Walking on a Whirl

In this great holiday project you make your own spiral pavers and walk on a whirl with these simple steps.

What you will Need
500 x 500 mm shutter board
Masonite for template (optional)
Fine river sand
Cement
50 mm galvanised metal strips (for a
50 cm diameter spiral you will need
approximately 5 m)
75 mm wire nails

Tools
Pencil, tin snips, hammer, pliers, builder’s trowel

1.Draw spirals on the shutter board base. You can choose to make as many moulds as you like, and in whatever sizes you prefer. Position the shutter board on a level surface where it can be left undisturbed for seven days, preferably in the shade.

Using tin snips, cut a 50 mm ribbon of galvanised metal to make the sides of the mould. You can overlap the ribbon if you don’t have one piece of metal that is long enough for the whole spiral. Knock nails into the shutter board along the curve of the design to hold the galvanised strips in place.

2.Mix 3 parts river sand, 1 part cement and water into a thick, smooth, yogurt texture. Scoop the mixture into the spiral mould and fill to the top of the galvanised sides. Lightly agitate the shutter board and mould to remove any air bubbles trapped in the mixture. Allow to dry for seven days. Keep the pavers moist during the 7-day curing process to increase their final strength. You can cover them with black plastic to prevent the pavers from drying out too quickly.

3.Remove the dry paver from the mould by pulling the nails out of the shutter board and releasing the galvanised metal strips.

4.Level the area where you wish to place your spiral pavers and edge with a log roll. Position the pavers with the flat side facing up and fill in between the laid pavers with fine gravel. You can alternatively choose bark, stone or a ground cover to fill in between the whirl pavers.