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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:44 am
by squire
Hi there, first time poster, long time browser.
Currently in the middle of some patio construction and one element is building a set of steps up to a raised section of the garden about 1.6M above the patio area.
The steps will comprise of 2.8Mx250mmx150mm sleepers as risers and 300x350x60mm granite slabs as the steps. There are eight steps in total.
Now, the question is, how should I bed the granite slabs. I was thinking of just bedding them in grit sand over hardcore but should I add cement to the grit sand or even do a full wet mix? The slabs are a scabbled grey granite and as I say they are 60mm thick but I was concerned that the cement might disolour or "seep into" the granite. Any thoughts or am i concerned over nothing?
There, now my cherry is gone 
Edit: Oops, one other thing. I'll have to cut some tannalised sleepers and was wondering would this feck up a chainsaw as cutting them with a bow saw is soul destroying. Any tips for easily cutting sleepers?
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:19 pm
by Tony McC
Lay the treads (the granite) on a mix of grit sand with cement. Semi-dry or moist mix will work best, and will accommodate any looseness in the backfilling, which should be 804 or wet-mix (for the benefit of the Brits, these are the names used for Type 2 and C/run in Ireland) that is incredibly well compacted.
You need to be a bit cute with the sleepers when it comes to cutting. If they are new, and guaranteed nail-free, then a chainsaw is fine, but if they're reclaimed (less common in Ireland) then either use a bow saw, get some other eejit to cut them, or be very, very careful.
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:32 am
by squire
Tony McC wrote:get some other eejit to cut them
Thanks for the advice Tony. Only one eejit involved in the project so it'll have to be me.
Reclaimed sleepers are fairly widely available here (imported from Poland AFAIK, as all the Irish ones are gone) but they are relatively clean. I'm a bit nervous about borrowing a mates chainsaw for this so I think I'll hire one. It was more the chain getting destroyed by all the grease and tar that I was concerned about but I suppose that can be cleaned off with a bit of petrol/solvent after the job is done.
I got the steps done over the weekend while off-line and anticipated your suggestion that a bit of cement in the grit sand woud be the way to go. So it's 50 mm of grit sand/cement over 200mm of Cl804. Hopefully they will never move but I hammered a couple of lengths of 16mm rebar into the ground to retain each riser just to be sure.
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:27 pm
by lutonlagerlout
a picture would be nice
as for chainsaws and sleepers make sure to wear all the safety kit, i tend to go for a skill saw on the 3" setting and cut both sides,chainsaws can get messy when they go wrong
cheers LLL 
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:15 am
by squire
Sorry, LLL. Digital camera on the blink but I'll put some up in a couple of days when I get a chance to replace it.
As for the safety equipment, how could I not after my rant in the India thread :p.
Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 2:28 pm
by squire
A couple of pictures to demonstrate what I was on about. There is a bit of tarting up required around the steps but the basic structure is now in place.
Also a picture showing the work in progress on the 140m2 of patio area. Thanks again to Tony for all the hints and tips that were gladly taken from this website.
Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 11:11 pm
by lutonlagerlout
nice job there fella,what are the horizontal sleepers fixed to the vertical ones with?
that grass is sooo green it looks like leitrim
heh LLL
Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 8:42 am
by squire
The sleepers are fixed with galvoband/steel strap attached using ring shank nails. The fixing are behind so they don't show from the front. We've had a very hot spell recently and I've only had to change one sleeper that was getting a bit sticky, the rest are very clean and dry.
Far away fields always seem greener! Close but no cigar LLL, it's Kildare.
Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 6:44 pm
by Tony McC
I see the missus has the laundry out to dry before you've even finished laying the blocks!
Nice looking job and a clever solution for a gently sloping site.