Do I have to restart interlock patio project?
7/1/2014 at 7:55:34 AM
Something went wrong with my interlock project and I'm unsure if I have to restart (huge job) or if it will okay to finish.
I excavated 12" for my patio then compacted the base (GA) every 2" with a plate tamper. I used line levels to ensure that the base was level, and when I was finished there was not more than a 1/2" variance over the whole base. I started screeding with 1" conduit pipe but after laying the second row I noticed it was not level and it was starting to slope.
Fast forward to the last row and now I have about 4" of stone dust under the pavers, and when I check the slope and level it seems to be good to go, but how did I end up with 4" of dust when the base seemed to be level?
I really do not want to have to rip it all up (500 sq ft) but I also don't want it to fall apart.
What should I do?
7/3/2014 at 5:10:33 PM
When it comes to interlocking there are two different factors to look at, level and slope. You want the patio to be level and flat, no humps or dips. However if it is beside or near the house you want a little bit of slope (1/4" for every 3 ' or so) so that rain water will be directed away from the house and your foundation.
It sounds like you used a string level which gave you a flat base but not a perfectly level base. Then when you layed the stones you started to use an actual level on them, hence the 4" of stone dust. As long as you compacted the extra stone dust you added, you won't have a problem. In reality, the deep the base, the better.
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