another patio question!

andrewf75 · 30 Mar 2015

ok, going to order slabs, sand, MOT etc for this bank holiday weekend. My question is how long will it take someone who has never laid a patio before? 80 flags 45cm square in a basic stack bond layout. No cutting involved. The area has been measured and dug out. I'm thinking the sub base can be shovelled in on a morning then whacked in the afternoon. Then one long day of mixing/flag laying and another to finish/pointing etc. Is that doable? or too ambitious?

Cheers!

andrewf75 · 31 Mar 2015

hmm, no replies lead me to think its not a crazy plan!

r896neo · 31 Mar 2015

Thats very do able. Get it well set up, flags in the right place where your laying from etc. Get your lines and or pegs set-up and you'll fly through it.

16 square metres will only take 3 ish tons at 100mm depth, You'll shift a bulk bag in about 25 mins as long as its not going miles.

You could be stoned and compacted in a short morning. The digging out is the hard work.

Simple things like setting the mixer up at the sand so you can shovel straight in etc all help.

The mixing will slow you down a bit but even inexperienced you'll definately have it laid in 1 day. If your screed bedding it much sooner.

The pointing may take you a long morning depending on how your doing it. Its very weather dependant though.

You going for a wet mix or semi dry?

Iangardenguy · 31 Mar 2015

It depends on a lot of things like the slab depths being the same, the slabs being riven.

Id say no you will not do it in a day unless you do it a lot.

andrewf75 · 31 Mar 2015

thanks, appreciate the tips. Was planning to point with a ready mixed brush in mortar to keep things easy. Are there any you recommend? For the bed I'm thinking individual bedding, am planning to use a 10:1 mix slightly moist as recommended by paving expert, but slightly confused as to whether I need to add plasticiser?

Cheers!

Iangardenguy · 1 Apr 2015

andrewf75 said:
thanks, appreciate the tips. Was planning to point with a ready mixed brush in mortar to keep things easy. Are there any you recommend? For the bed I'm thinking individual bedding, am planning to use a 10:1 mix slightly moist as recommended by paving expert, but slightly confused as to whether I need to add plasticiser?

Cheers!

I use jointex and it looks good, it comes in 3 colors.

Follow the instructions ans remember to wet the slabs forst.

I tend to use a stronger bedding mix than that as i do not want to have to return to a job if one of the mixes was not done well.

No need for a plasticiser.

This is the medium color jointex i used on some of those riven buff slabs you see all over the place on new estates today and i think it being darker frames them nicely.

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Iangardenguy
1 Apr 2015
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Iangardenguy
1 Apr 2015
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The lightest color is a light/pale yellow and the darkest is called basalt. and pretty much black

andrewf75 · 1 Apr 2015

Thanks. That stuff seems very expensive. Are the cheap ones any good at all? I'm re-using old concrete slabs so its not going to be the most perfect patio ever and the finish does not have to be absolutely perfect!

I've ordered some of those gapfast spacers as well

andrewf75 · 1 Apr 2015

hmmm on second thoughts having read loads of reviews and advice I think I'll just point it properly with a building sand/cement mix. Even if it takes me a whole day it sounds like it will last better than these brush-in mixes.

r896neo · 1 Apr 2015

don't use a cheap brush in. either do it traditional or use a good one.

Like Ian i use a stronger mix. 6:1 Plasticiser is definately a good idea when using a grit sand mortar it makes the mortar flow much better as you tap down a flag.

andrewf75 · 2 Apr 2015

OK, I'm going to get a few more bags of cement and some plasticiser

Thanks for the tips!

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another patio question!

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