We have a selection of recommended landscapers, pavers and tradesmen who can assist you with the labour involved in paving. These tradespeople have accounts with us and are regularly recommended to our clients. Payment can be organised with them directly by you as we don’t take any commission. Talk to MIR staff about recommended tradespeople.

Why not take a sample of the product home with you and try it out? Just ask one of our friendly staff members for a sample piece. If there isn’t one available we can order it in for you. Brochures don’t always show the true colour of a product due to printing variations so it’s a good idea to see the real thing.

Talk to us. What type of area are you doing? What will the area be used for? Will it get a lot of traffic? Will the traffic be by vehicle or foot? This information is important to tell our staff when selecting the best possible product for your area.

Depending on the surface the pavers will be laid on, washed river sand or road base can be used. Our staff can help you determine the most suitable product for your situation.

We have a selection of recommended landscapers, pavers and tradesmen who can assist you with the labour involved in paving. These tradespeople have accounts with us and are regularly recommended to our clients. Payment can be organised with them directly by you as we don’t take any commission. Talk to MIR staff about recommended tradespeople.

Choosing which pavers to purchase depends on a number of factors like the sort of area they will be laid on, whether it will get a lot of traffic and whether this will be by foot or vehicle. Have a chat to our staff so they can recommend the best product for you.

Pavers are now available in a variety of sizes. They range from 30mm and 40mm right up to 100mm for some of our natural stones. Pavers for driveways need to be at least 50mm thick. If you have a concrete driveway, this will enable you to lay a thinner product that you prefer. Please speak to your tradesman, as this may require different laying methods.

Concrete pavers do fade. They are made of sand, cement and oxide, which gives the pavers colour. The oxide fades over time and this is what makes pavers lighter. However, they won’t lose their colour completely or go white - they will simply lighten over time to different degrees, depending on the colour of the product and its exposure to the sun. A darker coloured paver will fade quicker than a lighter one. This can give the paver a nice aged, weathered look.

If the conditions are right, moss will grow. Moss loves moist, shady areas so it is important that, when planning your landscaping and paving, good drainage is considered to minimise any pools of water lying around. Some rough pavers are more likely to hold moss than others. Sealing of pavers will also make it harder for the moss to attach itself to the paver, making it easier to take off. There are also products available to remove moss and keep it off. Talk to our staff about the different options available.

Sealing pavers is highly recommended. By sealing your pavers you will conserve them for a longer period of time, protect them from stains and scratches and make cleaning and maintenance much easier. Different sealers have different features and finishes. Speak to our staff about the most appropriate sealer for you.

Most suppliers won’t label their pavers as being slip resistant but they will produce some of their products with a rough finish on top. This is called a wire cut finish. It’s like the paver has little scratches on it. These scratches provide a rough texture, giving the paver a grip finish. Some clients believe that this roughness makes the product harder to clean as the dirt gets trapped in the scratches while others simply like the paver to look and feel like a tile. This makes the product smoother and more slippery but can also provide an easier surface to clean. We recommend you take a sample home, put it down in the area to be paved, walk over it, stain it - do whatever you need to do to be satisfied with the product in your own environment.

Every job is different so please talk to us to assist you in making the best choice. With concrete, there is a wide range of colours and sizes available. Clay pavers have only traditionally been available in brick sizes but this is slowly changing with a wider range of sizes being produced to meet customer requests. We believe that you should choose the right product and colour for your own job.

All paver manufacturers recommend that a joint be left between pavers. The reason for this is to allow for variation in size and also to avoid pavers rubbing against each other much the same way as the tiles inside your home. Butt joining causes pavers to mark and also start chipping and breaking. Most joints are between 3mm and 5mm.

Materials in the Raw stocks Gap Sand which is a product used to fill up the joint between the pavers. Gap sand is a special blend of fine sands and additives designed to help lock all types of pavers into place. Gap sand will prevent weed growth and insect infestation by forming a firm but flexible joint between each paver. It also helps to occasionally pull the weeds out by hand.

Pavers can be cut with a hydraulic splitter, which can be hired. This is like a car jack and quite easy to use. The best cuts can be achieved by using a diamond saw cutter, also available from a hire company. Additionally, an angle grinder with the right blade can be used.

Remember that concrete and clay products vary in colour and size. So it’s important to order the right amount the first time around. We advise to always order a little more than you need. If you decide to do a little bit extra later on you may have trouble getting the product when you need it, and there may be costs involved as well. Sometimes a few weeks’ difference can make a product lighter, darker and even change the size slightly.

Laying products in a particular way may require more products. Some of our customers like to lay pavers in a diagonal or herringbone pattern. These patterns require more cuts and therefore require about 10 per cent extra product.

Breakages are a regular occurrence in the industry. Some of these products travel interstate and overseas so you may find some broken pieces amongst your order. We recommend that you order around 5 per cent extra to cover any breakages incorrect measurement. Industry standards allow for 4 per cent breakages. These broken pieces are often just chipped on the corners so these can be used for cuts, halves or sometimes small pieces needed in the corner to finish off a job.

Delivery times vary from manufacturer to manufacturer so allow plenty of time to get your product to site. Most products can be delivered in between one and two weeks but always check with us to get the most up to date delivery times.

All orders are delivered to the nature strip. This is the grass verge of the footpath. We can also offer a forklift service at an extra cost, which can deliver the product up a driveway and closer to where the job is. Forklifts require a width of 3 metres to be able to go down a driveway. Consideration must be given to the traffic situation when booking a forklift delivery. A forklift requires two lanes to unload. One lane is for the truck and the other is for the forklift to maneuver around the truck to unload. Traffic control will be required on main or busy suburban streets. Give us as much information as you can relating to your address such as street number, nearest cross street, site contact name, home phone number, mobile number, overhead obstructions like power lines or trees, clearways, school areas, narrow lanes, dead end street and wet weather problems. The more information you give us the more likely the driver will deliver your order quickly and correctly.

Once your order arrives, please check to make sure it is correct. If you are not sure please give us a call. Once the product has been moved from the nature strip or laid and used it is very difficult to try and get it returned and fixed.

unloading, call the number on your delivery docket for pallet collection. The manufacturer will collect these from you next time they are in your area. This usually takes up to two weeks. Some interstate companies don’t collect their pallets, but we can pick these up for you the next time we are in your area. Just call us to arrange a pickup.

Clay soils are not good for the plants in your garden as they hold too much water which leads to rot root and and poor plant growth. To break down the clay content in your garden, use Gypsum as it is designed to improve the condition of heavy clay soils. Gypsum assists in the breaking down of clay whilst improving the drainage of the soil.

Sandy soil is too free draining and will dry up the garden mixture. To improve this condition, your garden will need an organic mixture which will help hold moisture in the soil. The type of mixture used will depend upon the type of plants in your garden.

You can add compost to your garden at any time of the year. Composting is particularly important when planting new plants. It encourages root growth into the newly enriched soil, and develops a stronger plant from day one.

There are a variety of mulches available at your nearest MIR store. Each type of mulch is different and no one type of mulch does it all. The type of mulch to use will depend on the plants in your garden and the condition of the soil as well as your personal preference.

Using mulch in your garden provides a number of benefits. Mulching allows for conservation of water. This is because the mulch stops the top of the soil from drying out, keeping the soil moist and increasing water conservation by 60 per cent. Mulching also prevents weeds from growing, allowing plants in a garden to grow without competing with weeds.

Mulch should be applied to a depth of 100mm. This will provide an effective weed-suppressing layer and retain maximum moisture. If you want to apply less than 100mm, we recommend using weed mat prior to mulching. Weed mat is porous so that air and water can move into and out of the soil, yet it hinders weed growth.

There are five basic components to landscaping: colour, line, for, texture, and scale. Be sure to carefully balance these components in your design and a beautiful landscape will result!

Colour can spark feelings of relaxation or add drama to your landscape. For a design that’s pleasing to the eye, make sure colour is balanced well with the other components of landscaping.

First you should go over the basic elements of lawn and garden care to achieve great results. Planning ahead of time and doing a bit of research can allow you to create a beautiful landscape design. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help in your local garden store. When creating your own landscape design, think about the five basic elements that affect your landscape design, as mentioned above.

Water, water and more water. The sprinkler system is the most common type of irrigation system used in home landscaping, but a lot of people find the drip system conserves more water.

Hardscape includes driveways, decks, patios, rocks, and stones. Landscaping includes your whole yard and all of the objects in it. Using hardscape in your landscape design will add balance to the overall design.

Yes we do. We have a large fleet of trucks to offer a fast, reliable and affordable service straight to your home or building site. As part of our delivery service, we can split load small quantities in the same truck, usually only two products per load. Split loads reduce the overall capacity of the truck load by approximately half a tonne per load and can only be accepted to one delivery address, otherwise a further delivery fee is charged. As part of our fleet we have three, four, five and nine tonne trucks that can service a split load. This means that the total weight of the products should not exceed the weight of the trucks, as specified above.

MIR has a Posh Pavers™ Mobile division. Posh Pavers™ is a mobile showroom which delivers the latest, high quality paving and retaining wall products straight to your door. The sales team is able to show you a selection of products and offer technical advice, as well as design ideas and a list of recommended installers to complete the project. Sales consultants are available to visit you at any time, seven days a week. To make an appointment for the Posh Pavers™ Mobile showroom to come to your home please call David on 9773 1200 or 0437 702 377.

Lawn builder is specifically designed to go under or on top of the lawn. It does not contain any type of fertiliser or compost which is present in garden mix as this will destroy the grass. Lawn builder could be used as a garden mix, however since garden mix contains the necessary nutrients from the compost and fertiliser it will enhance growth of your plants.

Depending on the product you are using will affect the quantity you need to buy. The first thing you need to do is calculate the area to be covered. To calculate the desired area you will need to multiple the width by the length and the depth. This will give you a cubic metre conversion (m3). Some products are sold by cubic metre so that is the quantity to be ordered. Other products such as sand are measured in tonnes so to convert your measurement you will need to multiple the number of cubic metres by the weight of the product per cubic metre, which can be found in the following table.