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Question

hi i want to lay a 3 mt by 3mt patio slabs are 450 x 450. the ground has been covered with weed mat and gravel for ten years .do i have to remove the gravel and dig down , to lay this patio

Submitted: 87 days and 2 hours ago.

Category: Home Improvement

Value: $11

Status: CLOSED

Posted by Rick 87 days and 1 hours ago.

Answer

Hi XXXXXXXXXXXX
Gravel is a suitable base for a patio. You will of course need to get rid of the weeds before you proceed. You should lay your slabs on a ~2" (5 cm) layer of stone dust or fine sand.

87 days and 1 hours ago.

Reply

hi rick
i was going to use a wacking plate on the gravel first, then put down limestone dust mixed with some cement first and wack this as well . then would you recomend a lay of cement or 5 blobs under each slab

Accepted Answer

You should set your slabs dry. There is no benefits to using wet concrete. Properly compacting the base as you propose is essential. Once your base is compacted and sloped slightly away from any structure (there is no need to slope the patio if it stands away from any structures) you then just lay you slabs dry on top of your base. In the event that your base is not uniformly flat then you adjust the height of each slab by either adding to or removing a bit of the base material to level each one. Even if you butt the slabs tight to each other any rain that might accumulate on top of the patio should drain into the cracks between the slabs or roll off in the direction of the slope.

Accepts:
Expert:	Rick
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	8/27/2009

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