Well my preparation is well underway: levels set out and pavers delivered and stacked.
The first 3 photos show the work I'm doing: paving the lower steps in photo 1. Then a path that goes along the house and wraps round the steps in photo 2 and out to the back garden in photo 3. Also adding the same pavers to the steps in photo 2 up to the front door.
Photo 4 shows the result of 4 hours work carrying the pavers into the garage from the nature strip!
Now my question: what is the smallest gap I can use when paving the steps if I'm using a standard mortar?
The steps will be butting up against the path which will be filled with roadbase and sand and the pavers will be 4mm apart on this section. I’d like to use the same spacing for the steps but especially with the bullnose pavers I can’t see that the mortar is going to stay in place. Do I have to go with a 10mm gap and just accept that the steps won’t line up with the other pavers?
Would it be possible to eliminate the jointing mortar completely and just rely on a bed mortar to hold the step blocks in place? If you used a high-strength, high-bond mortar using SBR or similar, that might be adequate.
Hmmm. Do you mean eliminate the gap between the step pavers completely? (This would again mean that they wouldn't ine up exactly with the block paving of the path which will have a 4mm gap) or do you mean keep the same 4mm gap but use something other than standard mortar to fill the gap? I was thinking of this but wasn't sure what to use to fill the gap:
(a) gap sand won't work because of the slight tread overhang I'll use
(b) is there another type of mortar that is suitable?
You could use a SBR mortar in a 4mm gap, provided you were using a fine sand. Whereas standard mortar would simply crack and fall apart at that thickness (thin-ness??) the SBR will keep it together and ensure it sticks to the edges of the pavers.
