Does a weed membrane sheet help?

[diyonly]

Hi everyone,

Before I put the hardcore down for my patio, I was wondering if it's worth putting down a weed membrane sheet.

Does it stop weed and is there any point in getting one?

Thanks.

 

[stem]

Not really. The patio itself will prevent weeds growing as it will block out sunlight from the soil, the same as a membrane would. An exception here is with decking where there is a gap between the boards that lets light through, and space between the top of the soil and the bottom of the boards, but with your reference to "hardcore" I assume this isn't the material you will be using.

If you are using slabs or blocks, after a period of time weeds will start to appear in any cracks between the surface, but the roots would be above any membrane anyway, so fitting one wouldn't prevent this.

 

[diyonly]

Thanks for your reply stem.

My plan is to put down weed sheet on the soil and then hardcore and then Indian sandstone slabs... Is that okay?

 

[r896neo]

The weed sheet is a total waste, no weed will grow through 4" of compacted hardcore and sand and cement bedding.

The only reason to use a membrane under paving is a geotextile for ground stabilisation or as a seperation membrane between a heavy/ wet clay sub grade and hardcore

 

[diyonly]

Thanks for clarifying that. You guys are brilliant. Saved me a little bit of money

 

[endecotp]

My plan is to put down weed sheet on the soil and then hardcore and then Indian sandstone slabs... Is that okay?

http://pavingexpert.com/layflag1.htm

 

[diyonly]

That's really appreciated endecotp.

One thing I forgot to ask....

I haven't got enough hardcore, but I do have plenty of sharp sand. So could I fill the sub-base area with a layer of sharp sand?

 

[diyonly]

One thing I forgot to ask....

I haven't got enough hardcore, but I do have plenty of sharp sand. So could I fill the sub-base area with a layer of sharp sand?

Sorry to bump this thread, but I would be grateful if someone could advise if I can use sharpsand if I've ran out of hardcore as a base?

Thank you

 

[r896neo]

No, you should use hardcore. You could mix a bit of sand in if you need rid but not much. You absolutely should avoid a solid layer of sand.

 

[diyonly]

No worries buddy. I'll only put a tiny layer on it. Thanks for your help.