Just looking for some advice hopefully before I make any expensive mistakes
I'm about to start laying some Marshals Heritage flags ('weathered yorkstone' about 26 sq.m) in 6 sizes. They'll form a terraced patio onto the garden - you can get the idea from this rough computer model I did when I was working it out (only paving the section next to the garden as in the pic below):
I've built the retaining wall and done a flag layout in CAD (they're so bloody expensive I don't want to order more than I have to!):
I haven't laid a sub base as the ground is almost pure sand and very firm, however I've got a ton of MOT on order and a compactor to fill in a bit of a void - I'll run the compactor over the whole lot.
I'm intending to individually bed the flags on a 6:1 mortar bound bed (about 30 - 40mm thick) but one thing I'm not sure about is, is how wet to make the bed - I've seen different recommendations and I've read on here that a wetter bed is easier?
I wasn't intending to use the whacker on the bed as I'll be individually bedding the flags - just trample a layer and then prepare the bed for each flag as I lay them - am I on the right track with this? As I'm working on my own and weather dependant, I'll probably have to work in sections.
Finally, pointing... I wasn't intending to butter the flags - as I'm a complete novice when it comes to paving, I'm worried about making a mess of it and staining the flag. So I was going to trowel point them after laying - is it ok to do this?
Any other pointers would be very welcome!
cheers
Matt