slate chippings. how much do I need?

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

Hi
I have laid most of my gravel path now but the wife now wants to top dress it with slate chippings but I am having difficulty working out how much slate to order, I want the 40mm stuff, dimensions are

10 linear meters
50 cm width
10cm deep

can anyone help with working out how much I need to order, either in terms of 25kg bags or bulk bags.

Thanks
Jim

noseall · 2 Mar 2009

You don't want to be laying a decorative finish 100mm deep! Lay it 30-40mm deep and make up the difference with compacted mot.

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

too late!!!! just put down a bulk bag of 10mm pea gravel(around 20cm deep) and the wife had choice of topping up with more gravel or slate chppings (the path was for drainage mainly)

breezer · 2 Mar 2009

only asking, wont the chippings "leak" through the pea gravel, so that you will end up with more pea gravel than chippings

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

was going to put a membane between the slate and gravel, I assumed this would stop this happening...any thoughts?

Thermo · 2 Mar 2009

you need to keep the gravel and the slate chippings seperate, as breezer has mentioned. Slate chippings need to be a minimum of 50mm thick as they do not actually cover that well and leave gaps between them so you can see the membrane underneath

laid on mot..... PAH, go back to your building you heathen!

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

thanks thermo, any idea how to work out how much slate I need to get?

Thermo · 2 Mar 2009

25kg bags are an expensive way of buying it, but it will be cheaper from a builders merchant than a diy shed. The manufacturers reckon on a bag doing 1m2, but i disagree as it leaves gaps (its a pet hate of mine, it looks like youve skimped on buying the stuff)

If youve got 10m x .5m x .05m deep thats 0.25m3. That about 1/3 rd of a bulk bag, so youll have quite a bit left over if you buy one of them

10m x 0.5m is 5m2. id probably get 7-8 25 kg bags to well and truely cover it. (depends on the size of slate, wether its chippings or paddlestones as well)

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

thanks thermo, you have been a great help, can I be a really big pain and just ask how many bags I would need if the depth stayed at 10cm
thanks

Thermo · 2 Mar 2009

double the amounts ive given (ish depends on how well tha bags are filled, it is a little hit and miss!)

1jim · 2 Mar 2009

thanks, will phone up and get a price tomorrow for 16 x 25kg bags....what would you say from a builders merchant £5ish a bag inc vat?? did get a quote from them for a bulkbag when we were looking at this to start with and they quoted £115...wonder if its worth getting the extra just in case

diynot

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slate chippings. how much do I need?

breezer

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