Paving bricks on drive

rickyroma

Got a driveway with those dark grey paving bricks. Few areas have dropped a little. It's OK where it's near the edge and I can scrape out the sand and manouvre the first brick out. But this afternoon I've started on a bigger area near the middle and it took AGES to get the first brick out! After I'd pulled up about 16 bricks ready to re-lay about 5 had lost sizeable chips from the top. I can get away with it this time by swapping them with decent ones under the wheelie bins but obviously I can't carry on doing this.
Any tips for getting the bricks out damage free? At the moment I'm scraping the sand out with a metal ruler and shuffling the brick with flat towels which are thin enough but not firm enough. 
 Also they are dark grey 24cm x 16cm and I can't see these online anywhere. Is this really such an obscure size? 

FreeBear

Steel tent pegs - The thin wire ones. Scrape some of the sand out with a thin scraper (not a steel rule you animal). Wriggle the tent peg down in to the joint and rotate it so that the short leg is under the block. Do the same on the other side, and you should be able to lift the block. A vacuum cleaner may help to get some of the sand out of the joint. If not, a pad saw will loosen up most of it.

You can also get a tool specifically for lifting blocks if you want to pay the price... https://orit-tools.co.uk/shop/paving-block-lifter-b-200-300-mm/ is just one example.

Oh, and 240x160mm blocks might be Marshall's Tegula. If not, there are other manufacturers that do the same size.

GDB2222

I can find lots of places selling that size. Here’s one:
https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/marshalls-drivesett-tegula-pennant-grey-block-paving-240-x-160-x-50mm-LSMDT246

Maybe, you have been searching for bricks, rather than blocks?

rickyroma

GDB2222 said:

I can find lots of places selling that size. Here’s one:
https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/marshalls-drivesett-tegula-pennant-grey-block-paving-240-x-160-x-50mm-LSMDT246

Maybe, you have been searching for bricks, rather than blocks?

Thanks. You could be right 

rickyroma

FreeBear said:

Steel tent pegs - The thin wire ones. Scrape some of the sand out with a thin scraper (not a steel rule you animal). Wriggle the tent peg down in to the joint and rotate it so that the short leg is under the block. Do the same on the other side, and you should be able to lift the block. A vacuum cleaner may help to get some of the sand out of the joint. If not, a pad saw will loosen up most of it.

You can also get a tool specifically for lifting blocks if you want to pay the price... https://orit-tools.co.uk/shop/paving-block-lifter-b-200-300-mm/ is just one example.

Oh, and 240x160mm blocks might be Marshall's Tegula. If not, there are other manufacturers that do the same size.

Isn't a thin metal ruler a thin scraper?  Thanks for the tent peg tip.. I'll look at them 

GDB2222

rickyroma said:

FreeBear said:

Steel tent pegs - The thin wire ones. Scrape some of the sand out with a thin scraper (not a steel rule you animal). Wriggle the tent peg down in to the joint and rotate it so that the short leg is under the block. Do the same on the other side, and you should be able to lift the block. A vacuum cleaner may help to get some of the sand out of the joint. If not, a pad saw will loosen up most of it.

You can also get a tool specifically for lifting blocks if you want to pay the price... https://orit-tools.co.uk/shop/paving-block-lifter-b-200-300-mm/ is just one example.

Oh, and 240x160mm blocks might be Marshall's Tegula. If not, there are other manufacturers that do the same size.

Isn't a thin metal ruler a thin scraper?  Thanks for the tent peg tip.. I'll look at them 

Would a bent wire coat hanger work? 

FreeBear

rickyroma said:

FreeBear said:

Steel tent pegs - The thin wire ones. Scrape some of the sand out with a thin scraper (not a steel rule you animal). Wriggle the tent peg down in to the joint and rotate it so that the short leg is under the block. Do the same on the other side, and you should be able to lift the block. A vacuum cleaner may help to get some of the sand out of the joint. If not, a pad saw will loosen up most of it.

You can also get a tool specifically for lifting blocks if you want to pay the price... https://orit-tools.co.uk/shop/paving-block-lifter-b-200-300-mm/ is just one example.

Oh, and 240x160mm blocks might be Marshall's Tegula. If not, there are other manufacturers that do the same size.

Isn't a thin metal ruler a thin scraper?

A steel rule is a precision tool for measuring.

GDB2222 said: Would a bent wire coat hanger work? 

A tent peg is a thicker wire so less likely to bend & twist.

GDB2222

I’ve never had to do this job, but it’s possible that a good soaking with water will lubricate the joints between the blocks and make them easier to remove. Maybe worth a try? 

FreeBear

GDB2222 said:

I’ve never had to do this job, but it’s possible that a good soaking with water will lubricate the joints between the blocks and make them easier to remove. Maybe worth a try? 

Jet wash will get much of the sand out of the joints.