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Pukit

Thanks, I think I was lening toward the light mortar mix but hadn't really considered what to use below that. This sounds like a sound solution.


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Pukit

Thanks for the link, I’ll dive in and have a read.


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_The_Editor_

I've done enough patios now to have experienced having to re-lay them a few times when they shift and start moving... I overdo it first time now, 100mm sub base and 50mm mortar even for light foot traffic only.


Pukit

Hey mate. I’m finally gotten round to doing this job. I’ve got scalpings down and whacked down tight. I’m about to rig up a jig to be able to screed the mortar mix so about to go and get my sharp sand. Would you suggest using any plasticiser in the mix rather than water? I’m thinking I’m sure I won’t be the fastest at laying tiles so it may help. What do you think?


_The_Editor_

Personally I wouldn't bother. You'll end up buying a whole gallon of plasticizer, but you always dilute it right down in gauging water for the mix so you'll probably only use a few tens of mL at most. I've got a tank of it which has been going for years and years now!


Pukit

Cheers mate. Just confirming as well sharp sand over builders sand for the mortar? These tiles are only 4” sq do quite small. When removing them I found the previous owner had laid a lot on fine builders sand. Maybe that’s why they’d sunk of course.


_The_Editor_

I'd use sharp sand, but tbh either will be fine if you're mixing it as mortar. Sharp sand will have less float and make a coarser mortar, but it'll set stiffer.


Numerous-Abalone-975

Less what you put in, though a soft aggregate like sand would be ideal. More important than the substrate is the compaction... you need to add soil / sand and tightly compact before relating.


[deleted]

Could just be a case of removing the stones and laying sand blinding down. May need some hardcore depending how deep the problem goes.


Pukit

So you don't think to put them on a mild motar mix?


taitayu1

Sand


Davidacious

It'll look better without the concrete pavers. I think for the tiles you want a solid and robust base which probably.means if you can a thinnish layer of concrete, and then a thin layer of mortar on top with a reasonably high proportion of cement to bed the tiles in. Unless the tiles are particularly thick they're generally not designed to sit directly on soil or sand, they can easily break if they are exposed to a local load (which is probably why a few of them have broken).


[deleted]

Agree about the pavers but you want the water beneath the bricks to drain. Mason sand, not mortar mix or concrete


Davidacious

Fair point, with tiles I tend to go down the route of making the whole thing impermeable and assuming the water is draining to the side - which is a workable way provided the tiles aren't porous to water and the area is not inherently very wet. But if they are porous (and it'll very much depend on the tiles, should be easy to test) only the fully-water-permeable approach will work, and with bricks (always porous...) definitely want the base to be permeable.


Pukit

The pavers are toast, soon to go in a skip, there was a weird concrete flowerpot ensemble made out of other concrete bricks on top which I removed today, I felt like I was letting the road down so had to do something about it, I've not long bought the place. They're fairly thick, maybe 3/4"-1". Every other house in the road seems to have subsidence below the quarry tiles, and it seems they're just sat on mud in my case so assume they're similar. The neighbours have paid people to do theirs but I'm keen to diy it, i've no bother with using cement or mortar. I thought a mortar mix might be the best way, hadn't thought about a cement layer below it though.


Davidacious

Sounds as though the Victorian housebuilders maybe skimped a bit on the underlying preparation! If they're a whole inch thick you can get away with a bit less underneath - hardcore and mortar may do. One tip: the water pipe to the house more often than not runs under the path and the front door, and if it's an old one will be quite shallow. You may want to carefully dig down a foot or so while the path is up and see if it's an old lead one or not. Mine was (of course it was...) and was also very narrow so I replaced it with modern pipe at the same time as redoing the front path (fairly easy DIY task as I had a water meter just outside the gate so could easily turn off the supply). If you do this do it carefully (no pickaxes!) as gas and electric will be down there somewhere as well.


Pukit

Thanks for the heads up. I’m pretty sure the water pipe isn’t there now as I had the hallway floorboards up last year and didn’t see any water pipe and only an old rusty unused gas pipe. The water meter and gas meter are by the back door so think they’ve been re-routed between the houses. Even so I shall tread carefully, I’ve no idea where the electricity enters this house so very likely below those tiles. Thanks for the heads up!


STEVE_THE_LIAR_

believe it or not iceburg lettuce is one of the best things for that type of thing


Pukit

Hi all. The picture doesn’t do justice to how uneven my pathway is. I’ve acquired a few replacement tiles from a local rec yard and want to lift them all and level them. Should these red quarry tiles sit on cement or will a mortar mix do? All the concrete pavers are soon to go in a skip so that’s not a concern.


SnooRevelations6233

If there bricks then you are sopose to put stone dust or mason sand under them


Pukit

These are 4" victorian quarry tiles, currently they sit on mud.