Slabbing, or a patio, is a useful and practical idea for any garden and can make them look more attractive as well as provide a wider area within the garden. Laying a patio can be quite difficult, therefore it may be a long blog for you this time at Mr Fixing It. As we have stated in previous blogs, planning is essential, and when you are planning major changes such as laying down slabbing or a patio you must plan accordingly. In fact it is a good idea to draw a plan of your house and lay out within this plan where all your new changes shall go, before you actually begin use lengths of string to lay out your plan on the ground.
Once you have planned the design of your slabbing and patio begin by finding the centre of the room, once this has been done begin laying the centre with mortar, wet the back of the slab with a brush and lay it gently but firmly within the mortar. Now you may use a piece of wood and a hammer to lay the slab in to position with some gentle tapping and so on, attempt to fill in any gaps under the slab with mortar to allow it from being unsightly, cutting it flush with the edges as you proceed. This centre slab is called your key slab and is the one you shall work from to create your first row, use 10mm spaces between the slabs to make sure they are all the same fall and proceed in the same manner until your have completed your first row. Now that you have created your first row working from the centre outwards you now want to work in the same manner working from adjacent outer edges and working in to the middle until the fall is correct and all slabs are level in all directions.
Make sure you leave the mortar 48 hours to set before attempting to walk upon the slabs. If rain is coming or the slabs are wet, wait until another day to begin filling in the joints. Once you have the right day you want to mix a dry mortar; 3 parts sharp sand, 1 cement. Remove spacers and brush mortar into all the joints, push the mix down firmly with a trowel and repeat a good few times all over the new patio or holes may begin to appear. Finally brush away excess mortar to take away the unsightly finish, be careful as it is easy to get mortar on the top of the slabs. Lightly water the slabs to kick start the setting of the mortar. Alternatively there is a dry jointing compound available to purchase from DIY stores such as B&Q which you brush into the joints and it sets in a mere few hours.
I hope you enjoy the look of your new Mr Fixing It focussed patio and we hope to hear again from you soon. From your patio professors at Mr Fixing It!