Cutting in block paving, Gloucester

What does cutting in mean?

It is the process of filling the gap between the laid field and the edge restraint. Each block is measured against the actual gap, marked and cut on a saw, then bedded so it carries load like a full block instead of floating on sand.

Why not fill small gaps with mortar?

Mortar packing and thin slivers are the first parts of a driveway to break up. They have no interlock, water gets behind them and frost lifts them out within a couple of winters. Cutting properly costs a day; repairing a failed perimeter costs far more.

• No cut narrower than roughly a third of a block
• Cuts kept off the wheel track wherever the setting out allows
• Cut faces turned in so the sawn edge is not the visible one

What happens after cutting in?

Kiln-dried sand is brushed across the whole area, the driveway is vibrated with a plate compactor on a rubber sole, then sand is topped up and vibrated again. Two passes matter — one pass leaves half-empty joints that let blocks rock.