Laying Carpet Stones and Setts
Site Preparation
All paving should be laid on a firm, level and well drained base, ensuring the paving performs as it was designed to. This will ensure your patio or driveway will remain in top condition for years to come.
Vegetation and top soil should be removed to an approximate depth of 250mm across the area to be paved. Mark out this area with pegs and adjust their height to the required finished surface levels, ensuring that you allow the recommended fall away from any buildings and walls for water drainage. Also make sure that the finished paving surface level is at least 150mm below the level of any damp proof course. After excavation, rake level to ensure an even depth and compact the whole area using a garden roller or tamper.
Laying Carpet Stones
The area to be paved should first of all be dug out to a depth of at least 200mm. The area should then be back filled with 150mm of MoT/crusher run, compacted to 100mm. Then back fill with a sharp sand and cement mix (6:1 ratio for patios and paths and 5:1 ratio for driveways) allowing enough room (when compacted) for the depth of the matt of carpet stones.
Lay the carpet stones onto the bed, ensuring the joints are evenly spaced, and then use a rubber mallet to ensure the stones are well bedded in.
After 24 hours, brush in a dry mix of 4 parts sharp sand to 1 part cement (3:1 ratio for driveways) into the joints. It is recommended that the mix is as dry as possible when being brushed into the joints, to ensure the surface of the product is not stained.
Laying Natural Stone Setts
The area to be paved should first of all be dug out to a depth of at least 250mm. The area should then be back filled with 150mm of MoT/crusher run, compacted to 100mm. On to that, lay 100mm of sharp sand (sharp sand is more free draining than building sand and is less prone to being washed out) and compact to 50mm.
Once the area is prepared, the laying of each sett can commence. The actual mortar bed is prepared individually for each and every sett dependent on its thickness. The bed will consist of a moist mortar mix, using 3 parts sharp sand to 1 part cement. Allow a joint width of 15-20mm for setts. The setts can be initially bedded down with a rubber mallet, before being full compacted with a plate compactor. The joints can the be filled with a moist mortar mix (3:1 ratio), or using a specifically designed jointing compound.
If you require any help, please give us a call on 0800 032 6306 and we will try and assist you in all aspects of your landscaping project.
