What to do to ensure perfectly placed Paving Slabs

Patios that consist of paving slabs have many benefits, including being aesthetically pleasing, providing a surface upon which to entertain and improving the design of your garden.When it comes to putting these paving slabs down, however, there is often a need to call in an expert.

You can’t simply throw the stones in any old how and hope that it looks good, but if you do decide to go through the process yourself then you should take heed of advice.To give you a helping hand we’ve compiled some of the most important things to remember during patio construction.

Initially you’ll need to think about the type of soil in your garden before looking at paving slabs.There is a big difference between creating a patio and a simple paved path as the latter are much, much simpler to build.

Although any area being paved needs to be measured to the last millimetre.Don’t forget that very soft soil will need to be mixed with gravel or pebbles to stop the paving slabs sinking once they’re placed.

Secondly you’ll want to ensure that your paving stones fit with your current colour scheme and garden theme if you have one.The most readily available and cheapest paving slabs are made from aggregate or concrete as this stone is a mixture of a lot of others, but there is usually not much colour variation with these and they certainly don’t look as good as real stone.Natural paving slabs consist of slate, granite and sandstone which are made from the minerals mined in York, but there are other stones imported internationally at almost the same price.If your garden is small with high walls then dark paving slabs such as slate are going to make it look smaller.

Once you’ve decided what colours, type of slabs and where you’re going to have your patio it’s time to prepare the soil.Dig out the area that you plan to place the paving slabs to around 8 inches deep and place a border around the inside edge.This could be made from cardboard or plastic, but bear in mind that it might rain and you need your border to stay even, so plastic is best.It’s important to have your soil on a slight angle facing away from your house, so that when it rains on your patio the water will run off and into the garden.Use a spirit level so that you have a slight incline, but not so much that it means you can’t have patio furniture sitting on it comfortably.You’re then ready to place the liquid aggregate or concrete down before the paving slabs go on top.This should be poured in to about 6 inches of the 8 inch hole.

Having the right sloped angle so that rain with drip off, a border for the dug out area, the right size, shape and colour are all very important factors to consider when you’re planning to place paving slabs or patio slabs in your garden.From there on in there’s not much to worry about but how your back will handle the weight!

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