DIYer laying a Patio: Most Beginner questions answered

How wet should patio mortar be for laying paving slabs?

What is the spacing between porcelain paving slabs?

How do I make sure my sub base is leveled?

Can you leave a prepared sub-base as it is for a long time?

Yes, you could finish compacting the sub-base/mot-type 1 and leave it as it is for a long time (a month or so) unless there’s no continuous/heavy rainfall which may wash out all the fines from the compacted sub-base. Finally, when you decide to lay the slabs, it’s a good practice to go over the sub-base with a wacker if you’ve access to it.

Do I need a sub-base for the patio?

A sub-base is the main load-bearing part of a paving and the main strength of a patio lies in the sub-base.

Having a properly compacted and thick enough sub-base with the right materials is always a good practice, and no professional job could be done without a proper sub-base.

How thick should the mortar bed be for laying paving slabs?

The best practice is anything between 30-50mm for the thickness of the mortar bed to lay paving slabs. If you’ve done a good job with the sub-base, 30mm is good enough. Anything less than 30mm is not recommended as it could cause issues.

Do I need SBR with sand and cement for mortar mix?

There is no such need for SBR as it could reduce the working time which is not good if laying slabs is not your day job. Even though it may have some benefits, you could benefit even more by using a “proper primer” on the back of the slabs, not homemade priming slurry.

Sharp sand or building sand for paving mortar?

Mortar mix mostly consists of sand and the sand that’s required is sharp sand, or at least majority of portion is sharp sand because some people have their own “receipes” for the mortar mix where they use a slight portion of building sand too. For example, 5 sharp, 1 building and 1 cement.

Can I use old sub-base as sub-base for a patio?

Can I compact the sub-base without the wacker?

Where to buy materials for the sub-base of a patio?