Hard Landscape Training Group

read moreAfter over 50 years of providing the construction industry and the general public with our renowned paving services, we are now using our wealth of experience and our extensive library of landscaping materials to offer a design and consultancy service to the trade, to industrial and commercial clients, and to the property owner. Working with the client on site, by telephone and over the internet, we develop design solutions for any hard-landscaping project, from a simple driveway or patio to terracing, courtyards and car parks.

read moreWhilst this web-site has been developed to provide descriptions and specifications for typical construction methods that are suitable for most paving projects, it is must be borne in mind that these pages cannot provide one of the most important factors of a good paving job, namely "experience". For that, an experienced contractor is required. A good contractor will be able to evaluate a project and arrange a schedule of works to suit the site. More importantly, such a contractor will be aware of the potential problems and dangers that may occur during a project, and will be able to work around them, or take the necessary remedial action.

read moreIf you've had a paving project undertaken at your premises and are dissatisfied or just plain furious with the results, we may be able to help you. Similarly, if you're a contractor with a client who is giving you grief over what you consider to be a non-existent or minor problem, we can act as an impartial third party and help find a satisfactory resolution. In previous cases, clients have used our reports to obtain discounts, refunds and/or replacement of the paving to their complete satisfaction.

read moreThis section looks at a few of the other popular decorative finishes for concrete surfaces. Staining and sand-etching are techniques applied to prepared concrete surfaces while the textured overlay method can be used on a concrete or other firm substrate such as tarmacadam/asphalt. Finally, we take a brief look at imprinted bitmac surfaces. Textured overlays consist of a thin screed of a high-strength polymer-modified cement-based material that is coloured, laid over an existing substrate and then textured accordingly.

read moreThere are several British and Irish contractors that specialise in this type of paving, and we would most strongly recommend that you use an experienced and reputable trader for this type of work rather than a general builder or so-called block paving "specialist". The skills required to make a good job of PIC are NOT the same as those used for block paving, flagging or tarmacadam. Horses for courses, as they say. Note also that PIC typically involves a full-depth, freshly placed concrete slab which is coloured and textured in-situ.

read moreThis page acts as the main link page for all the pages dealing with block paving, brick paviors, CBPs, monoblocks, cobblelock or whatever name is used in your part of the world for individual blocks of concrete or clay that are laid as a paving material. This page gives an overviews of concrete block paving while the following, linked pages consider various types of blocks and pavers, alternative construction methods, how to select the most appropriate block for any project, edge courses, kerbs and pattern establishment.