How to build a simple garden paving step

A simple paving step.

There are a variety of ways to create garden steps both utilising Anchor® garden walling products and using Acheson & Glover TerraPave® paving products. This particular article deals with a simple step using TerraPave® paving products.

Using TerraPave® paving products

Firstly you need to decide whether your garden step is going to be created using paving flags or standard block paving. The latter is the more complex and for this particular article we are going to concentrate solely on using paving blocks as “risers” and two 400x400mm paving flags as the “tread”. This step would typically be used at the front or rear door of a property.

TerraPave® Country Cobble blocks are used as the risers (150x100x50mm) blocks (see diagram below). This size makes setting out particularly easy as it works well with the flag size, without cutting.

The diagram below shows how to place the blocks in a rectangular shape. You will need 33 blocks exactly. (100x150x50mm) TerraPave® Country Cobble, and two 400x400mm flags, TerraPave Natural Aggregate Flags are the ideal size for this project.

If you have an existing hard surface such as concrete or indeed paving, then you can bed the blocks directly onto the ground using type two mortar. The preferred method is to excavate and construct a base to set the step on as discussed later.

The blocks themselves do not have mortar in between them – instead a simple solution is to use “Montague Fix – a bonding agent product available from our Brick and Paving centres. This product bonds the blocks together into one single unit. Notice that minimal cutting is required (one block to be split in half). Spread the Montage Fix evenly over the block surface (using an S shape) and press together – being careful not to go too close to the edge of the block, as you do not want the bonding agent to be noticeable. This takes a few hours to set your entire unit as one.

Meanwhile you should be thinking about the bedding of the unit underneath the door. Excavate the earth below the step to 100mm deep, and pour concrete level into this area. Making sure to create falls from back to front at levels of 1:100. When this has set you can place your newly bedded step directly onto the concrete and again bond with Montague fix.

The finished step will look something close to this 3-dimensional mockup. This is a simple project, however many more complex designs can be created as can be seen in our paving steps photo library. Consult with your nearest Brick and Paving centre to learn more.