How do I lay a simple path?

Paths fail by sinking, rocking and puddling, and all three come from the base. The visible part is the quick bit; the digging and compacting is where the durability actually comes from.

Safety

What you'll need

• Slabs or blocks
• MOT type 1 hardcore
• Sharp sand and cement
• Spade and wheelbarrow
• Plate compactor (optional)
• Spirit level and string line
• Rubber mallet

Step by step

1. Check for buried services before digging.Particularly near the house — drains, water, gas and electricity supplies all arrive somewhere. A detector and reasoning about where the pipes run.
2. Set out with string lines and check the fall.A fall of about 1 in 60 running away from the house. Water must never be directed towards a wall, and the finished surface must sit at least 150mm below the damp proof course.
3. Dig out to full depth.Typically 150mm of excavation for a foot path: 100mm compacted hardcore, 30-40mm bedding, plus the slab thickness. Deeper for anything a vehicle will cross.
4. Compact the subsoil before adding anything.The layer people skip. Loose subsoil settles and takes the path with it.
5. Lay hardcore in layers and compact each one.MOT type 1 in two 50mm layers rather than one 100mm layer, compacted with a plate compactor. Hiring one for a day is what makes the difference between a path that lasts and one that sinks.
6. Lay the bedding.A sand and cement mix, or sharp sand for a flexible construction. Screed it level, following the fall.
7. Lay slabs with a consistent joint.Tap down with a rubber mallet, checking level and fall constantly. A slab that rocks now will rock forever.
8. Point or brush in the joints, and leave it to set.Jointing compound or a dry sand and cement brushed in and watered. Keep off it while it cures — usually a couple of days.

Tips

• Hire a plate compactor. It is inexpensive for a day and it is the single thing that most determines whether the path lasts.
• Buy about 10% more slabs than the area needs, for cuts and breakages. Matching them later is often impossible.
• Check the damp proof course height before you start. A path laid too high bridges it and causes damp inside the house — an expensive mistake to undo.

Common mistakes

• Skimping on the base — The visible surface is fine on day one and sinks within a year. Depth and compaction are the whole job.
• Laying the path level, or falling towards the house — Water pools or runs at the wall. It must fall away, and stay well below the damp proof course.

Questions people ask