One of the most popular garden features at the moment is crazy paving. In fact it has been popular since the 1970s when people first started smashing paving slabs and laying them out in a ‘crazy’ style.Crazy paving might have the appearance of an unplanned path or patio area but trust us, there is a very definite method to laying this style of surface.It can be laid on sand or a mortar bed for a firmer finish but either way, good foundations and a flat surface are essential.
String should be used to mark out the area to be paved before the edge is defined with wood or rubber edging and irregular shaped stone or concrete slabs are laid out in a jigsaw effect with small gaps. Fill the joints with mortar and smooth the surface. The gaps produce any weakness in the paved area so the smaller the better.
With stone and slate, there is often a variation in thickness of the pieces so they need to be individually set in the foundation at an appropriate level to produce a smooth finish to the surface.
Another way of minimising the gaps is to hand cut the edges of the stone or concrete blocks to make a neat, yet still uneven, fit with its neighbouring slabs.
The end result should be an appearance of a haphazard or crazy, random effect. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth with the required meticulous planning.
