Patio is one lovely way to create an outdoor space for fancy dining and recreation. That space would provide you comfort away from work. Usually, patios provide a place for relaxation, but as well comes with giving your home a beautiful outlook. Many of you may have thought of having a spot in your home for a patio but unwilling to spend cash on a professional for his services, right? Yes, is definitely the answer. What if i am to tell you that it is possible for you to spare some time and have it done yourself, would you love that idea? If yes, then follow me through the 6 beginner steps to making your own patio.
Table of Contents
- Preparation
- Excavation
- Laying a sub-base
- Laying the mortar and first slab
- Laying the rest of the patio slabs
- Jointing the slabs
Step 1. Preparation
Before taking a step to lay a patio, you must first identify which area of the house you want it to be. As a novice, you most certainly do not have any of the equipment or do not have all the needed equipment at hand in your home. What’s best than to hire the tools you would need from hardware or builders merchants?
With the tools ready, the next thing to tackle is clearing and preparing the area for the work at hand. A few things to be mindful of, include cables and underground pipes. If you find this process difficult, call an expert to duly check the area and ascertain if it would be a good spot. Next up, demarcate the area and place the slabs in your preferred design or shape and use the builder’s line and pegs to map out the area.
Step 2. Excavation
The excavation process may be one of the most tedious but it is not above you. Digging the marked area and making a sub-base is very important as it tends to be the foundation on which the patio would sit on. When digging, make sure your area is a little slanted for easy draining of water. Do well to check and avoid breaking cables or underground pipes. You need to dip as deep as 100mm, which means the sub-base and mortar would take up 90 percent of that space.
Step 3. Laying a sub-base
The next step to follow would be to gently and gradually lay the subase. In doing this, you will have to employ the use of the requisite sub-base and hardcore material to fill the base up to the level of the pegs. Upon filling the area, there is the need to compact the sub-base with a plate compactoror any other flat surface materical like a wood. For it to be uniform, you will add some more sub-base and compact it a further until its visibly leveled.
Step 4. Laying the mortar and first slab
Having the sub-base prepared and ready, you will to start mixing your mortar and start laying your slabs. Again, place your wooden pegs and mark the preferred height to use. Just some few inches away from the area, spread your cement and sand and mix your mortar. You can watch a video on how to mix mortar so you do not make it runny or inconsistent.
To a height about 60mm, carefully pour the mortar. Take the first slab, splash water at its back and lay it on the mortar covering the sub-base. With a hammer, gently hit the slab for it to properly sit on the mortar. Do not be scared to adjust positions of the slab so you arrive at a uniform ending.
Step 5. Laying the rest of the patio slabs
Laying the first slab is the most important part for beginners as the process could be somehow challenging. But not to worry, first times are always difficult especially to novices like this. Repeat the same method you employed to lay the first slab and do the others. Make pieces of hard wood and place them inbetween each slab to create a gap. When you are through, cover the patio with tarpaulin and leave it there for two days or more for the mortar to dry properly.
Step 6. Jointing the slabs
Remember to remove the pieces of hard wood you placed in-between each slab when you were fixing them when it is all dried up. For the finishing touches, you have to joint the slabs. How do you go about this? The size the pieces of wood created would determine the extent to which you will go to joint the slabs. You can either use dried mortar or wet mortar or sand. Apply the mortar in those spaces left evenly and smooth off all the joints before finally cleaning off any excess or splashed mortar on the slabs.
Hurray!!! You have successfully laid your patio and you should be proud of yourself for how far you have come. I hope this simple beginner’s guide helps you through the processes as easy as it seems. Should you find anything difficult, so call for the assistance of a professional. First times could something be daunting.
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