paving slabs

[dotto]

Hi guys.
After digging up some soil, putting a sub-base of hardcore and filling up with dry mix, shall i fill up with dry mix up to the level or shall i leave it just a bit short to allow for the thickness of the slab? If i fill up to the desired level with dry mix and lay out my 25 mm thick slabs, then even though i hammer them down with a rubber mallet will i manage to hammer them down to the require level? Thank you so much for your help

 

[Thermo]

if youre laing slabs you want to bed them on a wet mix of mortar. anything else is a waste of time

 

[dotto]

if youre laing slabs you want to bed them on a wet mix of mortar. anything else is a waste of time

Hi Thermo and thanks for your reply. Will the dry mix not harden up? I have read on some sites that even a 2 inches of sharp sand should do the job as many companies used to do and some still do..............but i think your answer is self explanatory..............but anyway should i want to go for the dry mix, would you just fill up the dug up area up to the exact level and push the slabs down or say you wanted to use 1 inch slabs, you would fill up with dry mix just half inch below the level and push the slabs down? Thanks for your time

 

[Thermo]

In other words thats what youre going to do! In that case you need to allow for some compaction.

If you go for dry mix, the slabs will move and rock over time and the pointing will break up. youve got to knock up the dry mix anyway, not much harder to add water and do it properly

 

[dotto]

In other words thats what youre going to do! In that case you need to allow for some compaction.

If you go for dry mix, the slabs will move and rock over time and the pointing will break up. youve got to knock up the dry mix anyway, not much harder to add water and do it properly

Thanks Thermo for your infos