The secret to paving a driveway using bricks is in the preparation. To install a paved driveway correctly so that it will stand the test of time, firstly you need to excavate the area to the correct depth, then you need to concrete the sub base to give it the strength it needs to withstand the weight from cars, and thirdly the pavers need to be laid on a strong mortar mix so that they set rock hard into position.
Excavating your driveway is best achieved with the assistance of Skid Steer Loader or Bobcat especially if its a large area. You will also need to think about what you are going to do with the excavations that you remove from you driveway. You may wish to pay for a skip bin to be delivered or your Bobcat/Skid Steer Loader operator may be happy to load up his/her truck and drive to the nearest waste station.
Once this is done we need to form up or box up the sides of our driveway in preparation for concrete. This can be done with lengths of timber and some pegs to hold it into position. Next we place sheets of reinforcing steel mesh in the area were going to concrete, cutting it to fit if necessary. We then need to workout how much concrete we need, by multiplying the length of the driveway by the width of the driveway by the depth (100mm) of the driveway together. This will tell us how many cubic metres to order. We then need to pour our driveway, levelling the concrete off and allowing it to cure for no less than 24 hours.
To lay pavers you first need to set up your screed rails. Screed rails are pieces of 30mm square tubing, usually made out of aluminium. Place these on the concrete, about 2 metres apart and parallel to each other. These will act like our concrete boxing, it will hold the sides of our mortar bed. Next we need to mix up some mortar, usually in a cement mixer, using a ratio of 4 washed sand to 1 cement and water to suit. You want your mortar mix to be nice and creamy (not to wet not to dry) there will be some trial and error involved in achieving the desired mix. Tip the mix into a wheel barrow and spread it out between our screed rails. Then using a third screed rail long enough in length to reach between our two existing rails, we pull any excess mortar back towards us, levelling the mortar to the height of the two parallel screed rails.
Once this is achieved you just need to move the rails along and repeat the process. You may need to use a paving float/trowel to fill in any tight corners or indents created by the rails themselves.
An important rule to remember is to always lay your paving square to the house, otherwise it tends to catch your eye and look unprofessional.
Firstly make sure your mortar is still quite wet, then wet the bottom of the paver with a sponge and lay the paver on the mortar bed. The pavers may need a tap into position with a rubber mallet. You may wish to use several string lines when your laying, otherwise the pattern can run out of square.
You will then need to mark any cuts you have, with a pencil and cut them using a brick saw. You can hire a Brick saw on a daily basis from any local hire shop.
Lastly sweep fine washed sand into the joints filling up any small gaps that may have occurred.
The three important things to remember when paving your driveway are getting the excavation levels right, concreting the sub base, and always lay the bricks/pavers on a mortar base. If you keep these three things in mind and make sure the are done properly then everything else will flow on from there.
Annalie have been writing articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his blogs more often for tips and advice that helps people with the interest for landscaping melbourne and great passion and knowledge for landscape design melbourne and all the different options & providers available in the market today. Find out for more info also here acmaintenance.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment