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Hi @ivanptr,
Typically, when you make up your mortar mix, it should have some thickness to it. Make sure you don't add more water than required. You want quite a sticky mix and not a watery one, that way, the pavers won't sink after laying. As you can see in the video, they needed to tap the paver down to get it to bed to the right height. You shouldn't have too much of an issue if you put a similar amount of mortar at each paver location. The brickline is essential and how you determine the correct height of the paver. Mortar doesn't set particularly quickly, so if you have put too little or too much mortar under the paver, you can always remove the paver to add more or remove some mortar.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
what if I put too much mortar, and when i use rubber mallet to tap it , then the mortar underneath got squeezed to the edge of the paver, should I use trovel to take that out?
I only need some mortar in the center of the paver or its fine to have edge also supported by mortar underneath ?
Hi @ivanptr,
You'd just compress the excess mortar by tapping the paver down more. Alternatively, remove the paver, remove some mortar, and try again. It is fine for the mortar to squeeze out under the edges; you can just remove the excess. It actually preferred to have the entire tile supported right up to its edge. A trowel would be the perfect tool to remove the excess mortar that squeezes out under the edges.
Mitchell
Hi Mitchell,
We've already purchased all the materials and excavated a trench that's 15cm deep.
Here's the garden edge we bought:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/saxon-150mm-x-10m-black-garden-edge_p0111368
And here's our stepping stone:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/tuscan-path-600-x-400-x-20mm-bluestone-paver_p0129309
Our road base:
Ki Carma 20kg Road Base Landscape Stones
Based on the online DIY tips for a stepping stone pathway, our next step is to lay the road base and compact it before installing the edge.
Could you please take a quick look at our plan below?😅
Should the path edge be about 3cm higher than the ground to prevent weeds or lawn from spreading across our pathway?
Thank you for any advice..!😔😌
Having the edging slightly higher than the pavement would be a good idea to stop weeds and lawn encroaching onto it @ivanptr. However, you don't want it so high that it becomes a tripping hazard. 2cm is likely enough to give you an edge to use your line trimmer against and also not be high enough to cause tripping.
Mitchell
@MitchellMc , We had a hiccup 😓. So, we used a hammer to secure the plastic peg, but there were too many hard rocks underneath. It was difficult to drive the entire peg into the ground, and we could only get half of it secured. My arm was so sore.
That's still looking good, @ivanptr. Once the paving has been laid, it should push the edging outwards and help straighten it. The pegs are only really needed if the edging is entirely above ground to stop it from falling over. In your case, I don't believe they'll be necessary.
Mitchell
https://www.bunnings.com.au/dingo-fast-set-mortar-3kg_p0760518
Hi @MitchellMc , do you have any idea what the ideal water-to-mortar ratio is for this bag? I used a 1:0.2 ratio for mortar and water.
However, it's been 90 minutes, and when I press on the stepping stone (I did the first one) , it still wobbles/moves. It seems the mortar has hardened a bit, but it didn't adhere my stepping stone to the road base. It's quite strange.
Should I try using different products?
Hi @ivanptr,
The correct ratio will be marked on the bag. I do apologise, but I don't have those details at hand. You're not glueing the pavers down like you would with tiles. The mortar forms a bed that the pavers sit upon. How much mortar did you apply under each paver?
Typically, you add the mortar to the area and lightly tamp the paver down with a rubber mallet. This beds the paver down into the mortar. You would then leave it be for a few days for the mortar to set entirely. After that point if a sufficient amount of mortar was placed under the paver it shouldn't wobble or move.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
