Paving 101
One of the most essential landscape skills to have under your belt is paving – and the great thing is, it’s not hard. By doing it yourself you will save a whack of money, which you can splurge on beautiful things for your garden. Follow our simple guide and you’ll soon be paving like crazy!
Prepare your base
A good paving job starts with a good base. There are only two layers – road base and paving sand – but it’s important to compact and level them in the correct way.
Gather your supplies
• Road base
• Paving sand
You’ll also need
Set-out paint; wheelbarrow; shovel; levelling rake; tape measure; hose; plate compactor (hired); screed rails; screed; spirit level
Here's how
Step 1 Measure area to be paved, then mark edges using set-out paint to give you a guide.
Step 2 Use wheelbarrow to lay out road base in a series of mounds (this makes it easier to spread evenly over the whole area).
Step 3 Spread out road base roughly with shovel, then level with levelling rake. Use tape measure to gauge a depth of about 70mm
Step 4 Damp down road base using hose then, using plate compactor, compact base to reduce its depth by about 10mm
Step 5 Lay out paving sand over road base, again in a series of mounds to facilitate even spreading.
Step 6 Level sand with rake to leave a layer 20-30mm thick.
Step 7 Lay screed rails on eitherside of sand bed, so their surface sits at finished level you are after. Tip, poly tubing and lengths of timber make ideal screed rails
Step 8 Level sand layer using screed and spirit level. Be sure to work backwards so you don’t disturb the finished surface.
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