Block Paving Glossary

Block paving: Small concrete or clay units laid tightly on a sand bed, held by fixed edges and locked together with jointing sand.
Monoblock: The usual name for block paving in Scotland and parts of northern England.
Pavers: Another word for paving blocks, used especially for clay units.
Clay paver: A paving block made from fired clay, with colour that runs right through.
Concrete block: A paving block pressed from coloured concrete; the most common type for drives.
Tumbled block: A concrete block rumbled after making to soften its edges and give an aged look.
Cobble-effect block: Mixed-size, softened blocks laid to look like old setts.
Setts: Small natural stone blocks, usually granite, with a riven or sawn face.
Permeable block paving: Block paving with wider grit-filled joints on an open-graded base, so rain drains through it.
SuDS: Sustainable drainage systems: ways of managing rain close to where it falls, such as permeable paving and soakaways.
SAB: SuDS Approving Body. In Wales, it must approve drainage for construction of 100 m² or more.
Herringbone: A pattern of blocks laid in a zig-zag of right angles, at 45 or 90 degrees to the edge; the strongest pattern for drives.
Stretcher bond: Rows of blocks offset by half a block, like brickwork.
Basketweave: Pairs of blocks laid in alternating directions to form squares.
Soldier course: A row of blocks laid end-on along an edge, often in a contrasting colour, used as a border and edge restraint.
Edge restraint: A fixed edge (kerb, soldier course or wall) that stops block paving spreading.
Haunching: The wedge of concrete placed behind a kerb or edge block to hold it in place.
Kerb: A precast concrete or stone unit used as an edge or to separate levels.
Dropped kerb: A lowered section of pavement kerb that lets vehicles cross the footway to a drive; also called a vehicle crossover.
Crossover: The strengthened section of footway and lowered kerb used for vehicle access to a property.
Sub-base: The compacted layer of crushed stone that carries the load under the paving.
MOT Type 1: A graded crushed stone with fines that compacts into a firm sub-base for standard block paving.
Open-graded stone: Crushed stone without fines, used under permeable paving so water can pass and be stored.
Formation level: The level of the ground after excavation, on which the sub-base is built.
Laying course: The screeded layer of sharp sand (or grit for permeable paving) that the blocks are bedded into.
Sharp sand: Coarse, angular sand used for the laying course; not the same as soft building sand.
Screeding: Levelling the laying course to an even depth with a straight edge on rails.
Kiln-dried sand: Fine, dry sand brushed into the joints between blocks to lock them together.
Jointing: Filling the gaps between blocks with sand (or grit for permeable paving).
Plate compactor: A vibrating machine used to compact the sub-base and to bed blocks into the sand.
Falls: The slight slope built into paving so water runs off in the right direction, typically at least 1:80.
Damp-proof course (DPC): The waterproof layer in a wall; paving should finish at least 150 mm below it.
Channel drain: A linear drain with a grating set into paving to collect surface water.
Soakaway: An underground chamber or crates that store rainwater and let it soak into the ground.
Recessed cover: A manhole cover tray filled with paving blocks so the pattern continues across it.
Efflorescence: A temporary white bloom of natural salts on new concrete blocks.
Sealer: A liquid applied to paving to bind joint sand and resist stains.
Geotextile: A permeable fabric used to separate layers on soft ground or in permeable paving.
Lift and re-lay: Taking up existing blocks, correcting the base and bed, and relaying the same blocks.
Rutting: Grooves that form in wheel tracks when the layers below the blocks deform.
Article 4 direction: A council order that removes some permitted development rights in an area.
Permitted development: Building work allowed without a planning application, subject to conditions.

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