No whacker plate

[Carlnorwich]

I am putting a few slabs down for a bench/seating area; 2m x 2m..

I have dug the footings and shovelled in a good layer of Mot Type 1. The recent rain appears to have firmed the type 1.

Do I really need to hire a whacker plate (£30), or will stamping on the type 1 be good enough?

Thanks.

 

[GAZ2785]

I'm not experienced enough to answer the question really, but I have my own patio project which is becoming a bit of a nightmare due to the weather.

I would say for £30 just hire one to be on the safe side. If it starts to sink you might not forgive yourself for the sake of £30.

All I can say is that with my project it would involve an awful lot of stamping, and the wacker plate I used was seriously heavy duty. Sadly it all went a bit pear shaped because of the rain and a surprise plastic bag found buried under the ground, so I have to hire another wacker plate now for another day, so count yourself lucky!

 

[r896neo]

Just hire one, as gaz says its cheaper than having to do it all again.

You can get a hand tamper which is basically a 8 inch square steel plate on the end of a long shaft but its very much second best. I use a 14lb sledge for doing tight corners and areas where the plate doesn't fit but trying to do that over a whole patio would be grim.

If you do decide to do it by hand book a few days off work to recover.