Our useful how to lay patio laying guide will give you all the information you need to install our range of paving products, if you choose to do-it-yourself.

Items You Will Need

• Spade and/or shovel
• String lines
• Wheelbarrow
• Wooden pegs or steel pins
• Lump hammer
• Fastening line
• Rubber mallet
• 2.4 – 3.6m long timber straightedge
• Brick and/or pointing trowel
• Cement mixer
• Spirit level
• Protective gloves
• Sweeping brush
• Protective eyewear

Before you begin…

• Always dry lay your patio first, a simple job of laying out the paving as you want the finished patio to be. Check size, layout and more importantly, that you have enough paving slabs!
• You need to allow 150mm for foundation mix and paving, and if you are laying directly next to a house then the finished patio should be at least 150mm below the damp proof course. This means you will need to dig out the area to a minimum depth of 300mm below the damp proof course.
• To ensure that water does not collect on the paving, the foundation needs to have a fall of 1 in 60, which means one centimeter of fall for every 60centimeters of width.

Steps for execution

• Prepare and level the site. Spread a layer of sharp sand over the area to be paved. Rake level and compact by placing a plank on the sand and walking over it. The sand should be about 50mm deep.
• Begin laying the slabs on the compacted sand from a straight edge or corner. Prepare a mortar mixture of 5 parts building sand to 1 part of cement on a mixing board and then trowel S spots of mortar under each paving slab.
• Once you have begun laying the paving slab it will help to lay an edging mortar along the joint of each slab in addition to the 5 sports. This given reinforcement to the paving and will simplify the final pointing.
• Make sure that you check the paving slabs are level or conforming to any ‘fall’ you have decided upon. Tap each slab into place with a hammer, but always keep a block of softwood between hammer and paving slab to avoid splitting the paving. Use a long piece of wood and a spirit to keep checking the level across the slabs.
• Once the laying is underway make sure that spacing between the paving slabs is consistent. This is done by using previously prepared pieces of 5mm plywood of hardwood as spacing guides.
• Before pointing, leave the paving for the least 36 hours and avoid walking on it. For pointing prepare a DRY mix of 8 parts sand to 1 part of cement and brush it into the joints as shown. Do not attempt this if the slabs are wet as the resulting smearing will be hard to remove. Neaten the joints by stroking them with a length of dowel or an old spoon.