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Wood block paving
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks.
does anyone have experience or advice? My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving blocks. I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative, creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up. I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather. tim W |
"Tim W" wrote .. I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks. does anyone have experience or advice? My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving blocks. I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative, creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up. I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather. Used to make roads of these in the old days, much quieter with the iron bands on the carts and horses hooves. I remember seeing a photo of trams or was it trolley buses in Isleworth stopped because the Thames had flooded and all the wood blocks were floating away. Must be something on the web about it. -- Regards Bob In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London |
Tim W wrote:
I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks. does anyone have experience or advice? My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving blocks. I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative, creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up. I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather. tim W Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in creosote. I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather. My guess -- but it's only a guess -- is that they'd need to be thicker than 2-3 inches. With the end grain exposed, any movement would be sideways rather than upwards, but movement there certainly will be. Perhaps some tramway website will have specifications. The end grain would give a little grip, but would the blocks perhaps be rather slippery when wet? I wonder, too, if it might be much harder to get green algae off them. Elm, of course, is famous for water-resistance: I wonder how easy it is to get, though. -- Mike. |
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message ... Tim W wrote: I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks. does anyone have experience or advice? My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving blocks. I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative, creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up. I believe a lot of towns at one time had timber cobbles in the streets. I suspect they were made of blocks which were more or less cubes and I think they needed watering in dry weather. tim W Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in creosote. I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather. My guess -- but it's only a guess -- is that they'd need to be thicker than 2-3 inches. With the end grain exposed, any movement would be sideways rather than upwards, but movement there certainly will be. Perhaps some tramway website will have specifications. The end grain would give a little grip, but would the blocks perhaps be rather slippery when wet? I wonder, too, if it might be much harder to get green algae off them. Elm, of course, is famous for water-resistance: I wonder how easy it is to get, though. Thanks, Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is telling me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so maybe 3" or 6" cubes would be the thing. I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or if there is a very good reason why this is never done. Tim W |
Tim W wrote:
[...] Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is telling me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so maybe 3" or 6" cubes would be the thing. I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or if there is a very good reason why this is never done. Been thinking about it some more, and I think they'd have to be absolutely soaked in preservative: oak's good, but it's not _that_ good. As it's short end-grain pieces the stuff should soak in well; but only after the wood's well dried; and I think it would tend to wash out, so you might have to re-treat as often as every year, right during the long dry spell when you most want to sit out on it. You'll want very good drainage underneath, too. I'm becoming a little sceptical. I still think it's a great idea, though. -- Mike. |
Janet Baraclough wrote:
[...] http://www.virtualhuddersfield.com/m-pl-vie.htm..is that what you mean by the rectangles? I got a 404. Here you are; wood cobbles on http://www.timberdeckingco.co.uk/page23.html Those look like sawn-off softwood. Much easier than square or rectangular oak blocks, as the gaps will absorb any movement. or better still, get the lowdown from the horses mouth at urg's very own www.pavingexpert.com/ grdnpav1.htm What a man, eh? Forget about the formidable technical knowledge, that's a lesson in web design I wish a lot of other people would study. But the full URL above also 404ed me, and I couldn't find wood from his home page. Any tips? -- Mike. |
"Tim W" wrote in message ... Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is telling me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so maybe 3" or 6" cubes would be the thing. I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or if there is a very good reason why this is never done. On Grand Designs (Channel 4) last year, they showed a new timber framed house built using green oak. The owner said it creaked as it dried out and showed splits in the timbers. Although they weren't serious, given the size of the beams, you might find your patio breaking up over the summer months. -- Regards, Alan Preserve wildlife - pickle a SQUIRREL to reply. |
Tim W wrote: I have an urge to attempt to pave an sort of patio area with wooden blocks. does anyone have experience or advice? My thoughts were to use oak blocks, end grain upwards. I think they would have to be two or three inches thick and if they are offcuts from a green oak sawmill sliced up to the right thickness they might be 6" x 6" or 2" x 4" across. They would be laid onto sand and wackered just like paving blocks. I am unsure what sort of treatment they might need: oil, preservative, creosote? I am concerned that in dry weather they would curl up. Nice idea. As I remember them, the timber blocks in the street were rectangular, grouted with tar, and, though the memory's hazier at this point, associated with tramlines. I bet they were drenched in creosote. I don't think seasoned oak would change shape too much; but like you I'm not sure, given these will be exposed to the weather. Thanks, Oak because there is a local sawmill which cuts a lot of green oak for fencing and building. They have mountains of offcuts. My instinct is telling me that if they are not as thick as they are wide they will curl up so maybe 3" or 6" cubes would be the thing. I can't find any web references to garden use, only a few to old street cobbles. I don't know yet if I have had a brilliant and original idea or if there is a very good reason why this is never done. Tim W The wood will move with moisture changes and rot in contact with the ground.Unless you turn it into the nearest thing to asphalt! By leaving gaps deliberately ,as in decking, any movement will be hardly obvious.I believe the Romans used the wetting of wood to split stone. |
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