Paving in the wet weather - I'm worry about paving in the rain

[ruby rocket]

Where i live at the moment we are having regular rain showers i've already dug the site out and pushed around the aggregate should i wait till the weather changes or is it fine to compact the aggregate and screed coarse sand and lay pavers?

[msh paving]

As long is the sub base material is not soggy and water logged carry on, same as sand long as is not soaked carry on MSH

[Zuhel]

Will be finishing my paving next week, while some precipitations are expected nearly every day. What the Gurus would recommend concerning the final jointing and compacting?
Obviously, I should wait until both the blocks and the gaps between are completely dry, but at the current temperatures and weather conditions this waiting might last until the next Easter!
Any suggestions will be highly appreciated.

[Tony McC]

There is a FAQ regarding working in all sorts of weather

[Zuhel]

FAQ does not provide an answer to my question.
Everybody understands that the kiln dried sand could not be applied during even slightest drizzle, that is obvious.
The question is: what to do if that was no rain, let’s say, for 24 hours, but the block paving is still damp, and the gaps are quite damp as well, which makes the proper jointing impossible, because wet sand will not fill these gaps up properly.
Is it safe to leave the newly laid driveway not jointed and not finally compacted until the weather permits it? For how long? May I start using such unfinished driveway, or it would be better to park my car on the street for a while?
I was even thinking about using some industrial hot air blower to dry the blockwork just before the jointing, but it does not seem to be a good idea.
Any suggestions will be highly appreciated.

[Pablo]

Slurry sand the paving. Run the plate over it until it's properly compacted then spread the sand and soak it with a hose until it moves about like a liquid. Brush it about filling the joints as you go starting at the highest point working towards the lowest. Once an area is filled use the hose on a semi rose setting to blow the excess off. You don't need to use Kiln dried for this normal sand will do because it's getting soaked anyway and it'll be much cheaper. It's best to have 2 people on this so the sand is kept properly fluid. Leave it for 24 hrs once done to let the water disperse from the bedding. I've done dozens upon dozens like this and never had a problem I reckon it can actually fill the joints better and leave the paving even more tightly bound it's certainly harder to lift a block thats been done this way than with dry sand.



Edited By Pablo on 1323357898

[DNgroundworks]

I agree with Pablo, i have used that method on lots of jobs, ive even used a power washer on a light setting

[Pablo]

I agree with Pablo, i have used that method on lots of jobs, ive even used a power washer on a light setting

It works even better with a power washer.

[lutonlagerlout]

although we dont get as much rain down here i have used the slurry technique and can confirm its veracity
you have to wack the blocks before you do it though,and keep cars off them for a day or 2 after
LLL

[Zuhel]

Thank you very much, Pablo! Thank you, colleagues!
Great advice!
I am gonna whack the blocks both before and after jointing.
I hope that this advice will be useful for somebody else as well, especially at the rainy seasons.

[lutonlagerlout]

WHOA!
you cannot wack them immediately after slurry jointing
you need to wait 24-48 hrs for the water to migrate through the subbase
LLL

[Zuhel]

you need to wait 24-48 hrs for the water to migrate through the subbase

Sure.
Pablo mentioned it a little bit earlier.
Thank you for pointing it out.

[Pablo]

There's no need to whack the blocks after they're sanded.