How to build an outdoor mosaic pathway?

[Cashrob]

Hi just wanting to know the best products to use to form a pathway with broken tiles that has a base of broken shells. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Cashrob,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

I'm struggling to visualise what you are trying to achieve. Is it possible to get some photos of the location of the pathway and a few details about how you intend to use the broken tiles and broken shells? Let me know if you need a hand uploading images, I'm happy to help if required.

I believe what you are looking to make is along the lines of a crazy paver pathway. You might like to start by checking out How To Lay Crazy Paving.

Is the plan to use the broken shells in the grout lines between the tiles as an aesthetic feature? Or were you hoping to use them as a compacted base material?

Typically, a pathway will start with a compacted base such as the one you'll see in How To Prepare And Lay a Base For Pavers. 

I wouldn't be confident you could achieve enough compaction with crushed shells to make something that will last, so a compacted layer of road base or drainage gravel would be a good starting point.

What kind of broken tiles have you got? Are they porcelain, ceramic, natural stone, or maybe concrete pavers? The specifics will determine the best products to use.

The specifics of the project will determine the best products to use. Oftentimes mortar is the best option for setting your tiles or pavers in place, but I'd need to know what you are trying to achieve to say this with certainty.

Let me know what you think so far. I'm excited to help you out with your project.

Jacob

[Cashrob]

[Cashrob]

Hi thanks for your reply. I was wanting to use the shells not as a base but in between the tiles. Underneath the shells at the moment is black lining . The path is quite uneven as it is on a dirt base . I am trying to establish this the easiest way I can . 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Cashrob,

I see your path slopes, so there's always going to be some level of unevenness. You could follow How To Prepare And Lay a Base For Pavers, but unless you plan to level the whole area, this might be a bit tricky. Were you planning on adhering the tiles to the pavers or making the whole pathway out of the broken tiles? Tiles need a solid base, so you'd either need to use the pavers or pour a concrete path first. Once again, though, you'll need to work with the slope.

Here's a helpful guide: How to pour a concrete slab.

Mitchell