While the majority of our customers prefer to take advantage of our laying service, others are willing to have a go at laying their own paving. It's impossible to cram all of our expertise onto one page, but we've provided a short guide to the basic principles, to help explain what’s involved.

Preparation
The secret of good paving is preparation. The area to be paved should be cleared of all obstructions and levels established before laying begins. Remember, paving needs to be laid at a slight fall to ensure surface water is drained away. We find that a fall of between 1:40 (25mm/m) and 1:80 (13mm/m) works well. Set up tight string lines as guides to levels and falls.

Patio areas and footpaths can be laid on a sand and cement bed. Mix 8-10 buckets of a coarse grit sand with one bucket of ordinary cement. There's no need to add any water unless the sand is bone dry, as there is sufficient moisture in the mix to start the cement curing process.

Bedding
Spread out the bedding as required. It should be between 35 and 50mm thick when compacted. Prepare a bed for the paving. This can be done with a spade or a brick trowel. It's a good idea to 'ripple' the bed, as this enables the paving to be tapped down to the required level. The bed needs to be around 6 to 12mm 'high' to allow for tapping down. It normally takes two or three attempts until you get the bed right.

Buttering
If you're using mortar joints, you need to 'butter' the receiving edges with the mortar. Using a brick trowel, spread the mortar onto the edge of the laid paving in a upwards stroke. When you've buttered all the receiving edges, you're ready to lay.

Laying
Working from the paving that has already been laid, rest the bottom edge of the new slab against the receiving edge of the existing slab, and carefully lower it onto the prepared bed. This action squeezes the new slab into the mortar of the buttered edges, ensuring a sound joint.

Tapping down/Consolidating
Now that the slab is lying on the bed, it can be tapped down to its correct level using a pavior's mall or a smaller rubber hammer. If you don't have one of these tools, you could use a lump or club hammer but be sure to put a piece of timber on top of the slab first. This will cushion the blow of the hammer and help to prevent it breaking or damaging the slab.

Checking
Check that the slab isn't rocking or moving once it has been consolidated. If there is any movement, you may need to pack the bed or lift and redo to make sure that the slab is perfectly stable. You should also check with a spirit level, or against the guide line, that the slab is sloping the correct amount in the right direction. Make any required adjustments before proceeding.

Pointing
You can point the joints as you go along, or wait until you've completed an area before falling back and pointing all the joints in one operation. Feed mortar into the joint from the edge of a trowel, and pack into the gap. When the joint is full, strike the pointing by using the edge of the trowel or a pointing bar to smooth the surface of the mortar. Carefully remove any excess mortar.

Finishing
Leave the mortar to set for at least a couple of hours before using a soft-bristled brush to gently sweep off the paving. Try to keep foot traffic off the paving for the first 24 hours while the mortar sets.