Pebble paving

Pebbles are characteristic sight on many streets and courtyards throughout the mediterranean region.

Pebbles make a durable and highly textured floor. Being very hard-wearing, and thus perfect for use out of doors, this decorative method has ben gradually modified to create a very stylish form of interior flooring.

You can make your own pebble tiles like this...

Prepare the cement mixture that you will use to make the pebble paver. Use a 4:1 ratio mixture for the pebble paver. Take 4 parts of sand to one part of cement and place it in a wheelbarrow. This cement mixture does not have to be stronger than a 4:1 ratio mixture.

1. Place your pebbles on the cement bed. Just position the pebbles gently on this bed. In this step you can discard unwanted pebbles and only use the ones that you deem appropriate for your pebble paver.

2. Mix the slurry. Slurry is in essence cement that is mixed with water to a yoghurt-like consistency. Stir the cement thoroughly with water in a bucket until you have the desired consistency. Pour the slurry mix onto your pebble bed.

3. Clean the pebble pavers. After leaving the slurry to set for approximately 1 hour wash off the pebble paver with water using a fine spray nozzle. Do not remove too much of the cement base, rather use a sponge to dab up the excess water and to clean off sticky bits of cement to reveal the pebbles.

4. Use different colors and sizes of pebbles to achieve different effects and designs. You can use white cement or you can paint it later with concrete paint like I did. You can make your own designs in pebble paving. The only limit will be your imagination.