Page 1 of 1
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:54 pm
by cdorling
Hi, if its not too silly a question:- I have a garden that falls a little. At the top 1/2 I want to separate the soil borders on either side from the grass with block paving (concrete, rectangular & chamfered). At the bottom 1/2 I want to level it off, which will mean a small retaining wall 3-4 bricks high. Can I use the same block paving to 'top off' the top of the wall at the bottom ie use as coping? Thanks.
ps I know some blocks have nibbed edges for spacing, but the sample I picked up from a local builders merchant didn't appear to have them.
Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:50 pm
by colordrives
Hi there.
I'd advise against this as block pavers are simply not designed for capping walls.
I'm not to sure what concrete pavers you have samples of but nearly every concrete pavers I have seen have nibs on them. Quite why the samples you have don’t I am unsure but they should have. What make are they?
If its a small wall why not just get some proper engineering quality solid blue clay bricks to cap it of with? It not going to cost much but it will look a hell of a lot better.
Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:45 pm
by Tony McC
Horses for courses: Paving bricks for paving, and walling bricks for walling.
Although you could, in theory, use pavers to build a wall, the result will be messy because the blocks aren't designed to be used with mortar, and so they "bleed" and unless your bricklaying skills are good enough to enable you to work with a very stiff mortar, you end up with a mortar stained mess.
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:59 pm
by cdorling
Many thanks, I'll abandon all thoughts of using paviours to top off the wall then. I'm just back from various builders merchants. I've chosen my slabs, and the bricks (1 for the wall + an engineering one to top it off). But I'd still like to paviours as an edging in 3 positions:-
1) Against the wall, with paving the other side.
2) Paving on one side, soil/nothing the other.
3) Grass one side, soil/nothing the other.
For 2 and 3 I'd bed them in cement to ensure they don't move, and try and add a little sand in between the spacers, so the bleeding wouldn't be a problem, or would it?
Thanks for your help. Really useful site - I was going to use the 5 spot method, but not now.
ps apologies, the paviour sample I have does indeed have spacers.