The Brew Cabin

Tony,
Just want to run this past you to confirm I've got things right:
I'll soon be laying a patio with slabs where the garden is quite sloped (slopes up from the conservatory). I'm going to step the patio so that it's on two levels.
I plan to lay the lower level without a sub-base on a wet mix (6 sharp sand to 1 cement). I'll be using either bricks or railway sleepers as risers laid on a concrete bed and filled in behind with a dry mix (10 parts ballast to 1 cement). There may be two steps up to the second level or there may be just one step. I plan to lay the second level again without a sub-base on a wet mix.
Does this sound about right?
Regards
Gary

Yep - absolutely fine, Gary.

The only thing I'd say is that, if you have any spots where you'd need to use more than 50mm of your wet mortar bedding, then I'd build-up the levels using a semi-dry mix, with the wet mortar bed on top of that.

I don't know about you but when I've had to use a wet mortar bed, if it was any deeper than 50mm, the flags started to "float" and wobble and drift out of alignment as I laid successive courses.

Good Luck!

Thanks for your quick reply Tony.
Yes, I think a depth a bit under 50mm to be about right. With the larger, heavier flags I've found theres a danger of the flags sinking a bit. I tend to favour the wet mix because I find it more pliable and easier to tap down the flags, particularly if the bed is a touch high!! Plus, I like the 'suction' effect you tend to get on the flags which pretty much eliminates any problems with rocking.
Regards
Gary