DIY guide to paving sandstone Melbourne

Are you a DIY enthusiast? Have you been planning to pave your home with sandstone? Here is blog to guide you through. Read till the end and you shall be ready to take on the paving work like a pro. Don’t believe us, why not read through and find out yourself!

Why choose paving sandstone in Melbourne?

Before we proceed with the main topic, let us briefly go through some of the reasons for choosing sandstone:

Availability of colors

For patio Paving Sandstone in Melbourne is obtainable in a wide range of attractive colors. These may include options like Fossil Mint, Autumn Blend, Golden Blend, Kotah Blue, Kotah Black, Modak, Rippon, and Grey Sandstone. The textures & colors can differ extensively from one stone to another. However, this adds to the natural beauty sandstone.

Sandstone is versatile

Being the best in paving, sandstone Melbourne, can be utilized to build walls as well. Sandstone patio circles are a well-liked accompaniment to the paving sandstone, which is utilized to create an individual characteristic within your garden, perhaps for a seating spot or to erect a statue. Now, let us go ahead and find out all the cool steps involved in natural paving sandstone Melbourne.

Step-by-step guide to paving sandstone in Melbourne for patio

Please Note- Though DIY is supper cool, we at Domko, still recommend taking professional help for safety. Now, let us begin:

Step 1

Clean the part you have selected to lay your patio by doing away with any kind of foliage, and any not needed stones or materials. Then, level off the soil there.

Step 2

Choose the kind and color of sandstone you would like to make use of on your patio. Pay for smoother, lighter flags, having the evenest edges.

Step 3

This is an extremely important step while paving sandstone patio. Make a cement-bound bed over the area where you’ll lay the flags. Make a ‘10:1’ ratio of grit sand & cement with water. To make ‘1 ton’ of the mixture, make use of ‘950 kg’ grit stone with ‘100 kg’ of cement and 0.5 kg of water, as semi-dry works fine. The bedding layer should be ideally ‘35 to 50 mm’ thick. At ‘35 mm’ depth, ‘1 ton’ of mixture covers ‘14 square meters’, while at ‘50 mm depth’, it covers ‘10 square meter’ of the area.

Step 4

This is another significant step while paving a sandstone patio. Now, lay the sandstone onto that cement-bound bedding. If the flags are fairly light and small, you should be easily able to lay the flags with your hands. For units bigger than ‘450 X 450 mm’, make use of specialist paving tools & lifting aids. While laying the sandstone, align either the bottom or the leading edge, however, you must make sure that it remains tight & firm to the preceding flag.

Step 5

The next step in paving sandstone Melbourne patio is joining the flags with each other by making use of mortar on the receiving edges of every sandstone flag when laying them. The process is called ‘buttering’. Make the mortar by mixing ‘4 units’ of building salt with ‘1 unit’ of ordinary Portland cement.

Mix until you cannot differentiate the color of sand & cement anymore. Now, add water & plasticizer. The water & plasticizer have to be added a bit at a time and thereafter, thoroughly blended till you have reached the wanted consistency.

Step 6

This is that step paving sandstone Melbourne for patio which demands a bit of patience. Within ‘4 hours’ of laying the pavement you will have to commence with the pointing process. This is such that the joints still have rationally fresh mortar within them left from the ‘buttering’ process. The pointing will top-up the buttered mortar to give rise to a solid mass in between. Make use of small pointing trowels to fill up the gaps & trim any excess.

After that, polish the mortar after filling up all the gaps by running the pointing trowel edge at a slight angle along the ‘top’ of the filled joint. Alternatively, you could also make use of a ‘V-shaped’ pointing trowel.

Step 7

Last but not the least step to consider when paving sandstone patio is placing a cautionary sign or cautionary tape around the parameter of your patio. This is to prevent anyone from walking or driving on your patio for at least a span of 48 hours after properly laying the flags. Later on, wash your patio and lay down a row of good-looking cobble sets on both the sides & decorate them with plants.

Let us move another topic and check out some tricks for patio paving in sandstone Melbourne. If you are interested in find more information about sandstone then here is a blog to help you develop a comprehensive idea about the same- Sandstone Pavers Melbourne.

Top tricks for patio paving in sandstone Melbourne

The initial cost might be higher than other choices, but you will save in the long run by not having to seal or stain it continuously. In addition to this, repairs are pretty easier, one paver at a go.

Below mentioned are some of the expert tips for patio paving. Read till the end

Call the plumbers

Before you prepare your patio area, call up local utilities to have any plumbing, cable and electrical lines marked.

Do the digging!

Then, dig down below the ‘root level’ of vegetation in that area, a good ‘6 inches’ or so. For dry soil, try and water the area a night before you plan to carry out the digging to dampen & soften the area for much easier digging. Paving in sandstone Melbourne patio is not an easy task, thus these tricks act as a guideline.

Use landscaping cloth

Make use of a landscaping cloth to generate a barrier between the old and the novel base of sand you will be making use of. This will reduce the efforts of weeds & other unwanted vegetation to intrude upon the patio from underneath. Measure the square footage of the patio space by multiplying the width by the length and add 10 per cent.

Before you proceed further, for paving sandstone Melbourne cost, feel free to drop an email to Domko- [email protected]

Use whacker plate compactor

Pack in the paver base or/and sand using a whacker plate compactor or tamper. You have to have a solid, level & smooth base to lay pavers. Remember to repack the subsequent layers of material.

Make the slope

While it is important to have a ‘level patio’ while paving sandstone Melbourne , you have to make sure that it does slope away from your house’s foundation & towards an area which can either handle extra moisture or is an existing drainage space. Plan for a ‘quarter inch’ drop in elevation for every ‘2 feet’ of distance.

Remember not to choose cheap paving sandstone Melbourne, rather go for quality supply.

Create a solid edge

To help reduce the effect of movement of pavers, make sure that you plan for a solid edge by making use of additional sandstone blocks Melbourne, a solid cement lip, or vinyl or metal edging. In addition to stability, that’ll also help diminish creeping weeds.

Conclusion

In conclusion, sandstone paving offers a versatile and durable option for Melbourne homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor spaces. Its natural beauty, resilience, and variety of colors and textures make it ideal for patios, pathways, and pool surrounds.

Proper installation and maintenance ensure longevity and aesthetic appeal, while its non-slip surface provides safety. Whether aiming for a contemporary or rustic look, sandstone paving complements any design aesthetic, adding value and charm to Melbourne properties. Choose sandstone paving in Melbourne for a timeless, practical, and visually appealing solution to elevate your outdoor living experience.

To know about paving sandstone Melbourne prices, contact Domko.