The pavers should be treated like sandstone with care and attention when handling on site. Pavers should not be stacked on top of each other but on their side at a slight angle, resting on the back edge.

Substrata

To guard against cracking, the sub-base should be concrete slab or mechanically compacted coarse road base of at least 100mm thick. On top of this we recommend a screeded bed of 20mm 4:1 damp “Sydney” sand and off-white cement mix with no voids, or for a wet mortar bed over a concrete slab, we recommend applying a slurry over the slab and then bed the pavers in a wet mix of 4:1 Sydney Sand and off-white cement mix with no voids to a depth of 15mm.

Laying Pavers

Pavers should be laid on the substrata and if necessary, tapped with a rubber mallet to obtain a level finish. A close-butted finish with 2/3mm joints is recommended for a high quality clean appearance with dry sand swept into joints after laying. However, if mortar pointing is required, the joints should be at least 10mm wide with the mortar ironed into the joints using a pointing tool, taking extreme care to avoid cement smear stains on the stone, which are impossible to remove when set. We recommend using only our render mix or mortar (a mixture of sand, cement and water) for pointing because some ready-made formulae contain chemicals which cannot be removed if accidentally smeared on the stone.

Care should be taken when laying paving to ensure that it is not stained or marked by cement or other site debris. As the job proceeds, paving must be sponged clean with clear water to prevent any cementious material setting. It is necessary to sponge over the stone a few times, changing the water and cleaning the sponge each time to avoid spreading a cementious film over the stone. Once finished, the work must be protected to ensure that the stone remains clean until site works are completed.

It is important to keep pedestrian traffic off the pavers for a minimum of two days and moderate to heavy traffic off the new work for at least five days.

Laying bullnose step treads / Pool surrounds

Step treads should be wetted on the back and laid on bricklayers’ mortar with a sprinkle of dry off-white cement on top of the bed and wiggled into place. Bond-Crete (or Bond-seal if using around a salt-water pool) may be painted on the back of the paver. We recommend that second-hand bricks be used if constructing steps etc. as new bricks usually expand a little and may crack treads.

If Step treads/pavers are to be laid on new concrete or bricks, a weak (6:1) scratch coat should be laid to obtain a level bed. Then a flexible outdoor adhesive should be applied such as “Rapidflex” by ABA to help prevent cracks forming in pavers due to the expansion or contraction of the substrata. (Cutting the step treads in half would also alleviate the problem.)

Cutting

Our stone can be easily cut, preferably using an electrical hand saw with either a carborundum or diamond blade or an angle grinder or brick saw. Cutting dust should be removed from pavers by water pressure during or immediately after cutting to avoid the dust setting as a cement smear.

Driveways/Carports etc.

For vehicular traffic, it is necessary for pavers to be laid on a concrete base and bedded in mortar, with no voids, to prevent cracking. We recommend that a stretcher bond pattern be used.

Sealing

Most outdoor areas should not require sealing, with the sun and weather breaking down most organic and inorganic stains, however it would be advisable to seal pavers where grease might be spilt. Coping around salt-water pools should be sealed. Please note that pavers must be completely dry before sealing. Any staining material should be cleaned away promptly whether the stone is sealed or not.

Cleaning

Normal cleaning should be completed using a hose with a high pressure nozzle setting. Use household bleach and warm water to remove everyday stains. Algae can be removed using swimming pool chlorine or bleach.

Render Mix

Add 20 kilogram bag (or ½ 40 kilogram bag) of off-white cement to each bag of our Render Mix (1:3) for pointing together with enough water to make a pliable consistency for rendering. The render mix contains plasticizer so it is not necessary to add any other ingredient or the colour may not exactly match our pavers.

Pavers must be handled and laid to manufacturers’ instructions.

No express or implied guarantees or warranties are given. The manufacturer’s liability is limited to replacement of product.

PLEASE RING (02) 9387 6228 if you have any queries