Lay natural stone slabs outdoors

What you need:

• Natural stone slabs
• gravel
• Vibrator
• mortar
• Concrete slab
• Rubber mallet
• Sealing slurry
• Grout
• Cement film remover

Preparation of the floor for natural stone slabs

1. Thoroughly clean every surface and edge of the stone slabs with water and a brush for the later permanent bond with mortar and grout. Otherwise the slightest contamination will prevent the necessary adhesion.
2. Natural stone slabs outdoors have to withstand firm ground frost in winter. Dig the installation area away from the building with a 1.5% incline. At least 80 cm, in the mountains up to 1.50 m should not be under any circumstances. Fill a bed of gravel in the trench and carefully compact it with a vibrator.
3. Prepare the subsurface for your natural stone slabs with a layer of mortar at least 5 cm thick or a concrete slab at least 10 cm above the gravel bed.

Laying outdoors

• Lay the stone slabs on a bed of mortar by laying them on and knocking them on, ideally with a rubber mallet. Avoid or reduce cavities that are at risk of frost.
• Natural stone slabs in the outdoor area, which should lie on a concrete slab, are applied to a sealing slurry. You can mix these yourself or use them as a finished product from the hardware store.


Lay natural stone slabs on the terrace

A terrace with natural stone slabs has a special look. In addition, ...

• With any type of installation, avoid cavities between the natural stone slabs outdoors. Joint distances of more than 4 cm offer too much surface for frost to attack. Also use your own mixture of quartz sand and trass cement or 2-component epoxy resin from a specialist retailer for grouting.

Clean all natural stone slabs outdoors with plenty of clear, clean water as soon as the surface is pressure-resistant. Remove any remaining cement residue from the panel surface with commercially available special cleaners (cement residue remover).