Forum menu
I live in a 7 year old house, and the builders obviously threw the flags down in a welly throwing contest. So, I've ordered new flags and coping stones etc to spend my week off grafting in the garden (cue the snow storms 😆 )
They won't be driven over, but I want them to last, so I'm thinking few inches of crush n run, term/visqueen weed control then sharp sand??
Do I spot cement them or lay them completely flat on the sand?
any other tips gratefully received.
Have booked physio appointment in advance.
Watching with interest as I have a big pile of flags in the garden waiting for me to get off the sofa and lay them...
Having done this recently, I'd recommend a couple of inches of crusher run over lain by a 'dry' mix of sharp sand and cement to bed the flags on (think I went with a 1:4 mix). Get the crusher run well compacted (I used a plastic membrane underneath as this was for a workshop floor over clay) then broadly level out the sand/cement before fine tuning slab by slab with a trowel and bed the flags in with rubber mallet taps.
I went for a weak sharp sand/cement mix, prevents little insects such as ants from creating huge chasms underneath that then allow the slabs to start rocking. Also stops water from washing away the sand.
1-4 is fairly strong mix...from memory I think I did 1-8ish.
Pointed it with that expensive resin based sand, very easy and quick.
Edit. Mine was a damp mix, think a dry mix is normally stronger to count for lack of water.
Dont bother with visqueen
Weeds that grow between your slabs are airborne weeds that grow in the sand.
Ive laid quite a number of slabs in a previous life doing landscape garden labouring and never once stuck down a membrane under slabs.
beaten to it!
see above 🙂