The mainstay of many a Landscaping project, the humble patio comes in an array of shapes, forms, sizes and styles. The product list is almost endless, there is a colour, size, texture, material to suit every taste imaginable.
Preparation for most patios follows a similar pattern. Excavate the area to find a solid base, lay a weed control geo-textile membrane,layer up with hardcore and vibrate solid with a whacker plate. Water run off is one of the most important components of any decent patio, so we'll add drains or soak-aways wherever they are needed to ensure there is no standing water.
Once we've set out our levels we'll lay the chosen flag stones on a strong, wet cement mix, ensuring each flag is laid upon a full bed of mortar and falling towards the installed drainage or towards the garden for the water to soak away naturally. If we are laying a porcelain or slate type material with very little moisture retention we'll apply a slurry primer to the back of the flagstones to aid adhesion.
When the patio area is laid, we generally leave for a week before using an epoxy resin based grout such as GFTK 800 or a cement based grout such as UltraTile ProPave. These products create a far superior finish and last much longer than traditional sand and cement pointing.
We've been designing and laying patios around the Lancaster and Morecambe area for over 20 years, so you're in excellent hands. Check out the patios gallery section for some patio inspiration.