Why do Patio Slabs Sound Hollow? (Solution)

If you just got a new patio and noticed some of the patio slabs seem hollow, you might be wondering if they were installed incorrectly.

In this blog post we’ll go through everything you need to know about the sound of your patio slabs in this blog article.

Learn: “Do Patio Doors Come With Screens?“

Short Answer To The Question Why Do Patio Slabs Sound Hollow:

When patio slabs are put in place without a solid base foundation or with flaws in the bonding, they’re prone to make such unpleasant noises. Your patio slab’s foundation must be clean of all trash or stones that may cause it to be unleveled, and a poorly built base will prevent proper contact between the slab and the subfloor.

Likewise, if you use a low-quality bonding agent or residual debris to the slab, it will result in a hollow sound being produced when it’s walked on. The freeze and thaw alsooccur if slabs are wet set in mortar.

Is a Hollow Sound a bad sign for your Patio Slabs?

So, even if your patio slab looks glamorous, the hollow sounds would result in pesky problems with time.

A hollow sound when you tap or walk on the patio slab is a fair indication of improper bond with the base. While you walk on such a slab or if you tap with a walking stick, you’ll hear hollow-sounding. In some cases, the patio slab can even break under a small amount of pressure. With this, you can easily break all hollow slabs if you put chairs and other furniture out there.

So, it is crucial to correct it to avoid significant trouble down the road and avoid losing all your investment. The installation of the slab needs complete contact with the base to uniformly distribute the loading to the floor or foundation of the patio slab.

Should you Get rid of wobbly patio slabs?

So, what do you do?

Well, you won’t have to rip everything up and start from scratch. You can fix these pesky slabs yourself and get your patio back to its best. All you need to do is remove those annoying slabs, create a new bed, and lay them back firm. But you have to be careful not to break or damage your other patio slabs while removing them.

First, try to chip away the mortar around the paving slab with the plugging chisel. You can use the rubber mallet to get rid of the mortar stuck alongside.

Now use the spade and slide off the patio slab along the created gap. Don’t forget to support the spade witha piece of timber to counteract the bulky weight. Now you can roll out the patio slab.

Keep in mind if it’s only a few slabs I wouldn’t even bother doing this.

Preparation of bed and Relaying Slabs

Once the slab is out of the way, it’s time to remove every remnant of the old mortar bed. This is a crucial step to avoid recurring problems down the road.

During removing old mortar, be careful not to damage the aggregate layer beneath. Now arrange the aggregate uniformly with small peaks and troughs inside to allow the mortar layer for a bond. You can mix one shovel of cement into four shovels of sharp sand for the mortar.

Mix the mortar thoroughly in a bucket with the paddle mixer. Using a trowel, apply a layer of mortar onto the aggregate in enough quantity to create a solid bond with the paver.

The amount of the mortar has to be enough to make an even level of the patio slab. Now it’s time to slot back the patio slab into its place.

But before placing the slab back, use small pieces of wood to go into the gaps around the paving slab and place the slab so that space is even along with the surroundings.

After the initial setting time of the mortar, remove the pieces of wood, and apply the mortar into the gaps until they are full. Once you’re done, remove excess mortar around the patio slabs with the help of a bristle brush.

DIY Or Hire a Contractor?

If all of this sounds a bit confusing to you and you’re not sure how to go about it, don’t worry. You can always hire a contractor to take care of the entire process for you. However, if you want to save some money, you can do it yourself with a bit of help from the internet.

Conclusion:

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