Large format slab path through a terraced garden

Why lay large slabs rather than small units?

Fewer joints means a calmer surface and less to clean or re-point later. On a long straight run large units also read as a deliberate route rather than a patched-together path, and they bridge minor variation in the ground beneath.

How are large format slabs bedded?

On a full mortar bed, never on five dabs. A large unit supported only at its corners will crack the first time weight lands in the middle, so the bed is laid solid and each slab is tapped down to level across its whole face.

• Sub-base compacted in layers before bedding
• Full wet mortar bed under every slab
• Slurry primer on the back of the slab for adhesion

What happens along the edges of a garden path?

The path is set slightly proud of the soil so borders can be planted back up against it without washing over the surface, and a fall is put across the width so rain runs into the bed rather than sitting on the slabs.