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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 7:30 pm
by vinny40405
I am starting on the drive monday. my wife has liked the look of grey sandstone paving 280 / 280 / 25 to 45 thick with a path of black lime tumblestone 200 / 200 / 25 and edging of black engineering bricks.
looking through the site. i see that 50 mm flags are recomended for drives. i plan to park one or two cars on the area. 10 mtr wide by 4 mtr deep. i planned to put 100mm of type 1 with the original bricks also. then tamper and 50mm of sharp sand 10 to 1. although now the bricks are so hard i might try to re use for wall or dump in skip. they are solid but have discolured over years....
with further reading im not sure now??
can you advise is it ok to use the materials mentioned for a drive? should i talk the wife out of using the materials?? she would like visually to be diffrent from all the other drives? she does not like the look of block pavving? i would like cobbles but today found out they were £55 square mtr...lot of money..
regards Vinny
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 4:43 pm
by Tony McC
I have reservations about using the imported sandstone for driveways, but then, I'm a fussy bugger and possibly a little too pernickety. I know that the sandstone imports are used for driveways, and, if they are laid well and on the right materials, I suppose they should be ok (in theory). To be honest, the few jobs I've seen that have been sub-standard, it has always been because the flags were laid incorrectly, with <spit> spot bedding being the most common cause, or because a particularly crap flag, bought unsighted from Ebay (of all places!) had been used.
If a client of mine insisted on using the imported sandstone flags, then i would lay them on a full concrete bed, using a semi-dry or moist mix of ST1 concrete (1:3:6) that was at least 100mm thick. I could also make a case for laying down a decent concrete base first, and then bedding the flags onto a full mortar bed, but laying directly onto concrete suits the way in which I work (or worked, I should say, now that I'm crippled!)
The joints would need to be fully mortared, and I might use a hi-strength mortar with a dash of Simeon's Ronafix added for extra bonding power.
I'd do the same for the tumbled stone edge details, and probably for the bricks, as the few quid that could be saved by switching laying methods would be lost on the extra time needed to switch over all the materials.
The concrete may be laid on top of a damp proof membrane over a prepared sub-base, if levels need building up or if the sub-grade is iffy in anyway, but if there was a decent, reliable sub-grade, then a simple blinding with Type 1 material or similar, to even out the base and ensure a fairly regular thickness of concrete, would be all the prep I'd do.
The grey sandstone looks really classy with the much darker limestone blocks. Your missus obviously has good taste, but I'd urge her to use a few other sizes along with the 280x280mm flags. If you add in the 420x420, the 420x560, the 560x560 and the 560x280 sizes, you can create a wonderful random layout that really shows off the stone. Using the same size throughout doesn't accentuate the natural beauty of the stone - it emphasises the unifomity of size and makes it look tedious and repetitive.
Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2004 8:48 pm
by vinny40405
Thanks Tony, i think my missus has good taste also. i will pass your good knowledge on. as you say i like to carry out any work as it should be. done right the first time. Im a bit wary of laying flags direct on a bed of concrete. im sure i would not be as fast as you. i have visions of the pyramid pile solid in the front drive... i think the content of your site is brill. it must make you proud? the content and feedback from all?
Could i ask also? if i can mix the st1 by mixer on site? i guess that is 1 cement 3 sharp sand then 6 gravel / 10mm? the sub base is clay and i thought your view on type 1 of 100mm. and at least 100mm of st1 for the flags.
Also how you used to make good drives that meet the pavement? as my drive is up to the pavement. would you suggest to cut a straight line? or start the brick line a bit in and cement the gap? there is a uneven line as to the path and existing wall.
regards Vince 
Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:54 pm
by Tony McC
You can mix an ST1 (1:3:6) on site and use it as required. If you mix it with no added water, what we call a semi-dry mix, you should get 4 hours minimum working time with it at this time of year.
Where your driveway meets the public footpath, the best 'finish' would be to lay a full course of the edge pavers and make up any gap with a dark-coloured concrete or moratr, or, if the existing footpath is bitmac, get yourself a bag of repair macadam from your local Builders' Merchant and make up the gap with that.