How much concrete do I need for paving?

[TimGeo]

Hi, I'm planning to lay (800mm X 400mm X 20mm) bluestone pavers on top of a bed of cement mix, which will be on a compacted base, I would like to know the volume of materials so I can work out my budgets correctly.

As I haven't ever laid paving before how many pavers would I be able to lay beds for with 1 mix, consisting of 20kg bag of cement/sand/lime? And what would a suitable thickness of mix to lay on to?

At least knowing aproximately how much one mix would cover, I could scale that up for the entire project and working out my cost would be far easier!

Thanks

[MitchellMc]

Hi @TimGeo,

Here's a handy calculator that you can use to work out your needed quantities. Typically you lay pavers on around a 40mm bed of cement. So, using the calculator, you'd require two 20kg bags per paver.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell

[TimGeo]

Hi, thanks for the reply, I was curious about the mortar mix, is cement alone the best for laying pavers on? Or is a cement+sand mix better? 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @TimGeo,

Mortar is typically used to bed paving and block work, and is a mixture of sand, cement and lime. The reason why we use mortar over sand and cement is that the lime acts as a plasticiser and improves workability. Cement alone isn't the best choice for laying pavers on.

Mitchell