Laying paving: what is important to know before starting work

Laying paving, like all construction work, requires preparation and certain, specific knowledge. Before starting work, one should familiarize yourself with the main stages of laying paving slabs, calculate how much and what materials will be needed for the implementation of the project. Laying paving consists of several, simple stages, which we will briefly discuss.

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1. During the first stage, the contours and heights of the plot are determined. A leveler is used to accurately determine the height. At this stage, it is also necessary to assess whether slopes will be needed, if the house stands lower than the paved part of the plot, fragile ones should be foreseen, into which rainwater will flow and it will not reach the foundation of the house.
2. At the second stage, excavation begins, during which the soil is determined and evaluated, it is determined at what depth it is necessary to dig. The ideal soil is sandy loam, it is enough to dig 40-45 cm of such soil, but this type of soil is extremely rare. If the soil found is clay — 50-60 cm will have to be removed.
3. In the third stage, the pouring and compaction of the layers begins. If, after digging up the soil, the bottom is clay, then the bottom should be covered with a layer of sand of 5-10 cm, which must be well compacted with a vibro plate. Under the layer of sand, a layer of 30-35 cm of gravel is poured, which is compacted so well with the help of a vibro plate. A layer of crushed stone is followed by a layer of compacted gravel. The best choice of crushed stone is dolomite, as it is extremely durable and resistant. A layer of rubble is recommended about 15 cm in the part on which cars will ride, and 5-7 cm will be enough for the walking part. The rubble is coarse, so a vibroplate of 200 kg or heavier will be required for its compaction. After mixing and compacting all these layers, a leveling - sieving layer is poured. For this layer, 1-4 cm sieves will be enough. This substrate must also be compacted and excess sieves removed.
4. The fourth stage is probably the most pleasant of all stages, because during it you can already choose the color and pattern of the pads. After the paving stones are selected, the laying work begins. When laying paving slabs, it is recommended to take them from different pallets so as not to differ in the color of the pads. After the pads are formed, they must be passed through the vibroplate, the gaps between the pads should be filled with sieves.