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Tips & advice
To help you a bit further
Need a paver?
Many people choose to outsource all or part of the heavy work. A paving and/or landscaping company creates a garden design, you select the materials, and the garden is laid out. Want to be sure of a professional paver? Fill in the paver form here, and the landscaper or paver will contact you within a few weeks.
Laying out your own garden?
Of course, there's also the option to design your own garden. For those who choose this, we've put together some installation tips to help you get started. And, of course, you can always reach out to us with any questions.
Installation advice
This is general installation advice. You can consult the specific product advice on each product page of our website.
Pre-installation check
Before you begin installing the product, check for any defects. If there's an unexpected issue with the product, contact Kooyman B.V. immediately. If you proceed with installing the product despite visible defects, you have accepted the product without reservation. The manufacturer and Kooyman B.V. must be given a reasonable amount of time to resolve any visible defects.
Always keep labels from packages in connection with production dates or batch codes of the materials supplied.
General
Before you start paving, ensure you have a stable sub-base. An unstable sub-base can lead to subsidence and unavoidable damage to your paving. The sub-base can consist of a rubble bed of crushed debris with a layer of compacted sand on top (for driveways). For walkways and patios, a sand bed of approximately 20 to 25 cm of CLEAN sand will suffice.
It's important that the tiles are cleaned after cutting and grouting, so that the grinding dust and grout cannot soak into the tiles.
Compacting Paving:
- Can be compacted: Concrete stones thicker than 4 cm and fired bricks.
- Cannot be compacted: Decorative tiles, natural stone tiles, and large format paving.
Always compact all colorfast products, such as Geocolor, etc., with a rubber mat to prevent damage to the top layer.
Driveways
Not all tiles are suitable for driveway installation! We recommend a minimum thickness of 6 cm. Before installation, check if your chosen tiles are suitable for your driveway!
Concrete
The samples shown in our display garden and the photos in our brochure or on our website are for impression only. Tiles with varying color nuances can differ per production run and therefore deviate from the examples shown. We advise you to order custom-sized products so they come from the same production batch, thereby avoiding the risk of color differences.
For nuanced colors, you'll achieve optimal color blending by opening the packages in the correct order. It's important to get a good mix of stones from each package. Therefore, take stones from top to bottom, never layer by layer. If you have multiple packages, mix them during installation.
Always be careful with leaves and other organic waste; some types contain (tannic) acids that can seep into the tiles. With regular maintenance and rain, these stains will gradually disappear.
Garden soil, grease, or oil can also cause unsightly stains on paving that are difficult to remove. (Also, during installation, ensure you don't walk over the paving with soil on your shoes.) Should a stain unexpectedly occur, clean it off the paving as quickly as possible.
Never use a high-pressure cleaner, synthetic cleaning agents, abrasive cleaners, de-icing salts, or other caustic agents for cleaning tiles.
Some concrete products, particularly grey concrete or products with added pigment, can be susceptible to lime efflorescence (white residue). Complaints regarding this are not accepted, as all white residue will eventually disappear on its own. Due to carbon dioxide in the air, calcium carbonate slowly transforms into a substance that is water-soluble. The problem, therefore, resolves itself!
Tumbled stones are passed over each other in a type of centrifuge called a 'tumbler' after production and hardening. This causes the stones to rub against each other, creating a stubborn layer of grit, known as 'tumbled grit.' This layer will disappear naturally over time, mainly due to weathering. We also advise you to sweep the stones with coarse, sharp sand before compacting them, which will help this grit disappear faster.
All stated measurements of articles are approximate. Therefore, the possibility exists that the measurements may deviate slightly. If you are strictly bound by certain dimensions, please measure the product before purchase.
For grouting your paving, use the correct jointing materials. Allow our sales staff to advise you well on this.
Ceramic Tiles
Tiles are to be used exclusively for patios and paths.
Before installation, check the products for any damage or deviations.
Use clean, sufficiently draining masonry or screeding sand.
Lay tiles on a stabilized, screeded sand bed (use 25 kg of stabilization mortar per 5 m$^2$). (Applying a bonding mortar between the tile and the sub-base increases adhesion to the sub-base and reduces the chance of loose tiles.)
Lay tiles with a joint of at least 3 mm.
After laying, gently tap the tiles into place with a rubber mallet.
After laying, thoroughly clean the paving of any cement residue.
Thoroughly wet the clean paving so that the underlying layer can harden.
After cleaning, fill the joints with silver sand or jointing mortar (see instructions on the jointing mortar packaging).
Complaints due to incorrect installation will not be processed.
Natural Stone
With natural stone patio tiles, variations in size and thickness can occur between individual tiles. To accommodate these differences and provide the floor with stability, some flexibility, and a certain aesthetic, patio tiles are preferably laid with a joint. This joint should be at least 5 mm, but depending on the material (rustic), it can be up to 15 mm. To prevent tension, a floor should always be laid with a 10 mm gap from rising structures. The smallest jointing tool is 5 mm wide, and some floors require pointing with a jointing tool.
Because our assortment, with its wide choice of formats, is excellent for combining different sizes, we have prepared various patterns for you that could serve as examples for your floor. These patterns can be requested from our internal or external sales department. These patterns are random and serve as a suggestion. Your specific situation on site will determine the final pattern you will implement. With fixed packages, it's important to check in advance which formats are included in what quantities to avoid being confronted with surpluses or shortages of certain sizes afterward, which can happen if you work "on the fly."
We only purchase and sell first-choice tiles. However, a natural product has certain inherent and unchangeable properties. This includes rust formation, discolorations, and color differences between tiles within a certain batch, as well as between different batches. Therefore, we cannot process any complaints arising from these issues. We advise you to always order the required quantities at once and to mix tiles from different layers and packages before installation to prevent problems as much as possible. Differences in smoothness between tiles are also eliminated by "mixing."
The sub-base is of crucial importance for a beautiful, durable natural stone floor. A water-permeable sub-base and good drainage are essential to prevent standing water, natural stone's biggest enemy. For optimal drainage, we advise laying the patio with a slope of at least 1 cm per meter. A professional construction of the sub-base without contamination and the risk of lime or rust transport can prevent many problems. The best sub-base construction can vary per situation. On the following page, you will find the various construction options you can apply depending on the soil. If you have questions about the best construction for a specific situation, you can always contact us.
For natural stone, use masonry sand (top 10 cm). For stabilization, you should use trass cement (stabiking). For grouting, you should use the correct jointing compound! Ask for advice on this!
Ensure that the patio is never too small for practical use. Allow approximately 2.5 m² per person for seating. In the case of a driveway, we recommend a minimum width of 3.5 meters.
For various reasons, you should account for a breakage percentage of 5% for natural stone tiles. As a rule, these broken pieces can be used for fitting.
To prevent cracking, outdoor patios that are glued or laid in cement must be provided with expansion joints according to fixed rules.
Never clean your paving materials with a high-pressure washer. For proper maintenance of your patio, or for other questions, ask our sales staff for expert advice. We wish you much enjoyment with your new garden!
The Kooyman B.V. team
