Execution the layers of the paving

The natural soil is formed, in general, by the following levels: vegetable layer, modified soil and natural grade surface.

To prepare the grade surface it is necessary to delete the vegetal layer and the floor altered until reaching a free terrain of organic matter. Before extending the base, or in his case of the subbase, it is necessary to compact the grade surface.

Preparing the subgrade

Gathering the debris

Subgrade compaction

The material must be extended in layers on the adequate thickness so as to reach the established density using the existing machinery and adding the necessary amount of water.

The material in the case of concrete or mortar beds must come from a manufacturing plant, preferably, and the corresponding AENOR brand must be avaliable. Concreete beds should be provided with dowel baskets or metallic dispersion fibres to reinforce them and like this act jointly with the concrete.

Pouring the concrete bed

Extending the concrete

Implementation of the concrete bed

Finished concrete bed of the structural base

In the case of inner pavings, the structural base, is used to to be constituted by a forged.

In both cases, if it was necessary, would extend a layer of levelling or regularisation of the base of sustenance.

This base can be formed by mortars, sand or adhesive.
For the case of the external pavings, use the two first, whereas the last, uses generally for the placing of inner pavings.

In the case of mortar, the supporting and regularization layer is usually 4 cm thick, although, depending on the roughness of the structural base, this value may increase.

To avoid retraction phenomena, it is posible to add organic fibers, which are mixed up together with the mortar. It must be taken into account that they must be extended upon the structural base layer continuosly and in one go, avoiding the addition of filling material later on.

Extending the mortar

Placing the flagstones upon a mortar layer

In general, adhesives should be used following the instructions of the manufacturer. Adhesives must be applied in thin or thick layers.

When it is supported by a sand bed, confinement trench footings and draimage elements must be placed before spreading. The spreading of the sand bed will be done with a rigid ruler supported by masters. After that, the sand bed will undergo a compaction process by means of vibratory compactor plates or drums.
Besides, it should not have excess humidity for compaction if posible. Once compacted, it must have a uniform thickness of 3 to 5 cm.