News
In this next edition of top tips from The Paving Expert, we're looking at the three layers of paving that most residential paving projects consist of.
All residential paving projects will consist of at least three layers. The materials used to form each layer and the depth of the layer will change according to how the paving is being used.
Sub-base:
The lowest level is the sub-base. This is the load-bearing layer, the one that gives a patio or driveway its strength. It usually consists of a 100mm deep layer of crushed aggregate known as 'Type 1' which is throughlty compacted using a vibrating plate compactor (or possibly a mechanical roller on larger projects).
The Type 1 aggregate is spread out and levelled using shovels and rakes to achieve an even grade, with enough of a slope to ensure the paving will drain when laid. The aim is to create a solid, reliable platform, which will have a uniform depth of bedding placed over it, so to check levels as work progresses to ensure the bed will be consistently 25-40mm in depth.
Driveways often use 150mm depth for the sub-base, and it may be laid over a geo-textile to keep it separate from the ground beneath. Some driveways, especially those carrying larger cars, 4x4s and the like, or built using setts or cubes, might replace the Type 1 with a lean mix concrete for even greater strength.
Bedding:
Above the sub-base comes the laying course, more commonly known as the bedding. For more projects, this will be a sand/cement mortar, but there are a small number of circumstances where a sand-only or grit bed could be used. Mortar used for bedding paving is typically mixed using 6 parts of a sharp sand with 1 part cement. It can be mixed to different degrees of 'wetness' but for most projects, a 'moist mix' is the best choice. This means adding just enough water (and plasticiser to make it pliable) to bind together the sand and cement without it being sloppy.
The mortar is spread out using a trowel, covering the sub-base and ensuring that it will provide a full bed for the eventual paving. This means no gaps, no voids, no hollows, no 'spots' or 'dabs' of mortar but a full and even bed, which will rpovide full and uniform support to the paving. The top of the mortar is usually lightly rippled to ensure there is some 'give' when the flag is placed in position.
Paving:
The final layer is the paving itself, which might be flags, setts, cubes, kerbs or cobbles. These are pressed down onto the bed mortar, and then tapped down to the required level using a rupper hammer, and then checked with a spirit level. When a porous type of stone is being laid, the paving units can usually be laid directly onto the bedding, but when the paving is less porous, the underside should be painted with a bond bridge of liquid SBR or SBR-with-cement.
Right Way Up:
Make sure the paving is laid the correct way up. It can be easy to think that flags or setts can be laid either way up but this isn't correct. Each piece has been selected to have a definite 'face' and a 'base'. The base is nearly always smaller than the face so the edges of the flag or sett typically taper inwards towards the base. You should also be able to spot that that arrisses, the edges of the upper face, are much more neatly trimmed than those of the base.
Stay tuned for our next edition of tips from The Paving Expert!
- The Landscape World team.
We've been busy updating our paving centre in Widnes this year, with lots of new products being displayed.
Keep checking back to discover which products and brands are being profiled - it's the perfect way to try and choose your paving products before you buy!
At our purpose built centre, we stock a huge range of styles and designs from major manufacturers including Marshalls, Pavestone, Stonemarket, Bradstone, Plaspave, Natural Paving, Brett and Wyresdale.
We also have many of our own brand natural paving products available, and all of our products are available to buy online too.
- The Landscape World team.
The weather is starting to warm up and the clocks are about to go forward which can only mean one thing - Spring is on the way!
We're delighted that we'll have the opportunity to get back outdoors, and enjoy our own little gardens and patios. But how can you get your outdoor space Spring ready? We have a few handy tips to help.
1. Now is the perfect time to order and plant some summer flowering bulbs. Lilies, Begonia, Dahlias and Gladioli are all perfect for a colourful summer garden.
2. Clear flowerbeds and borders. Have a general tidy up of your garden of fallen leaves and other debris. If you fancy giving your garden a spot of colour, our range of gravels, cobbles, pebbles and chippings are ideal.
3. Protect new spring shoots from slugs - be quick and vigilant to protect your new growths.
4. Give your greenhouse a Spring clean. Before long, your lovely greenhouse will be full of seedlings and growing vegetables, so now is the time to spruce it up. Make sure you disinfect the inside of the glass - this will help to get rid of any lingering diseases or winter pests.
5. If you suffered any damages to your garden furniture this Winter, now is the time to fix your fences and trellises or simply invest in a new one! We have a fantastic range of pergolas, fences, trellises, arches, picnic tables and outdoor furniture to make your garden feel more inviting.
6. Spring is one of the most important times to look after your lawn and when it's a completely dry day, make sure you mow it.
7. You never need an excuse for a new patio or paved area, but Spring is a great time to start a new project. We have a huge range of paving including Indian Sandstone, Natural Slate Paving, Limestone Paving, Sawn Sandstone Paving and much more.
8. If you're wanting to start planting some vegetables ready for Summer, onion, garlic, leeks, turnips, strawberry plants and rhubarb crowns are great to plant now.
- The Landscape World team.
We're always working hard to develop our website and we're delighted that our frequently asked questions page has gone live this month!
You'll find lots of helpful bits of information regarding your online account, your orders, delivery and making a purchase. You can also find general info about us here at Landscape World, as well as some helpful paving info and tips!
So head over to our FAQs page now and if there is anything you think we've missed, please get in touch.
We'll be unveiling some more new features over the next few weeks so keep checking back!
- The Landscape World team.
We were very pleased to see our 2015 paving brochure reviewed by the Paving Expert last month, and it was a pleasure to hear our small brochure being praised.
As the review points out, here at Landscape World, we are a 'one-stop supplier for all your hard-landscaping needs'. We're very proud to stock a wide range of products from major manufacurers, as well as our own brand of paving.
We tried to keep our brochure as informative and streamlined as possible and we're delighted that it has come across this way. There's lots of new imagery included that will hopefully give you some inspiration and ideas if you're looking to transform your driveway or patio.
We were very lucky to have our installation guide, which appears in the back of our brochure, written by the Paving Expert himself! It's full of all kinds of interesting bits, from how to lay and seal your paving, to which options to choose and how to look after them.
It's a really invaluable guide if you're thinking of getting a new patio and driveway and will help you get the most out of the products available here at Landscape World.
You can read the full review here: pavingexpert.com/news368.htm and you can view our full 2015 brochure online here: http://bit.ly/1QexfXl
- The Landscape World team.
2016 has got off to a brilliant start and we're looking forward to the year ahead, with lots of new products on the horizon.
We have stock arriving on a daily basis for the season ahead from all over the world including India, China, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
There is a huge assortment of all of our stock including sandstone, limestone, slate and granite materials in riven finish, tumbled finish and sawn finish.
We also have shipments of our paving suitable for patios, circles for features and block paving for driveways - meaning we are confident that we will have exactly what you want in stock!
We're very proud that Landscape World is a family run business with over 25 years experience in the industry, and we know that we can find the perfect paving product for you and your project.
Get in touch with us today if you have any questions about any of our products or we can help in any way!
- The Landscape World Team.
Christmas is here and we're very excited for the big day to finally arrive in a couple of weeks!
A quick reminder that if you're ordering from us online, the last order day will be Monday 14th December. If ordering in-store, the last day will be Monday 21st December.
Our specialist paving centre and offices are closed from Wednesday 23rd December and will re-open for business on Monday 4th January at 8am. If you place an order within this time period, it will be processed when we return.
We hope all of our customers have a fantastic Christmas break and we hope to see you again in the New Year!
- The Landscape World Team.
Setts are a simple and easy way to create a garden path or driveway, and they're not too different to flags when it comes to laying. We've asked the Paving Expert for his top tips on how to create the best look for your patio or driveway with setts.
"Although setts are most commonly used to create paved areas in their own right, they are a great way of spicing up an area of flags. They are very versatile and you can use them to create a perimeter border or to form break bands dividing up larger areas.
They can also look fantastic when used to replace a whole flag within a patio or driveway, as they offer a contrasting texture and possibly, a contrasting colour. Clever use of setts as detailing gives a completed project that sense of style, which shows someone has thought about it, rather than just plonking down flag after flag after flag.
Setts, as well as cubes and cobbles, really need to be embedded into mortar, in more or less the same way as flags. Use a moist mix of mortar, and a bond bridge will help ensure these smaller units stay put.
Don't forget that even small paving units need to have a fall to ensure water drains off the surface."
We sell a wide range of setts from major manufacturers including Stonemarket, Marshalls, Bradstone, Brett and Plaspave.
If you have any questions about our selection of setts or any of the products that we stock here at Landscape World, please get in touch.
- The Landscape World Team.
The colder weather has defintely started to set in here in the North West and we thought it was time to start thinking about our gardens this Autumn!
It's the perfect time to start laying the foundations for a fantastic garden come spring next year and for getting some ideas about creating a new paved patio area, or sprucing up your driveway.
So as the gorgeous golden and brown leaves begin to fall, follow our top tips to get the most out of your outdoor space over the next few months.
1. Now's the time to plant more bulbs and shrubs ready for Spring next year. If you fancy a rearrange of your existing shrubs, move them now so they can settle in over the winter months.
2. Autumn leaves are about to start falling so if you have a pond in your garden, make sure you invest in some substantial netting to keep it spick and span.
3. If you have large tubs, they can be susceptible to cracking in the frosty weather. Try covering them with bubblewrap, hessian or fleece to protect them during the colder months. Find this Natural Paving Platinum Sandstone paving over on our online store here.
4. Autumn is the perfect time to get your garden equipment serviced if it has been used a lot over the last few months. If you're storing lots of gardening tools and larger equipment, organise them properly in your shed so they'll be ready to use next year.
5. As your garden begins to fill with fallen golden leaves, simply rake them up and create your own compost heap - it's ideal for nourishing and protecting your outdoor space in lots of ways!
6. Fancy growing your own vegetables or adding to your vegetable patch? September and October are the months to start planting onions, garlic, spinach, broad beans, asparagus and peas - delicious!
7. If you have lots of pots on your patio, consider raising them onto bricks. This will help avoid their containers sitting directly in the winter wet weather. You can find this stunning Brett Slate Paving here.
8. To save turning your lawn into a muddy area in the wet Autumn months, consider laying a path or stepping stones for easy access to areas where you generally need to tread. We have a fantastic range of setts and dedicated stepping stones to create the perfect, durable path, like these Stonemarket Log Stepping Stones.
We'd love to hear about your top tips for looking after your outdoor space this Autumn - you can get in touch with us over on Twitter @Landscapeworld8 or on Facebook at facebook.com/landscapeworld.
- The Landscape World Team.
You've laid your patio design but you're not quite sure what the next step is - to seal or not to seal?
We’ve teamed up with the Paving Expert again and asked for his advice when it comes to getting the most out of your patio:
"Some suppliers would have you believe that sealing is essential for your new paving. If that is so, how did we manage for thousands of years without modern sealants to protect all those Roman pavements, medieval carriageways and streets of the industrial revolution?
Sealing is optional. We believe that there should be a good reason to seal paving, otherwise leave it be. Maybe your patio is overlooked by Sycamore or Lime trees, which drop a sticky black goo throughout the growing season. Or perhaps you're a big fan of the barbecue and there's grease, ketchup, red wine and worse regularly spilled.
If your paving is at risk, then come and talk to us, and we'll advise on what would be the most appropriate sealant, but don't just apply a sealant because you think you have to.
The one notable exception is Black Limestone. This is a lovely stone and is rightly popular with many of our customers. But left unsealed, the deepest grey colouring which originally attracts so many, will fade in sunlight and in a relatively short time, it becomes a much paler steel grey.
Landscape World has found a particular sealant, Adseal Stone and Slate Protector, which not only protects the stone from staining, but prevents the fading and helps keep those lovely dark tones intact. And remember, all sealants have a limited life span. We try to supply the best value-for-money sealants on the market but even these will need to be replenished every few years, so don't kid yourself that sealing is a 'treat and forget' process - it's not!"
If you have any questions about our paving or how best to maintain it, please get in touch with us here at Landscape World and we will be able to answer your questions.
- The Landscape World Team.
