The previous homeowner had surrounded the house in 1/2 - 1" gravel which I
took up and used as a base -- uneven, but about 1-2". I had never seen or
heard of "screening" until I went to the local cement/aggregate dealer and
asked about delivery of sand for a paving block base. They recommend the
screenings vice sand, especially since the local soil is almost all sand
already. I haven't seen one of the DIY programs mention screenings, but
they work extremely well -- fine particles while being worked, but with time
and water hardens into a very supportive base. I used about a 1-2" base of
screenings under the paving blocks.

After some experimenting, I varied my technique a little from the standard.
I leveled, screeded and tamped the base, but kept the elevation just a
little higher than it should be. When I put the pavers in place, I used a
rubber mallet to push them down to the right height. This helped lock
everything in place. After everything was down, I took a 4x4 sheet of
plywood (to protect the pavers) and a manual tamper to again tamp everything
in place. This helped keep the entire surface level.

A friend, who made the tightest paver installation I've ever seen, waited
about a year after his installation, then sprinkled mortar over the surface
and washed it into the cracks between the pavers. His result was beautiful
and even though it was part of his driveway and was driven on regularly,
never shifted or sank. Good luck with your job -- Regards --

"Jack" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the informative answer to my question. YOu mentioned putting
down screening but you did not mention a hardcore layer like gravel
before that. Am I right that you just put limestone screening, and how
many inches of it may I ask ?

J

World Traveler wrote:
Pavers and walkways are a good example of the 90 /10 rule. You can
do 90%
of the work in 10% of the time. if 90% is good enough for you, fine,
but it
will still look like a homeowner weekend project rather than a
compliment to
your house.

It depends upon the appearance you want to achieve. Actually, I
think the
large 24" x 24" blocks aren't really intended for a professional
paving
block installation. Lots of folks just space the blocks out like
stepping
stones and the result is just that -- a homeowner's low cost walkway
-- not
that there's anything wrong with that -- . If you're trying to do a
solid
long walkway or a patio you'll have problems keeping the large blocks
level
from block to block. The smaller interlocking pavers are much easier
to
install in that respect.

But before you decide, I suggest you also find a professional
installation
of interlocking pavers (the small, interlocking kind) which will show
you
what is possible. A well-done paving block walk or patio is very
handsome.
An installation of this type should go a long ways in improving the
appearance of your walkway and a visitor's impression of your house.

I've added a paving block patio, walkway and also "blocked" the south
and
east perimeter of the house, adding built in sections for gardens. I
went
the full route, with pavers, a bed of screening, tamping, etc., and
we
wouldn't have been satisfied by just putting down the 24 x 24 blocks
on
unprepared soil.

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
Do it the easy way if you want I did several times and no problems.
The
24x24 are thick and wont break just make them so they dont rock.
Alot
of DIY info is overkill.