Rustywreck
Silver Member
The blocks of ice idea is too good not to try
The blocks of ice idea is too good not to try
I agree.
I am going to do the blocks of ice along with the pinch bar. I am going to set the flat back, oval front 7" step on the ice Sunday morning 'bout 7am. I figure by mid afternoon she'll be all set and in place with nothing but a minor puddle of water hanging around.
The cobblestone patio has been hard work but turned out great. I have one more "layer" of polymeric sand to sweep into the cracks and gaps and then getting the step into place at which point I will be done.:thumbsup: Boy, a little carpentry project and stacking more wood will be a pleasure after this brick stuff.
We build alot of patios in my business and generally use a plate compactor and mason's sand both as a bed and in the cracks after setting. No problems or issues with the sand, curious why you need to use the polymeric sand and what benefits you feel you are getting for the increased cost?
In my locale we have several different colors available and can usually get something to match for around $25/ton.
The blocks of ice idea is great, too good not to try as someone said. But myself, I would have set the block down then just pulled the straps out...
I like the ice method. Just get a torch and melt the ice once the step is in place. You don't leave it to melt and come back and see the ice melted uneven and the step slid out of place.
I recycled old granite steps from another farm we have, 5'x10"x8"...heavy:laughing:. Unfortunitly mine were uneven on the bottom so I had to pour a footing and set the fist step on a bed of mortar, let it setup, fill in behind it then set the next step. Moved them in place with the forks on the tractor and use a crowbar to position. This was before the sidewalk was put in so I had to allow for the thickness of the sidewalk. I don't have a good picture of the finished work but you can see part of the steps in the picture.