Pavements

Draining pavements

The first method, as we have said, is the creation of a pavement that allows the passage of water through a trench that will then be dispersed directly into the subsoil or appropriately conducted with a drainage pipe.

There are many materials that can be used on the surface as a floor. For example:

• thick stoneware (2 cm) for outdoor use
• concrete paving blocks
• large concrete tiles (moulded, coloured, gravel, marble grit etc.)

These materials are laid in similar ways, which can be summarised in 8 steps:

The pavement can be continuous, as in the photo in point 8, or the slabs can be separated by decorative garden pebbles.

The main advantage of this type of paving is the cost of construction, which is considerably lower than a concrete pavement with a bonded floor. In addition, it is very important to provide a drainage trench underneath the pavement to drain rainwater.

Glued pavements

The most common type of pavement is that with the pavement bonded to a cement screed resting on a concrete casting. In this case the cost is higher but the advantage, compared to a floating floor, is a more solid construction in which the water flows above, without penetrating below and creating a damp environment near the house.

This type of pavement has a higher cost because it is necessary to first pour the concrete foundation, which must then be waterproofed with a bituminous sheath. Finally, the outdoor screed must be made with a suitable slope to serve as a bed for the tiles, and this must also be protected with a cement membranee (Mapelastic, Nanoflex or similar).

The final layer of flooring must be glued onto this membrane, which may be a traditional porcelain stoneware tile, a large outdoor stoneware slab or a natural product such as marble, prun stone, quartzite, slate, etc.

Pavements laid with sand and cement

If the chosen paving product is a stone that is irregular in thickness, such as porphyry, it is not possible to lay it with adhesive on a screed, but the method of laying on a bed of mortar, also known as "sand and cement laying", must be chosen.

This method is used in order to be able to sink the split stones in a differentiated way, depending on their thickness, so that they can be levelled on the surface.

Sand-cement laying also requires a concrete foundation or, alternatively, a well-pressed stabilised base.

Compared to glue-laying, the floor may show more cracks over time, which must be sealed with normal routine maintenance. The problem of detachment, which occurs when tiles are laid with sand and cement (tiles have not been laid with sand and cement outdoors for years), occurs much less with stones because they are thicker and are "embedded" in the cement mortar.