry it through). After laying out the sand, which was enough to easily accommodate the first slab, I began to get paranoid about failing light and setting the level of the sand and cement mix wrongly.
So I decided against continuing until I've a good few hours available.
Quite anxious about mixing the cement in and adding some water, cause then it's more or less decided and after it sets there's no going back. Hopefully it should be ok, will post photos etc after this is all complete.
lutonlagerlout wrote:? eh
you really should be using a mixer scary
cheap as chips to hire and the mix will be a lot more consistent
cheers LLL
You're probably right, my previous large DIY job was a 15ft long recliamed brick flowerbed, mixed all the cement for that by hand...don't think I've ever had back pain as bad during that job!
In the light of that you'd think I'd learn and go for the mixer, and I still might. But the first few slabs will be testers, this weekend looks like most probably start date.
i ran 2.5m of ridge tiles on my shed/bar tonight and made the fatal mistake of not using the mixer
even 1 barrow full was a pain by hand
hire a mixer for the weekend it will pay dividends plus if its on hire it will give you some impetus
LLL
Well guys, job done. Can barely type I'm that tired. Have'nt eaten all day cause wanted to get done before rain came. Rain never came. Almost exactly 12 hours since I started, my god....so much pain. Job done though...finally job done.
agree with LLL, MIXER IS THE WAY TO GO, IT,LL SAVE YOU A LOAD OF TROUBLE WITH THE MIX, AND IT'LL SPEED UP YOUR ABILITY TO LAY... TIME IS MORE VALUABLE IMHO:D AND BESIDES, I'VE BATCHED ENOUGH BY HAND TO HAVE DISINTEGRATING SPINE PROBLEMS!:D
general builder, maintenance engineer, gas and plumbing installations, extensions etc
Ok guys, gigantic cockup by me, while pointing I mangaged to smear concrete over the edges of all the slabs. I was scrubbing away at this, washing all the time when I noticed an ever expanding pool that wasn't draining.
So, yes I've managed to create a small loch that materialises with heavy rain. Question is, do I now rip up the offending (6 or so) slabs and re lay, or would drilling up big hole in the effected area do the job? It'd be about 6 inches before I reach soil.
Now I'm going to step away from the keyboard and scream.
