Whilst the thought of laying a new patio may seem daunting, it’s not as difficult as you perhaps thought! Here are the steps to follow:

Dig

Begin by measuring the area. Next, peg it out with stakes and string so you’re aware of the area you’re working with. Once you’ve done this, you can start removing turf and topsoil (15cm depth) to allow room for the foundations. To level it off, you can use a wooden plank. Dig out plant roots as these can cause problems later on.

Rainwater

Be aware of rainwater and build in a slight slope to your patio. Ensure the water runoff is directed towards the lawn or a flower bed.

Layer

Place down a layer of hardcore (7cm depth). This will help to prevent your patio from sinking. It can be found in the majority of garden centres, so its’ easily accessible. Ensure you rake it over to even out any bumps that may be there

Bedding mortar

The next step is to add a layer of bedding mortar with a trowel. This is available ready-mixed or in a bag form. Make sure you follow the instructions on the packet carefully to ensure the mixture is properly set. A good starting place is any feature that you will remember. For example, you could start from a fence and work backwards.

Slabs

Next, place the slabs on top of the wet mortar. When positioning the slabs, use a builder’s square and spirit level. When tapping down, make sure this is done gently.

Gaps

Once all of the slabs have been laid, it’s vital they’re left for a minimum of 24 hours before they’re walked on. The last thing to do is to make sure the gaps between the slabs are filled. You can either use a mixture of sand, cement and water and leave it to set or use a pointing trowel to push the sand and cement mixture in the gaps.