Concrete Sand mix...

[wturner]

I want to put a sand base layer down then lay landscaping tiles as a walkway.

Can I mix the sand with a concrete mix to give it some extra strength? What ratio can I cut the concrete mix down to, (i.e. 1 part sand 1 part concrete, or 1 part sand 2 parts concrete...)?

 

[Ballah06]

Not sure on the ratio, it may depend on what concrete you are using, but when I helped a buddy of mine do stamped concrete work, they did use crush and run as a base layer. Are you just setting the tiles on top or putting them in concrete as well?

 

[wturner]

Planned on just setting them on top, but while the mix was still wet...

 

[apg]

Why wet it? I think you'd have a devil of a time leveling and your working time would be damned short. You typically level off or screed 50 - 100 square feet at a time. If you decide to go with the concrete, plan for a slope to drain the area. Since the surface will now be impervious, you'll have ponding.

With most pavers, you lay them on 1" of leveled sand, which is on a crush and run base. A rubber mallet levels each to its neighbor. After you are done you sweep sand, or a proprietary binder, between the pavers. This binder is wetted with a hose (or rain) afterwards.

Cheers

 

[Two Cold Soakers]

Don't mess with the basic 1:1:1 concrete mixture.
Add more water if you want to slop around.

Cast concrete pavers are designed to be placed in a flexible medium (e.g. sand) Many applications will have a concrete sub-base (city crosswalks, for example), with sand between the pavers. If your native sub base is too flexible, or you anticipate heavy vehicular loading, or you live in an area where there is shrink-swell potential such as frost heaving, you may want to place a concrete sub-base beneath the sand base.
If none of the above apply, get a vibratory compactor, and mist the garden hose while pounding the subgrade to 95% compaction.

Either way, use mason's sand between the stones- It's crushed and the facets will "lock" in place.

I certainly wouldn't mix concrete and sand between the stones.

Sure, you said "landscaping tiles". If they are concrete, do what I said.

http://www.unilock.com/residential/assets/Documents/UNI_TechGuide_EN.pdf

If they are porcelain or marble or terrazo, I can't help you.

 

[az_max]

The patio I put down at my old house was 1x3 pavers on a sand base. We added some portland cement (about 1/2 a bag) to the final layer of compacting, but didn't wet it or mix like concrete. I screeded the sand through an old window screen to use to sweep between the pavers. After all that we sprayed water over everything. Don't know if it helped, but the patio didn't sag or fall apart.

 

[garrett]

X2 what Sandy said. Keep it a "dry laid" surface. It will drain and won't have the potential to move as much. Just like a good dry laid stone will long outlast any mortared wall allowing the materials to "breath" so to speak.
Plenty of good details out there to look at online for building walkways, etc. Just make sure it's relevant to your zone/weather.

 

[Paul K]

Have you thought about using the plastic mesh they put under new roadways? Stops the base layer from 'splaying out' & hence cracking the surface, which is the biggest problem I see with paved walkways...

 

[Two Cold Soakers]

Geotextile.
Non-woven 5 oz.


http://www.usfabricsinc.com/geotextileapplications/lightweightseparation

 

[apg]

Geotextile.
Non-woven 5 oz.

Absolutely. I put down geotextile before the base was spread out. It keeps the gravel from 'disappearing' into the soil.

Though I used a vibrating plate compactor on the base, the sand was not similarly compacted. (I was too friggin' cheap to rent it again....) The inch or two of sand settled over the following year, so plan on that 1/4" if you don't compact the sand.

Dry-laid is the way to go. The unmortared, granite walls on the Roman-built water wells I worked on in Tunisia were in perfect condition some 2,000+ years after construction.

Cheers

 

[LRflip]

Depends on what kind of Geotextile you use...use something too flimsy and it will pump and rut if you put too much weight on it.

If you really want it to stick, a nice bx1200 will work.

a good ABC (Crusher Run/Crush and Run/Aggregate Base Course) will keep things solid and you can run a plate tamp on it until its nice and solid. then you can use a sand leveling base.

If you're interested, I can get you a copy of a detail for pavers to go off of.

Disclaimer: I am in no way an Engineer. If you choose to take my advice, it's at your own risk.

Cheers,

Matt