Background
Over the years the slabs of the garden path have moved due to age, they were laid over 30 years ago and because a neighbour used a power washer to clean them. This forced water between the gaps at pressure forcing water under them, lifting them slightly and over time pushing them apart. This in turn allowed weeds to enter and snow and ice over winters also helped to increase the gaps.
I had been putting the job off for a while but i decided to re-align the slabs and hopefully reduce the maintenance over the next few years removing weeds etc. I put together a simple map of the slabs and figured out which ones had to be lifted and in which order to minimise the amount of lifting and re-laying.
I had been putting the job off for a while but i decided to re-align the slabs and hopefully reduce the maintenance over the next few years removing weeds etc. I put together a simple map of the slabs and figured out which ones had to be lifted and in which order to minimise the amount of lifting and re-laying.
The gaps between the slabs and the misalignment along the right hand edge can clearly be seen.
The red gravel at the edges of the slabs was pulled away and each slab lifted.
The slabs were lifted and re-laid using a wrecking bar which ensures fingers are less likely to get crushed under or between heavy slabs!
The soil and weeds that had gathered between the slabs was removed being careful not to damage the sand base beneath the slabs.
The edges of the slabs were also cleaned removing soil and weeds.
At this point about half the slabs have been realigned.
Although it was a very warm day the job did not take as long as expected although my knees were getting sore even although i was using gel knee pads.
This picture demonstrates how the gaps that had been removed have accumulated at this point into one large gap.
The finished job is neat and as the gaps have now been eliminated there should be little need for any weeding over the next few years.
The danger of tripping or heels getting caught in the gaps has also been eliminated.
From start to finish the entire job took less than 3 hours, much less than i had anticipated, however my back, knees and hands were just as sore as i had expected they would be!