When the laying of pavers and closure units is complete, pavers should be compacted and brought to level by not less than three passes of a high frequency low amplitude plate compactor.

 The compactor should have sufficient area to simultaneously cover 12 units, and its metal base should be covered to prevent it coming into direct contact with the surface of pavers.

 Use a 12mm plywood sheet or a thick rubber backed carpet square attached to the base of the compactor to provide a cushioning effect.

 A thin layer of joint filling sand spread evenly over the pavers prior to compaction will aid the movement of the compactor and further minimise surface damage.

 When the section is finished, brush clean, white washed dry sand into all joints until filled. Sweep off any excess and continue to lay new sections as previously described in Section 1 to 3.

 When all paving is completed, continue to sweep sand into joints until all joints are filled. This ensures the paving will achieve lock up.

 This final stage is required on all edges that do not butt-up to a solid wall or kerb thus preventing pavers from spreading under loads.

 The sub-grade and sub-base must be compacted beneath the edge restraint and extend at least 100mm beyond the outer edge of the restraint.

 This barrier should extend under the brick approximately 100mm to a depth of 100mm and should extend beyond the header course approximately 100mm.

 The finished barrier must finish approximately 20mm up from the bottom of the header course, thus creating a ‘lip’. This forms a restraint, stopping paving from spreading

 When it comes to selecting the right patio paving for your garden, the material, size and colour of your paving slabs are all key features to think about from an early stage. This patio paving buying guide takes you through these considerations, but also lifts the lid on some less obvious criteria that could inform your purchase decision.

 As you consider your options, the first decision to make is which type of patio paving to go for. There are three main patio paving materials used in the UK: concrete, natural stone and porcelain paving slabs.

 Concrete paving slabs are man-made. They’re produced by mixing cement with aggregates and pigments, which is either pressed or moulded to form a paving slab. The curing process that bonds the materials together can take many months and years to complete, even though the slab is ostensibly hard after 3-4 weeks.

 Concrete is the weakest of the three paving materials, and consequently the slabs will be thicker to give them additional strength (30-50 mm).

 Natural stone paving is quarried from the ground and then hewn, cut and processed for the desired size and finish. Each stone slab is one-of-a-kind. Not only is there variation between the look and feel of every slab, but there are also significant differences in appearance and performance depending on which type of stone you choose.

 The strength of natural stone paving depends on its type, with granite and slate being denser and stronger than sandstone and limestone. The thickness of stone paving slabs will be hewn or calibrated accordingly (18-25 mm).

 Porcelain paving slabs are produced by firing kaolin clays in a kiln at temperatures that liquify the materials, which then become chemically fused to form a solid entity as they cool. These fused ceramic homogenous slabs are incredibly strong and durable. The vitrification (literally glass-like) process means that these slabs are non-porous,waterproof and largely impervious.

 When it comes to picking out patio paving, your choice of colour will be one of the most immediately noticeable features. The range of colour options available to you is determined partly by which material you choose.

 Concrete is usually a uniform, consistent colour at the point of manufacture. Whilst the original colour comes from a pigment additive, this may weather over time to provide some colour variation and character. There are also printed concrete paving slabs that have patterns and motifs such as mosaics.

PHOENIX PAVING

 The colour of concrete paving is much more uniform than the natural stone. So, if you want a consistent appearance and more uniform look, then concrete might be right for you.

 Sandstone has the greatest range, with light grey (Kandla Indian Sandstone), autumnal browns (Raj Blend) and sandy browns (Buff) being the most popular colours.

 Limestone also varies greatly in colour with light grey & gold (Abbey), grey-blue (Kota Blue) and charcoal (Kadapha Black) going across the tonal spectrum.

 Granite will tend to be silver grey to charcoal grey in hue (with sparkly flecks), whilst slate will be in the blue-grey to black range.

 In terms of patterns, natural stone will have tonal changes, swirls, spots and flecks, seams and striations that could all make an appearance on the surface of the slab. You can even see fossils embedded in sandstone and limestone, as these are both sedimentary rocks created on the seafloor millions of years ago.

 The character of natural stone slabs also changes when wet. After it rains, you often see the colours brighter and more vividly than before, with different hues and tones unlocked to the viewer. It is this unique variation and character that makes natural stone so appealing for patio paving.

 Porcelain paving is printed before its protective glaze is added. So, its colour and pattern possibilities are only limited by the skill of the graphical artists and imagination of the manufacturer to create the slab.

 Porcelain paving is printed before its protective glaze is added. So, its colour and pattern possibilities are only limited by the skill of the graphical artists and imagination of the manufacturer to create the slab.

 If you’re looking for stone-effect slabs, the printed graphics on porcelain paving are able to emulate the intricate character of granite, marble, quartzite, limestone, and sandstone.

 Wood-effect porcelain paving captures the grain and character of timber uncannily, even incorporating subtle textured relief to give the grain a more realistic feel.

 There’s plenty of possibilities with porcelain patio paving, from wood- and stone-effect to unique patterns. Not all designs and patterns are of equal quality, so we always recommend getting samples before you buy.

 Once you’ve considered the colour of your new patio paving, spend some time thinking about its texture and finish. Below, we’ve outlined your options when it comes to concrete, natural stone and porcelain paving slabs.

 If there’s a particular texture or finish that you feel would be suited to your patio, get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to recommend paving slabs that meet your needs.

 Concrete offers you a wide range of options in terms of texture and finish. This type of patio paving can either be wet-cast or pressed – and your choice of manufacturing method will have an impact on the texture of your paving slabs.

 Wet-cast concrete paving is manufactured in moulds to allow different finishes and surface patterns to be created. Usually these are designed to mimic stone (a style referred to as “decorative concrete”). This type of patio paving often includes riven-effect gentle ridges on the surface, or the orange-peel like dimpling found on natural limestone.

 You also have the option of choosing pressed concrete slabs. These offer a more uniform texture and finish. Pressed concrete paving tends to have straighter edges and near vertical sides, whereas wet-cast slabs will have a slight chamfer (angled) edge which is wider at the base to make removing them from their moulds easier.

 A riven surface is where the mason has hewn and then split the stone, which will leave small ridges on the surface (sandstone is the most common example). Explore our selection of riven natural stone patio paving to see how this looks.