Diy block paving advise - Advise needed

[seanandruby]

How did you manage to smear compo over the panels? Another job now to paint them. Also why did you lay the edging with a gap? you could of notched the paver around the posts.

[n0chex]

It think it was when i hosed the area down and the patches are still wet i think.

I did not want to notch the block pavers as i dont like cutting - .......the wheelie bin and shed will hide that .

I wanted to ask when i start to lay the 450x450 flags i wanted to do straight lines to save me alot of cuts down the wall and i would ask would the be any problem in doing it that way.

[n0chex]

Been a lazy mofo and only put the pavers in leading down to the gate so far and the recess tray is fixed in place , but at least i have got a good edge now to get my screening for laying the flags after a final going over with the wacker as the rain has seamed to loosen some MOT! .

Would a 6:1 mix be ok wettish mix for the flags ?

Regards pointing would a dry mix of 2:1 kiln dried sand & cement be ok brushed in to all the joints and the excess brushed off.


PS: I did a double row of pavers as this meant i did not need to cut any flags and 3 fit perfect with a small gap for the pointing 10mm and it made it easier and looks better to carry on around the building if that makes sense ?.

[Rich H]

Regards pointing would a dry mix of 2:1 kiln dried sand & cement be ok brushed in to all the joints and the excess brushed off.

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhh

[Rich H]

Seriously, mate, NO. Please read up on the pointing section. Basically, if you're going with minimal joints, then kiln dried sand is the only solution.

I still think you've not left enough depth for the bedding course. How thick are the slabs?

[n0chex]

The block pavers are sat on a bed of motar and the blocks are 50mm so from the top of the block to the base is about 65-70mm.
The Bradstone textured flags are 32-35mm which leaves approx 40mm bed of sand/cement wet mix to bed the flags on .....is that not enough ?.

Regards the kiln dried sand /cement i used this method on the bottom part of my yard where the shed sits now and it has set like concrete and i have left approx 10mm gap now in the flags so i will have to do it that way as the gap will be to much just for kiln dried sand.

TBH i thought the sand/cement dry mix brushed into the flags gave a good end result with no stainning on any of the flags or blocks.
As for manually pointing each flag by hand with wet mortar would be a sure disaster unless you have lots of experience in pointing.

Don't forget i have never laid a flag or brick in my life and i am looking for the easiest and best way to go about it.

Can i say i still appreciate your input and i am no way saying you are giving me false information regards the pointing but i have to say i have seen the end result with the kiln dried sand & cement and i am well happy with it unless you are going to tell me it will crack and break up in no time.

[Rich H]

Yes it will.

If you are going to use a mortar of any kind it needs to be struck in using a trowel or pointing tool. You can brush it in as a slurry but this is not a job for the faint-hearted.

Striking the mix pushes it into the voids and reduces the entrained air (if you are using a dryish mix) to form a solid mortar joint. The problem with voids and air is that they will always have a moisture content which will vary over time. When the frosts come the moisture in the voids freezes which changes the volume of the void and cracks the surrounding mortar. More cracks, more moisture, more cracks. Eventually the joint fails completely. In comes the dust, dirt, weed seeds and ants.

For small joints, just use kiln dried sand which will flow into the void and consolidate with ambient moisture. For 10mm joints point it with a mortar with just a little water added. It needs to be crumbly so as to not stain the slab but still moist to bind when struck with the iron. Just do a joint at a time, brush the excess away and move on. Every few metres use a damp paint brush over the joint to help it cure. Repeat over the whole thing at the end of your session.

It's a bit boring but you won't screw it up and the result will be a proper job.*




As for the depth of the bedding course mentioned above, you're bang on.




* Alternatively use GftK or Romex for the larger joints. It's an additional cost but a piece of cake to do and will give you a very professional finish.

[n0chex]

Thanks Rich H what mix for the morter 3:1 ?

[n0chex]

Ok i have made a start on the flags and i am pleased so far with what i have done.

I thought best to use a spacer inbetween the flags so the gap is the same all round and they also look nice and straight on the eye when looking at them , i used some plastic edging trim cut up into 16" strips which i placed inbetween the flags.

I used a 6:1 mix Sand/Cement and i can say these flags are going nowhere when the bed has set.

Do i sand/cement the flag/flags in the recess tray or just lay them on a bed of sand and would it look better with a coloured dye added ......?

[Stuarty]

Looking good, personally i would have went with a half bond but thats just personal preference. I would only lay slabs in the recess tray if there would be no silly wee bits of slab, ie less than 150mm, other wise would have put in a standard cover.

[ambient]

sand and cement same as bedding

[n0chex]

You say " half bond " excuse my ignorance but what does that mean, and regards to the recess tray ..........i will have 2 small pieces at about 125mm-150mm but that's the way it has fallen i'm afraid and all i could have done to prevent this is to start a full flag ant the tray and work back to the french doors but it would have only been the same 3 cuts.

Putting a standard tray in would spoil it in my honest opinion as the cuts i have made around the tray are spot on and only took 1 hr ( Bloody Makita Cutting saw is a pain in the butt to start and sometimes stops splutters when on a angle ).

I am sure it is a fuel starvation and looking at the internal petrol tank filter it may need replacing, are these things usually hard to start ecsecially if you get the mixture a little out i tried 50:1.

[Stuarty]

Half bond is same as a brick wall, im sure its correct name is stretcher bond. You dont have to put a standard cover in it, the choice is entirely yours to make. Regarding the saw, ive never used a makita that did run well. But if your cutting dry check the air filter, doesnt take long for these to get caked in dust making it impossible for the machine to draw in air.

[n0chex]

I see and thanks for the reply to my question , i did not do half bond as it would have involved to many cuts and the less the better as far as i am cencerned:).

I have just noticed that this thread is in the wrong section now i suppose its more to do with flags than block paving.

Any help choosing the mortor colour for the flags or should i just use standard sand and cement.

[mickg]

use standard sand a cement mix 4:1 ratio, thats 4 sand and 1 cement

if you gage the quantity every mix will be the same, 4 buckets of sand to 1 bucket of cement or 2 buckets of sand to half a bucket of cement so you don't mix too much at once