Picture-perfect Paths & Patios
(Page 6 of 6)
December 2006/January 2007
By Steve Maxwell
Finish up by seeding the area on each side of your project as soon as possible. A vigorous mat of roots does a lot to reinforce the edges of any paver installation. Finally, forget about all the installation work and take the last step: your first step out onto your new path or patio. Enjoy your successful project — it will be a valued part of your homestead for a long, long time.
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Working the Urban Quarry
Old, torn-up sidewalk slabs are usually free for the taking and make excellent paving material for paths and patios, as long as the old concrete is solid and crumble-free. They’re like urban deposits of sedimentary rock that you can quarry, shape and install instead of using store-bought paving bricks or natural stone.
The process of creating a foundation for a durable “urbancrete” surface is the same as that for ready-made paving bricks. The only difference is that you must first shape the raw paving material into a form that looks like something more elegant than old, broken concrete.
At a minimum, you’ll need a 12- to 14-pound sledgehammer to break up the larger slabs of concrete into chunks you can handle and load. A smaller, 4-pound stone hammer is useful for shaping the chunks of concrete so they fit together on your path or patio surface.
Would you like to create a regular, bricklike look using urbancrete? Using a water-cooled masonry saw with a diamond cutting wheel, you can cut the irregular slabs into whatever square and rectangular shapes you like. These smaller, precut pieces also are much easier to handle than big slabs. You can work more design elements into your project by cutting out unusual shapes or even dyeing some pieces to create contrasting colors.
Contributing editor Steve Maxwell lives on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, in a hand-built house surrounded by hand-laid paths and patios.
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