Nothing is natural, really earthy and so delightful as a well do mortared in place brick terrace, path or patio. Nevertheless, lately the quality of setup is dropping and major difficulties are arising which you need to be mindful of if you plan to have brick paving installed.Why is brick paving so problematic? - That is a great question and this article provides the responses to that question. It should be read carefully if you are thinking of hiring a mason to build you a mortared in position walkway, patio, porch, etc.
Much like most difficulties in masonry it usually comes down to two things; design and installation. Brick paving construction may be the most prone to errors made by impatient or inexperienced installers and here's why.
Since most brick paving is in close contact with the world it is subject to the deteriorating power of the elements. The freeze-thaw cycle may possess the most crushing effects especially when there is an amazing amount of moisture within the region and temperatures fluctuations are regular above and below.
Hence the selection of the paving materials, the mortar as well as the installer is very important if you wish to get the most out of your paving dollars.
This actually does not introduce much of a problem since your local brick supply firms will only carry products that are advocated for the weather conditions of your geographic area. What you're seeking is a strong, dense brick intended for preferably complete depth and paving. Don't use any bricks meant for applications that are vertical. Seek advice from your supplier and they will reveal to you what they've available.
What kind of mortar? - The setting bed mortar needs to be a cement-sand mix at a ratio of between 2 to 3 parts sand per 1 part cement. This will soon be an incredibly rich mix which will give a superb bite to the concrete substrate to the bricks as well as the setting bed.
(ask your contractor) it's also possible to use Type N mortar which would be more suitable to places of warmer climates where no anxiety about freezing is expected or infrequent.
The installer... - This is actually the most important portion of the whole brick paving procedure and here's why. You see, all damage that occurs in any mortared in place masonry can nearly always be traced back to freezing and water.