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Laying paving slabs

• Depending on your soil, lay a 50mm (2") layer of sharp sand on well-compacted subsoil and roll it flat - the slabs are laid directly on to the sand.
  
• Alternatively, lay 75mm (3") of compacted hardcore and cover it with 25mm (1") of sharp sand. Bed the slabs on fist-sized 'dabs' of mortar, one at each corner of a slab and one in the middle.
  
• Starting on one corner, put down the five dabs of mortar, and then lay the first slab, tapping it into place with the handle of a club hammer.
  
• Then lay the second slab in the same way, using off-cuts of hardboard as spacers between the two slabs.
  
• Continue laying slabs outwards from the corner, using the spirit level and straightedge at regular intervals to ensure the paving is flat.
  
• While placing your slabs, stand on scaffold boards laid across the sand base.