Garden Wall Project - help required
- Thread starter spiidey
- Start date
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I know what you mean and we did try and take that into account - as you can see from the pictures, the exposure of all the minerals / stones inside the brick is quite a contrast and both my partner and I definitely notice this, even from a good few metres away.
We are (and have) backfilling but we're bridging the "V" gap between the back of each set of bricks with black matting as a straight line i.e. so it runs in a straight line flush with the back of each brick.
We did think about putting black matting in the "V" shape and filling that with soil but it simply doesn't look good.
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use the coping blocks?? This type of walling is usually laid with a coping on top which hides the v gap.
See the pic in the link
http://www.tobermore.co.uk/images/sized/uploads/gallery/Secura-Lite-3-780x546.jpg
The wall blocks are just l;ike yours with a v but the top coping is solid and cut to fit.
See the pic in the link
http://www.tobermore.co.uk/images/sized/uploads/gallery/Secura-Lite-3-780x546.jpg
The wall blocks are just l;ike yours with a v but the top coping is solid and cut to fit.
We may in the (significantly) long term but simply can't afford coping blocks at this stage.
How about this...
If it really is a problem for you to have this side visible, make the cut on the least visible side, i.e. the left, rather than the right (as you look at the wall).
Using any off cuts, smash them to pieces, and i mean so you end up with dust and the stones, then coat the face with an external glue/resin (not sure what would be suitable) and use the dust from the existing material to powder the glue and disguise the cut face...
may well work, at least until the stone darkens and gets covered in dirt/moss.
If it really is a problem for you to have this side visible, make the cut on the least visible side, i.e. the left, rather than the right (as you look at the wall).
Using any off cuts, smash them to pieces, and i mean so you end up with dust and the stones, then coat the face with an external glue/resin (not sure what would be suitable) and use the dust from the existing material to powder the glue and disguise the cut face...
may well work, at least until the stone darkens and gets covered in dirt/moss.
After much deliberation, we finally went with this solution. Many thanks to all who provided different solutions.
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Back to the slabs, we're bedding the slabs on a wet mortar bed (6:1 sharp sand cement).
How many days after laying the slabs should we keep them covered with a tarp/some bubble wrap/landscape fabric to stop any chance of frost getting at them?
Also, at what temperatures should we cover them with the tarp i.e. if the minimum temp is going to be 10 degrees C do we need the tarp? 8C? 5C?
Ok thanks.
So regardless of whether it is concrete or mortar we're laying, they just need covered for 1 or 2 nights?
And even if it is forecast to rain heavy, still just cover for the 1st/2nd night?
yes as above you only need to cover it for another night or two if its very hard frost. The vast majority of the cement will have hydrated by the second day.
As for rain once the concrete or mortar is firm and not having cement washed out of it by the rain its fine. rain will not do it any harm and it will actually be good for concrete.
Concrete will be fine after 10 hours or so. Mortar maybe overnight
As for rain once the concrete or mortar is firm and not having cement washed out of it by the rain its fine. rain will not do it any harm and it will actually be good for concrete.
Concrete will be fine after 10 hours or so. Mortar maybe overnight
you can use frostproofer in your mortar if you like, it will make it go off a bit faster.
As a diyer though you can just wait til a better time rather than risk it. The temperature should be 3deg and rising before using cement. Also beware of frozen sand etc.
There is a page on paving expert about it
As a diyer though you can just wait til a better time rather than risk it. The temperature should be 3deg and rising before using cement. Also beware of frozen sand etc.
There is a page on paving expert about it
We are now looking for some slabs/flags that we can lay, which will site a dining table, without the dining table wobbling from any uneven nature in the slabs.
Main issue for us is budget as we're struggling going above £20/m2 for the slabs alone.
As such, this rules out the completely sawn slabs, which are perfectly flat, or any kind of perfectly smooth flag in the £40/m2+ range.
We have come across the textured buff slabs:-
http://simplypaving.com/bradstone-textured-paving-buff-600-x-600-20-per-pack.html
Which we have a quote from our local building supply centre @ c. £19.50/m2.
But are unsure whether these would allow the dining tables legs to "sit" on the slabs without any wobbling.
What are other Forum Member's experiences?
We initially ruled out any kind of riven slab, given the various pits/troughs/raised areas in riven slabs. However, some riven slabs aren't entirely[/b badly riven, and it has been suggested that if we laid them correctly i.e. put a fairly flat area of the flag where we were intending putting the table leg, this would provide a workaround solution. However, this would seem to me to be (a) very difficult, (b) prevent us from locating the dining table anywhere else at a later stage, and (c) not entirely plausible given that I've not seen a riven flag that is entirely flat in a sufficiently large area.
Main issue for us is budget as we're struggling going above £20/m2 for the slabs alone.
As such, this rules out the completely sawn slabs, which are perfectly flat, or any kind of perfectly smooth flag in the £40/m2+ range.
We have come across the textured buff slabs:-
http://simplypaving.com/bradstone-textured-paving-buff-600-x-600-20-per-pack.html
Which we have a quote from our local building supply centre @ c. £19.50/m2.
But are unsure whether these would allow the dining tables legs to "sit" on the slabs without any wobbling.
What are other Forum Member's experiences?
We initially ruled out any kind of riven slab, given the various pits/troughs/raised areas in riven slabs. However, some riven slabs aren't entirely[/b badly riven, and it has been suggested that if we laid them correctly i.e. put a fairly flat area of the flag where we were intending putting the table leg, this would provide a workaround solution. However, this would seem to me to be (a) very difficult, (b) prevent us from locating the dining table anywhere else at a later stage, and (c) not entirely plausible given that I've not seen a riven flag that is entirely flat in a sufficiently large area.
Is this for outdoor use?
Some of those slabs have a flat surface, but an industrial appearance which would not be to all tastes.
Which ever you choose, you will have to put down a good base. They do say many inches of hardcore followed by sand. My experence is that if you use a few inches of sand alone you will get the slabs moving as the ground moves. Even so I look at paved areas, foot paths and the like done by the council, and they are all uneven, perhaps because our area has deep clay soil. So I suspect hardcore will be more stable, but you'll get movement after a few years.
Some of those slabs have a flat surface, but an industrial appearance which would not be to all tastes.
Which ever you choose, you will have to put down a good base. They do say many inches of hardcore followed by sand. My experence is that if you use a few inches of sand alone you will get the slabs moving as the ground moves. Even so I look at paved areas, foot paths and the like done by the council, and they are all uneven, perhaps because our area has deep clay soil. So I suspect hardcore will be more stable, but you'll get movement after a few years.
The bradstone flags you linked too are very even. all 'textured' flags are man made texture so are very consistant. In the flesh they are more like the texture of a coarse door mat than any large noticable peaks and troughs.
Personally i would recommend natural stone everytime once your into the £20 a square metre range. I have pulled up and replaced plenty of manmade flags like bradstone because the colour has completely faded out of them after 10 years. Whereas stone is stone and weathers but doesn't lose its colour like a dyed concrete product.
Riven Limetsone is usually pretty even and not too riven. Of the indian sandstones Raj green, autumn brown and kandla grey are less riven than the popular fossil mint and buff colours which are very highly riven.
As for the table worries you are drastically over estimating the problem.
I have tons of sandstone paving and never once had any mention of the table problem. I even have kandla grey laid at home and all you need to do is nudge the table an inch or two to find a better spot.
Personally i would recommend natural stone everytime once your into the £20 a square metre range. I have pulled up and replaced plenty of manmade flags like bradstone because the colour has completely faded out of them after 10 years. Whereas stone is stone and weathers but doesn't lose its colour like a dyed concrete product.
Riven Limetsone is usually pretty even and not too riven. Of the indian sandstones Raj green, autumn brown and kandla grey are less riven than the popular fossil mint and buff colours which are very highly riven.
As for the table worries you are drastically over estimating the problem.
I have tons of sandstone paving and never once had any mention of the table problem. I even have kandla grey laid at home and all you need to do is nudge the table an inch or two to find a better spot.
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