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What is the reason that the client has given for wanting the paving to be laid on sand?
Sounds like one to steer clear of
sounds like one to steer clear of in my opinion to.. never stray from correct practises just to keep a customer happy or to try and gain work.. doesn't do your rep any good and it will come back to haunt you.
Is that not a bit mad. I am a landscaper i make things happen, that's the great reward. If i stayed away from jobs that are not the norm i would be packing box's everyday.
I have recommended the correct way in writing and in detail. But they a paying customer want it done another way. Also in writing i have said i cannot guarantee it. I have covered my back and informed the customer that this is not the way we lay patios. They are more than happy about this, so should i let some Muppet do the job who has no idea about laying patios, or should they trust in a landscaper with experience and will get the job done the best way for them.
So if i was to lay it like block paving would this not be the best way? or has anybody else had experience in such a task, you can PM me if you like, as i know how sensitive people can get on such forums.
I see what you mean and i completely understand what your saying.. however I suppose it all depends on what you are comfortable doing. i just cant see how it will be beneficial to anyone, you or the customer. It's a bit of an odd request.
A screed bed could possibly work dependant on the sandstone you use. how accurate the calibrating is if calibrated at all. maybe worth mixing a little bit of cement in with the sand to at least give it some kind of strength and structure.
You also need to find some way of locking the paving in together.. Kiln dried obviously does the trick with block paving but won't with sandstone. A jointing compound/Resin may do the job but i fear that too many footsteps on that slightly naturally high corner on a natural finished slab will soon start rocking with just a screed bed underneath regardless of how strong that 10mm joint is.
You know what they say the 'customer is king' if you have covered yourself then why not. They are going to pay someone to do it..
Is there a particular reason or a site specific issue as to why the customer wants the paving to be laid on sand? The only reason I ask is because there may be another way to get round the issue without resorting to laying the paving on sand.
I agree with Matt that it would be very difficult to get any kind of jointing compound into a patio that's laid on sand. With no jointing compound the paving would have very little stability. Also with no pointing compound it would look pretty awful IMO.
Sorry not trying to be negative but it just seems fraught with issues. I appreciate that you have put it all down in writing and made your client fully aware of the downside but I still think you are risking your reputation a wee bit by taking it on.
Sounds risky Dan.
Block paving has a depth to it and relies on the proximity of the surround blocks to maintain integrity and lock everything firm.
I can't see sandstone slabs staying in place unless they are flags of at least 4" (100mm) in thickness and large enough so as not to move.
I've laid York stone on sand only without any movement but each slab was of varying thickness. The lack of uniformed calibration meant each stone had to be laid individually.
What are they saying with regard to pointing? I would say that if all of the edges are secured properly and the job is pointed up well then it'll be ok. You can lay slabs on a very weak mortar bed, this would probably just be a bit harder work.
Nearly 50 years ago my Dad, who would have been quite a perfectionist, laid a 30m driveway in our front garden, of 3'x2' concrete slabs on a sand bed, pointed with mortar and they lasted for the next 15 years at least. Even today builders frequently surround a new build with slabs on a compacted bed of fine blinding, (haunched with topsoil!) and it mostly 'does the job'. Concrete 600x300s are of course heavier and thicker than most decorative paving.
Has your customer seen this done and thinks all this mortar bed, etc is 'overegging the pudding'?
The reason they don’t want a mortar bed are quite strange and I never really got to the bottom of it, they just said if they need access they don’t want to be breaking up concrete.
My plan was to mortar the outer slabs then the centre slabs would be laid on sand.
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