How To Lay a Natural Indian Stone Patio in a Random Pattern with MPAC

Описание: Over the past couple of years we've worked with MPAC on various natural stone patio construction projects and we love to chat stone with Dan and his team. This video is a combination of discussions featuring the processes he and his team go through when building a natural stone patio for one of their clients.

Dan takes us through ground preparation to following laying patterns, laying the slabs and pointing. There's even a great bit of advice on stone selection and how he ensures the best tiles are laid in the most prominent areas!

Craig @ Miles Stone:
Talk us through your initial stages of ground preparation when looking to build a patio area – how deep do you dig out the ground and what do you use to construct your base?

Dan @ MPAC:
My rule-of-thumb is to dig out at least 150mm of ground, sometimes 250mm depending on the stone you’re laying and the property. Soil or poorly prepared bases need to be removed ideally. If there are slabs already laid that are being replaced I would always remove those completely so I could inspect the sub-base underneath and decide whether that will also need replacing. Once the dig out is complete I would lay 100-150mm of compacted Type 1 scalpings – this gives a solid base for foot-traffic. On top of this prepared base I allow around 30mm for mortar mix which the slabs will be laid onto.

Craig @ Miles Stone:
What’s your mix ratio for mortar?

Dan @ MPAC:
I work on a 5 parts sand to 1 part cement and add a little Febmix with the water to make the mortar smoother and easier to work with. You can use either sharp sand or building sand for this – they both go off hard.

Craig @ Miles Stone:
And you recommend a full mortar mix rather than dot and dab?

Dan @ MPAC:
I always use a full mortar bed yeah. Dot and dab is a thing of the past really. With a full mortar bed you know that 100% of the slab is supported by what’s underneath. A full bed also helps not to waste pointing mix too. If you have voids under the paving the pointing mixture can find it’s way into them and you are using a hell of a lot of pointing mixture just to get a fully supported paving join. A full bed allows the pointing mix to be fully supported and will make it a lot stronger.

Craig @ Miles Stone:
A lot of customers come to us attracted to the variations and patterns you can create with a natural stone patio however they get a little fazed with how to lay these multi-size paving areas. Many of our clients feel they have to use a fixed ‘laying pattern’ rather than laying the stone truly random. What are your thoughts on laying patterns and how do you approach paving jobs like this?

Dan @ MPAC:
I’ve never once used a pattern! I mean, there’s four sizes with this type of paving and as long as you avoid all four corners meeting (cross joints) and any long lines you can’t really go wrong. Aesthetically this type of paving always looks best if the joins are ‘T’ shapes rather than ‘+’ shapes. In my company I always tell the guys that all paving junctions need to be T joints. As I’ve said the other rule to follow is to try not to have any long lines. As you lay you may get a line that goes straight for 3-5 slabs, at this point you need to be thinking how you can block that line off to create a ‘T’ joint. With this in mind the slabs you have already laid dictate the next one – they tell you what it can be and what it can’t be. The other thing to be mindful of is that you use a fairly even mix of all the sizes as you work. If you lay this way then you generally never create the same pattern twice. I tell my clients that they are getting a bespoke patio.

For more information on patio construction check out our blog here - milesstone.co.uk/blog/the-best-way-to-lay-paving-our-guide-to-laying-stone-and-porcelain/

#MakingDreamLandscapesPossible #Gardens #Paving #Patios #Landscaping #Construction

About Us:

We established Miles Stone way back in 1970 have long recognized the benefits of using natural materials in construction. We have dedicated our business to the research and supply of the highest quality natural stone and landscaping materials. Through our passion for our products and expertise in the industry we are the leading paving and landscaping retailer in the south.

Where to Find Us:

http://www.milesstone.co.uk/

Facebook |   / milesstoneuk  

Instagram |   / milesstoneuk  

Twitter |   / milesstoneuk  

If you have any questions about any of our products or would like to make an enquiry then please get in touch via the details on our website. And if you liked the video and would like to keep up to date with our latest products don't forget to subscribe!