Block paving for a driveway

[Steve Slatcher]

Any views on the quality of the various different types of block on the market?

In particular, I have been quoted for Marshal's "Drivesett Tegula Original Block Paving" and "Driveline 50 Block Paving. Any views on those? The quoter warned me off the Driveline "as the colours fade" - does that seem right?

Assuming colours remain fixed I think I can handle the aesthetics side of the decision, but what physical properties should I be concerned about, and which blocks perform well or badly? Or are they all pretty similar in performance terms.

Many thanks

Steve

[Lobster]

Steve Slatcher grunted in news:bhego0FqqkjU1 @mid.individual.net:

Well, FWIW we had that specific Marshall's paving laid on our drive 8 years ago, and its been absolutely fine. Has two cars driven on and off regularly, no problems or damage.

I think the way it's laid (ie qualirt of sub-base etc) is probably far more relevant than the blocks themselves.

[Bill Wright]

A lot of them want to lay the blocks on a sub base of about 2" of crushed stone, irrespective of what's underneath. OK if this is on really good ground, like bedrock, but usually it isn't. Here I had a mix of clay and disturbed ground. I insisted on putting a 6" concrete slab down and it paid off. That was 20 years ago.

Bill

[Steve Slatcher]

I really wanted to discuss the blocks themselves, but FWIW this is what the quotation says about the prepartaion:

Make sure sub base is 6inch min of compacted hard core. Lay block paving onto 2-3 inches of screeded gravel sand

[harryagain]

I have several hundred squ m of block paving. In my experience, all makes fade slightly. The worst aspect is the black algy that gradually accumulates but you get that on everything. Have to pressure wash it once a year.

Also you get lots of hard to deal with weeds in the numerous cracks. Looks a real mess if not dealt with.

[Edgar]

See Tony McCormack's

there's pretty well everything you might want to know about paving there. The regulars are very knowledgeable and helpful. Anyone interested in ground works will find a visit worthwhile.

Edgar

[Kevin]

I laid a couple of hundred square metres of Tegulas around 15 years ago, and they've been fine. The colours have faded/merged, and weeds and moss are a problem, but structurally they've held up well. I paid a lot of attention to the edges, using Marshalls matching kerb blocks.

I'm less convinced by the trend towards 50mm blocks - ours are 60 or 65, from memory. They rely for their strength on being tightly wedged against their neighbours, and I'm concerned that 50mm blocks would be more likely to tilt, especially given that they either have tumbled arrises (Tegula) or chamfered (Driveline).

The subbase had been a bit of a disaster, as the man with the JCB and the grab lorry turned out to be a complete bozo, so I had to use a lot of MoT 1. Doing it again, I'd look at similarly graded crushed concrete for the sub-base, and crushed glass for the bedding layer.

As a minor design aside: I was pleased with the effect of forming a long curve on the railway curve principle - a parabolic transition to a circular curve. Constant rate of change of versine in real life, for the transition.

[Broadback]

It is not easy to keep weed free and clean. Unless pressure washing is done very carefully it will wash out the sand. I Don't think any area of paving, in whatever form is easy to keep looking good.

[Chris J Dixon]

I give mine an annual jet wash. First pass is with a patio head, and cleans off the algae, then I use the jet to dislodge moss and weeds. This deliberately also shifts a little of the dirty sand, but I work at 45 degrees to the join line, so as not to wash it out completely.

A bag or two of fresh paving sand and it is good for another year.

Chris

[Steve Slatcher]

Thanks - that's a great resource. Though the site navigation is not great, and I dismissed it at first because I could not find most of the stuff. There's even a forum if you look hard enough! (Sorry for the earlier email - meant to post to the group.)

And thank you to everyone else who has responded too.

Steve