Browse Forums Paving & Concreting 1 May 26, 2014 10:08 pm Firstly, this is my first post here so hello to everyone. I have been reading some of the posts and wish I had joined 6 months ago before we had our patio laid! Which brings me onto the patio. We had it laid by a local landscaper who recommended that we lay our travertine pavers directly onto sand (we already had a concrete slab and just wanted the area to look nicer). Based on his recommendation and that it was cheaper to do so than sand / cement, he laid (I think) 50mm of sand and placed the travertine directly on top (no compacting), and swept fine sand in the joints. The job is pretty average - not very level and gaps not great - but we could live with that if it was the only issue. The main problem is that there are areas that are constantly wet. It's almost like when it rains, the water soaks between the pavers and soaks the sand which in turn means the porous stones never dry out. We also have mould growing and keep having to wash them down with chlorine. I'm constantly picking weeds out of the cracks as well. I am thinking about pulling all of the pavers up and laying some kind of plastic sheeting underneath to stop the rain from soaking into the sand. The falls on the area are all pretty good so drainage shouldn't be an issue. It will also solve the weed issue. Does anybody know of any reason why this won't work? I'm thinking maybe it will mean the stones are not 'bedded in' and may shift about. Does anybody have any other recommendations? Thanks in advance, Scott. Re: wet travertine patio 2May 28, 2014 8:38 pm How big is the area? It could be better in the long run if you lay some slab underneath if it's not too big. If you put some plastic, I doubt the pavers would easily move unless they are thinner and smaller. What is the size of each paver? I am guessing the answer, but have the pavers been sealed after he laid them? Are they with little holes, or the filled ones? Any pics??? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: wet travertine patio 3May 31, 2014 12:11 am Hi, thanks for your reply. The pavers are 400x400ish from memory - reasonably large square travertine pavers with a bevelled edge - not the tumbled ones. I think they are 35 or 40mm thick. The area is around 40 sqm - 6m x 6.6m or something like that. The pavers have not been sealed in any way. Do you think that would help? I think that the moisture is coming up from underneath which is why i'm skeptical about sealing them as it may make things worse. I really want to separate them from the wet sand which will also stop the weeds from growing. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow if is doesn't rain too much. Does anybody know of any potential issues with laying plastic underneath? the area is reasonably level. thanks, scott. Thanks, scott. Re: wet travertine patio 4Jun 13, 2014 10:19 am Personally I wouldn't. We've been involved with a few jobs that had travertine outside as landings, steps patios etc. All of them have been over concrete, laid on sand/cement then sealed. There was also plastic DPC under the concrete slabs so no rising moisture from the ground. Travertine is a soft stone and will absorb water easily whether this is from below or above. All the plastic you are intending to put down first will do is trap rainwater which the travertine will absorb and then start growing mould as you are already seeing. Having some fall on the finished surface is a good idea too as you have noted. I would also have the slab higher than the ground around it so water disperses off it more easily. Stewie get them to replace the chipped tiles. It will stick out like a sore thumb overwise. Also tiler will be siliconing the miters rather than grouting. Grouted miters crack… 1 4030 Thanks for the insights, that makes perfect sense, and yeah, I will be leaning on the experience of the excavator operator entirely. 6 16103 Firstly the ableflex that has been installed needs (manufactures specification) a sealant cap over the top, preventing water draining down between the slab and the… 3 7744 |