---
title: "Cutting In Block Paving, Gloucester | Solid Ground Paving"
description: "Site video from a Gloucester driveway showing perimeter blocks measured and saw-cut to fit against the edge course instead of being packed with mortar."
canonical: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/block-paving-cutting-in-gloucester
url: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/block-paving-cutting-in-gloucester.md
section: "Projects"
date_published: 2026-08-06
date_modified: 2026-08-06
author: Solid Ground Paving
robots: noindex
---

# Cutting in block paving, Gloucester

Filmed part-way through a driveway. The field blocks go down quickly; the time goes into the perimeter, where every block is measured and cut on a saw so it fits the gap exactly rather than being made up with mortar.

## Key facts

- **Town:** Gloucester
- **Year:** 2022
- **Stage:** Cutting in, before jointing and compaction
- **Method:** Wet-cut on saw, no mortar packing

## 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.

## Questions and answers

Q: Is dust from cutting a problem for neighbours?
A: We wet-cut, which keeps silica dust down. It is a legal requirement as well as good practice, and it keeps the mess off cars and windows.

---

Human-readable version of this page: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/projects/block-paving-cutting-in-gloucester


## Site records

- Video: Cutting in against the edge course — every perimeter block is cut to fit rather than packed with mortar.
  - Description: Video of a paving crew cutting blocks in against an edge course on a Gloucester driveway
  - File: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/__l5e/assets-v1/4522765d-c8cb-4c42-a0ac-581c1b841284/block-paving-cutting-in.mp4 (poster: https://solidgroundpaving.co.uk/__l5e/assets-v1/d89519dc-17b2-4359-b14f-1520b2e134f6/block-paving-cutting-in-poster.jpg)