Thickness of slate for patio

Patio flagstones (slabs), concrete flags, stone flags including yorkstone and imported flagstones.
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piperpops
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Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2005 3:42 pm
Location: west country

Post: # 7830Post piperpops

I hope I'm not incurring the wrath of Tony - I have thoroughly researched the archive and the brew cabin titles but still not found an answer, probably because question is too barking to consider!
Anyway - here goes:
I read about thickness of patio slate and that anything less than 30mm is considered a tile. Is it actually possible to use tiles on a light use patio - Sheera multicoloured slate is what I have in mind. Will that work if embedded in a Class IV mortar as described in the natural stone section. What depth hardcore and concrete sub-base is also required? Am I actually saving money by doing this at approx £15 a square metre.
Thanks
Lou




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Tony McC
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Location: Warrington, People's Republic of South Lancashire
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Post: # 7987Post Tony McC

No danger of any wrath - a few days back on the owld sod in Ireland does wonders for my disposition (not too mention the profits of Guinness!) :D

You can use tiles if you wish, but most "tiles" really do need to be supported by a concrete base rather than a flexible sub-base. There are some exceptions to this, but I don't want to confuse you unnecessarily.

So, a concrete base needs to be at least 75mm thick, preferably 100mm, and should be laid over a damp-proof membrane, as described on the Concrete Hard-standings page. A sub-base isn't always needed, but can be used if required.

Obviously, using 75-100mm of concrete and a DPM is more expensive than bedding onto 50mm of grit sand and cement, but, if this Sheera (wasn't she a Princess of Power in the 1980s??) Slate is what you want, it's a far better construction and worth the few quid extra.
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