The last couple of days have taken me right back to the days of being a paving contractor. All the London Stone directors come from a hard landscaping background and all those years of laying natural stone paving have given us a good knowledge of the industry. The weather over the past couple of days has been appalling and paving can be challenging in these conditions. The majority of contractors however cannot afford to simply stop working and have to find some way to keep working though the bad conditions.
It is very important to get the paving base (MOT type 1) down as quickly as possible in wet weather, otherwise the exposed mud can quickly become waterlogged and turn into a bog. The result is that it may take days to dry out and this can be a disaster. Its also important to keep the sand as dry as possible. The best way to achieve this is by covering it with a sheet or tarpaulin. Another problem is trying to keep the surface of the paving clean. Natural stone paving and Indian sandstone in particular can be absorbent. It is always best to keep a bucket and a sponge close to hand to wipe any stains off the paving as quickly as possible.
Pointing the finished paving is also difficult in wet conditions. If possible cover the paving up with a sheet as you go, or alternatively use a small marquee to keep the pointed areas dry and free of water. If you are using a natural stone paving which needs to be sealed, like certain kinds of sawn sandstone it is important to find a dry area in which to do this. London Stone store all our sawn sandstone undercover. This means that if it does need sealing then it will arrive with the customer dry and ready to seal.
While the wet weather will certainly throw up a few problems, by making a few plans and taking a few precautions there is no reason why your garden paving can not be installed as usual.
