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Removing oil from block paving can be tricky, and a professional clean and re-point is often the best option. However, for small stains, especially recent ones, it’s worth attempting to clean it yourself. To do this, you can purchase oil remover or driveway cleaning solutions – although be careful, as some may stain or mark certain kinds of paving stones. In general, stay away from acid based cleaners.

Creating a tarmac path or driveway is a tricky process. It’s a job best left to professionals who know what they’re doing, as there are plenty of opportunities for it go wrong. However, even if you’re planning to hire someone to do it for you, it’s worth knowing how it’s done.

Firstly, you’ll need to remove any existing path or driveway and excavate down to formation level – about 175mm below paving level. Then, a membrane is laid down to prevent weed growth.

Next, a sub-base goes down, usually made of crushed rock or concrete. This is compacted and the tarmac is laid over the top. This is put down in two layers, and is rolled to make it compact and smooth.

It’s important to use edging when laying tarmac, to ensure that it doesn’t run off where you want your path or driveway to be. Tarmac paving and driveways also needs suitable drainage.

If you’re considering giving your home a quick facelift, laying of paving slabs for your outdoor living spaces might be a great way to start. It can be installed in some many parts of your home’s exterior from the pathways to driveways and from the yards to the patios. With proper training and experience, laying paving slabs is a very easy and quick process. However, the issue here is, how do you calculate the number of paving slabs you need? In this step by step guide, you’ll find all the information needed to help you get started. Once you’re able to get the accurate number of paving slabs, do ensure to include extras that’ll cover up for possible errors or damages.

Just like any other measurement task, it’ll be a lot easier when you know how as well as when you have the right tools to use for the job. To get started, you’ll need a tape measure, pen or pencil, pegs, string, hammer, paper and calculator.

• Draw a sketch of the area. This sketch will take note of the area’s length and width.

• Using strings and pegs, mark out the area to be paved

• Using a tape measure, take a measurement of the length and width of the space along the string lines and note them on the sketch.

• If the area is a drive make sure that the paved area is wide enough to accommodate the cars intended

• Multiply the length of the space by the width to get the area of the space.

• Once calculated, divide the total area of the space by the area of the single slab. This will give you an accurate number of the paving slabs you’ll require to complete your project.

Patios do not require lots of maintenance. They will only need occasional cleaning to make sure that the material keeps its original appearance. It's always best to clean your patio with a pressure washer and occasionally tap each slab or brick just to check the sand underneath hasn't washed away.

To inexperienced people laying of paving slab isn’t much more than digging a little, purchasing little amount of mortar and pressing down the paving slabs. But how good would it have been if only it were that easy in real life? The truth is, in reality, laying paving slabs does not only require you to prepare your sub-base painstakingly and mix your mortar using the appropriate materials, but you’d also have to work with accurate and precise paver placements to guarantee the patio’s longevity. As a result, if you lack proper training or experience, we’d recommend you hire the services of a seasoned professional who can guarantee the best results and also save you time and extra cash that may result from possible costly errors. In this guide, you’d gain more insight into the paving slabs laying process.

To get started, you’ll need sharp sand, cement, shovel, wheelbarrow, pointing trowel, rubber mallet, spirit level, jointing compound, hard-bristled brush and tarpaulin.

• Mix a layer of mortar for each paver.

• Apply the mixed mortar onto the sub base by using the trowel.

• Slot the first flag in place and ensure not to stain the paver’s surface with the mixed mortar.

• Using a rubber mallet, carefully tap the paver to the mortar bed. Once done, ensure the surface is even with a spirit level.

• Take a measurement of the gap between the pavers

• Repeat the above steps until all pavers have been perfectly laid

• Leave the pavers to dry for about 1 to 2 days. You can protect it using a tarpaulin if concerned about rain.

• Use the jointing compound to fill up the paver gaps to bind together the pavers. Ensure to wipe off any excess compound using the hard bristled brush.

How To Repair Sunken Concrete Driveway

If you have concrete driveway that’s cracked, uneven and mostly especially sunken, you’d know how distasteful it can be just viewing it on your property. A sunken concrete driveway is most likely caused by rainwater erosion removing the soil under it or a big root under it which as rotted over time. Another possible cause of the sunken concrete is an improperly prepared base which implies that the soil beneath wasn’t fully compact when the concrete was poured on it. Later on the soil beneath will eventually settle and shift below the concrete driveway which weakens the integrity of the entire driveway, making it more vulnerable to cracks, unevenness and sunken.

Two ways in which you can fix this problem includes either demolishing the whole driveway, re-compact the soil underneath and fill with new concrete or repair the entire driveway using an easy process called slabjacking. In this article, we’re going to look at the slabjacking repair process as it’s significantly less expensive than the demolishing approach and will also cause minimal disruption to your lifestyle.

Also referred to as mudjacking or concrete lifting, slabjacking is simply a process used to float your existing concrete back to its original position. If you are not a competent DIYer or lack confidence to pull this off, we’d recommend reach out to a professional for help. If otherwise, then you can practice the slabjacking process given below.

✓ Drill holes through the slab.

✓ Pump grout mixture through the holes. This mixture will spread out beneath he driveway and raise it up.

✓ Lastly, fill the holes and level the concrete driveway surface.in such a way to hide the signs of the repair made.

This is a process that works to efficiently get your driveway back in a top condition relatively quickly.

Pitting, also referred to as spalling is the event whereby “pits” or small holes start showing on the surface of your concrete driveway which makes it appear both worn and uneven. Concrete driveway pitting is a common but highly frustrating problem for most homeowners. You’ll see some concrete driveways that’ll only start to pit after a couple of years, but this is not true for all concrete driveways as others will start to show signs only after a couple of months. So how do you tackle this issue? Well, it’s relatively simple to tackle, however if you’re not confident or lack the necessary skills, we’d recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this guide, we’ll take you through the concrete driveway pitting repair process.

✓ Prepare the pits by cleaning the area, clearing out all debris and more. The small pits can be cleaned with a stiff brush while a sturdy broom will do a good job for larger pits.

✓ Make use of a hose to spray the concrete pits and flush out all remaining bits of waste.

✓ If you’re tackling series of small pits, simply use a caulking gun filled with pre-mixed epoxy and specially formulated for concrete to fill the pits. Clear off the excess eproxy ensuring that its level with the concrete surface. Once done, simply leave for at least 24 hours before the application of a concrete sealant to prevent the wear and tear of the new concrete.

✓ Chisel out a little concrete and clean with a pressure washer. Once done, apply a concrete resurfacing compound mixture into the holes and use a trowel to level off.

✓ Ensure that the repaired concrete driveway is protected from rain and foot traffic for at least 6 hours (or 24 hours for vehicles).

Gravel, asphalt, concrete and paving can all be permeable. However, some types of asphalt and concrete are impermeable. This is why it’s important to be precise about what material you want for your driveway. If you want a permeable driveway, you should also make sure that your sub-base is also permeable.