The Brew Cabin

Hi there. Great site!
I have cut a terrace out of virgin chalk rock for a swimming pool. I intend to put block paving around the pool area. I have had a go with a whacker plate and found that the chalk rock compacts to a hard level finish. May I use a 50mm layer of sand to bed the block paving?
Also how much kiln dried sand do I need per m2 for pointing the block paving?

The compacted chalk should be ok for your paving. I'm not sure how well chalk performs as a sub-base for vehicular areas, but for pedestrian usage , I can't see any major problem.

35-50mm of bedding sand is the usual recommendation for block paving. 50mm is the 'upper limit' - try not to have more than 50mm.

Finally, the coverage rate for the jointing sand varies with the type of block being used. The joint depth (whether you're using a 50mm, a 60mm or an 80mm block) will obviously have some effect, as does the block plan size, as a square metre of 200x100mm blocks will use more than a square metre of 240x160mm blocks. The block type makes quite a difference, too. Standard blocks use less per linear metre of joint than does a tumbled block, which, in turn, uses
less than a clay paver. I know all this sounds terribly complicated, but, as a general rule of thumb for projects of less than 100m², reckon on 8-10m² per 40kg bag

Tony

Many thanks for your help.

Regards
Steve