Installing paving correctly requires planning, and elbow grease, but you can do it and save yourself some money in the process.
Our Barleystone Paving range can be customisable in its installation, along with being durable and stylish. Follow the steps below correctly to successfully install paving.
Step 1: Make a Plan
A good plan is essential to a successful paving project. First think about the location of your paving project. Then, use graph paper to make a scaled drawing of the immediate area. You may have to play around with your design, so be sure to use pencil and keep your drawing neat.
Your project will need to have adequate drainage if you want it to be safe and durable. Make sure that it slopes away from your house and other structures. The slope should be facing away from buildings and in direction of the normal drainage.
Step 2: Order your Materials
There are a lot of choices of paving out there. Most are brick or concrete and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. To find a style that you like and that’s within your budget, check online or at your local builders’ supply store.
If your project area isn’t too irregularly shaped, you should be able to safely calculate how much paving you need by measuring the area in square metres and adding 5%. If your design has a lot of curves, add an extra 10% over your square metres estimate. Extra paving should be ordered as some bricks may have to be cut to get the right fit. The fancier your outline, the more paving that will have to be cut.
Step 3: Outline the Area
Use string or garden hose to outline your project. Place stakes in the ground to hold the outline in place and use a triangle to make clean corners.
Step 4: Scope your slope
To avoid water pooling on your paving, the paved area should be slightly above the surface of the surrounding ground at all points.
When planning the slope, begin with what will be the highest point. This should be the point closest to the house or building. Place a stake at the high point and mark the height where the paving will meet the door or structure. Tie a string around the stake at that height. Place a stake (if there isn’t already one) at the outer boundary of your project. This will be your lowest point.
Attach a spirit level to your string. Tie the loose end of the string around the outer stake at the height at which the spirit level says the entire string is level. From here, move down the stake at least 1/8″ per linear foot (e.g., if it is 8 feet from your front door to the outer edge of your patio, move down the stake 1″), and draw a new line. Move the string down to this line. String crosslines down the length of the project to ensure the correct depth is marked across the entire project. If your project area has a variety of slopes, or if your design is irregular, you’ll need to repeat this process in several points. It is critical the slope is correct, so the more stakes, the better.
Step 5: Excavate Installation Area
Spaces which will be exposed only to foot traffic generally need 4-6″ of base material. Driveways or projects in very wet soil may need more of base. Figure out how deep your base will need to be (consult the manufacturer or your building supplier’s merchants), and add about 1-1.5″ for the sand layer, plus the thickness of the paving (this varies by brand and style but is typically 50mm or 60mm).
The sum of the depth of the base, the sand, and the paving will be how deep you need to excavate your project area. Be sure to excavate 6-12″ beyond the boundaries of the project to give you enough space to install your edge restraints. Measure the depth of your excavation from the string you used to track your slope, not from the surface of the ground.
Step 6: Choose your Base Material
The base material is usually coarse, crushed stone with sharp irregular edges. The two most important things about base material are that it remains strong when compacted (to serve as a base for your paving) and that it drains properly. Poor structural integrity and poor drainage can ruin an otherwise perfect paving project.
Step 7: Lay the Base
Add no more than 6 inches at a time to the entire excavated area. Compact with a hand tamper (for very small projects) or a mechanical plate compactor. It is essential that the base be well compacted. Repeat until the base is the correct depth.
Properly adjust the height of the finished project to ensure there are no dips or bumps. Increase or decrease the thickness of the base as necessary, taking frequent measurements from your strings to the base. Lay base material beyond the planned boundaries of the paving as it will make your project more stable. Continue adding base material and compacting every 2 inches until 3 inches from finished height. When compacting, be sure to maintain a gentle slope away from the building.
Step 8: Install Edge Restraints
Edge restraints will help hold the shape of your project over the years. Place restraints (usually made of plastic, aluminium, or steel) around the perimeter of the project and secure them into the ground with 12″ spikes. If your design is irregularly shaped, cut the restraints to follow the edges of your design.
Step 9: Add a Layer of Sand
Sand will hold the paving in place. Use coarse sand and screed it smooth to a uniform depth of at least 1”, but no more than 1.5”. If your project is large, lay down 1″ screed pipes and then pour the sand between the pipes, screeding the sand in small sections (50-100 sq. ft. each). Remove the pipes and then fill in gaps with more sand.
Step 10: Start Laying at Straightest Edge
Begin laying paving at a 90-degree corner, preferably next to the building and continue extending the paving along the longest straight side. Keeping the paving in straight lines. Lay paving by placing it straight down in the sand –do not slide along the ground or kick them into place, as it will disturb the sand. Lay each paving straight down the edge of the adjacent paving.
You generally want to leave a 1/16″ to 1/8″ gap between paving. Periodically check to make sure the paving is flat, using a string to check each row for straightness. Do not walk on your prepared sand. Stand on the paving you have already installed and work your way out. Don’t get too close to the edge of the paving installed, you could disturb the sand in front.
Step 11: Cut Paving as Needed
Don’t try to curve your paving to fit the edging. Instead, lay all the full paving bricks you can in each row and then go back and cut paving to the correct sizes to fit the edge. Use a masonry saw or a guillotine-style splitter to make good, clean cuts. If you gave yourself plenty of paving to work with in the beginning, you should have more than enough materials to accommodate even a few mistakes!
Step 12: Press into Sand when Laid
Once all the paving is installed, use the plate compactor at least three times to ensure they are pressed into the sand. Be sure to use a protective covering over your plate compactor when you compress the paving to avoid scuffing.
Step 13: Sweep Sand into Joints
Fill the joints between paving with dry coarse sand or use slightly finer sand. Pour it onto the paving and sweep it into the cracks until they are completely full. This “locks” the paving in place.
Extra: Manhole Cover
If there is a manhole cover it must be set in place by using a mixture of sand and cement making sure it is as the correct height and fall. The manhole lid must be placed inside an outer frame to stop anyone from falling down the manhole.
Buying & Installing Barleystone Paving
Get a quote today for your paving and find the right option for your project. Contact us for more information…
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