# Forum Home Renovation Retaining Walls  Plate Compactors

## wheelie6969

Hi Guys, 
I'm building a retaining wall and have a long trench which I want to run a plate compactor along. 
The question I have is will a plate compactor provide a flat level even surface which is good enough to lay retaining wall blocks straight onto without having to add packing to level them out or will I still have to level out each block individually with sand or crusher dust.

----------


## john0

A plate compactor does exactly as the name suggests, it 'compacts'. it cant level out a foundation that isnt level to begin with.

----------


## Planned LScape

The brochures tell you to put down a crushed rock base and if level lay on the rock or bed into some sand. But it doesnt take much for the sand to wash out, and the compacted rock will never be 100% level enough to sit the block there and not have it rock back or have it plumb front to back and side to side. 
I always do the entire base course on a mortar bed, laid to a stringline. This way the whole lot is level and straight and stronger too. Those stack blocks are meant to be easy but if your base course is out even by a bit, it gets worse every course. They look shocking when there is a high spot or the line moves in and out.

----------

