Clay soil makes it difficult for your workers to put up pavements in your home. Its wet, fine grain and weak nature make it almost impossible to have concrete structures laid on the soil. Even though it might stand up to the weight of the paving in the dry season that will not be the case when the wet season sets in. Thankfully, this problem can be resolved, and you can have the pavements done on any part of the compound after the clay soil has been stabilised. Stabilisation is done using lime, which has a variety of chemical attributes that make it suitable for adjusting the conditions of the clay soil. Here are a few reasons you should stabilise the clay soil in your compound using lime: 

Dries the Soil

Essentially, excess retention of water is what makes clay soil wet and sticky all the time. Unlike sand and loam soil, clay is made up of small particles that are tightly packed together and limit the permeability of the soil to water. Therefore, when it rains, most of the water is retained on the surface of the water, as it does not penetrate into the lower layers of the soil. This makes clay sticky and wet for long periods, which is unsuitable for laying pavements. However, the application of lime stabilises the soil and keeps it dry by absorbing the water clogged in the clay soil layers.

Modifies the Soil

When you use lime to stabilise the soil, it reduces its plasticity and makes it more conducive to work with. Plasticity refers to the plastic attributes of soil such that it is slimy and lacks the required strength needed to support concrete establishments such as pavements. Essentially, clay is plastic because of the high content of moisture, which keeps the particles wet throughout. Lime eliminates the wetness and makes clay strong and more compact to support the pressure of the paving laid upon it.   

Reduces the Swell in Clay Soil

Swelling is the expansion and contraction of the soil in an area. Clay has a high tendency to swell. When it is wet, the water fills up the spaces between the particles, making clay to expand because there is an increase in the volume of the components that make up the soil. However, when the water dries up after evaporation, the clay will contract and begin to crack. The contraction and expansion are not ideal for concrete pavements, and it will lead to cracking. Thankfully, lime absorbs water and keeps the clay dry. This eliminates the swelling and keeps the clay relatively stable.