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Pavers, or not to pavers, that is the question

Whether you are remodeling your backyard, creating a new pathway, or redoing your pool deck, getting a new driveway, pavers are a fantastic way to mix beauty and function as a whole.

Pavers have been dated back to the Roman Empire and if you ever have the chance to visit some of Italy’s or European’s oldest cities you can still find Cobblestone roads. This proves that a paver installation done correctly can last for decades to come and add value to your house.

Pavers come in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes to create a unique look and also fulfill different purposes based on your design need.

When most homeowners are exploring the idea of adding, redoing, creating a hardscape, they usually contemplate the two most popular ideas: concrete vs pavers. Concrete is the most affordable option. Homeowner with a strict budget will go down that route and there are some colors and patterns to choose from in the concrete lines. However, this doesn’t compare to the number of colors, shapes, and designs that pavers offer. Concrete is believed to be strong (and it is) at 4000PSI but concrete will crack at some point, especially in earthquake areas like San Diego, and repairs are impossible. The only way to fix a concrete crack is to cut and repour. On the other hand, pavers are rated at 8000PSI, flexible, and will move with your terrain. Also, if you ever have the need to do a repair to your utility and they are under pavers, it is relatively easy to pull them up, do your work, and put them back. No one will ever know that something happens there.

How do we install pavers?

1. You want to start by determining the size and shape of the project. This will give you the square footage needed to buy your pavers. We always add a minimum of 5 percent to that total for cuts and such. If you are going for a curvier path and you will have more cuts, add about 10% extra to your initial square footage.

Stake out your area and add 12” so that you have room to work, and the base is solid under your last row of pavers. Create a slope of ½” for every 4 feet. Always have the slope AWAY from your house so that the water doesn’t collect along your walls.

Call dig alert (811) so that they can mark out your utilities. The last thing you want, is to trench through a gas line and now have a bigger problem!!! Dig alert is a FREE service and will save you tons of headaches and money.

2. Time to excavate! We do dig -7” deep from finish grade for pedestrian walkway and patio and we go down to -9 to -13” for a driveway. The pavers are usually 2-3/8” deep, we do 1” of masonry sand and the rest is base. Once you are at the right dept, compact it with a mechanical plate compactor.

3. 90 percent of the work on installing pavers is the preparation of the base. Do it quick and cheap, your pavers will be moving, sinking and soon enough you will have a dirt bike track with jump and bump instead of a nice flat and smooth walkway. Depending on your soil, we do install a layer of geotextile on the native soil and up the side. This can add stability to the base. We use Class2 base as a base for our pavers. Make sure to use a mechanical plate compactor and compact that base well. At a very minimum, do two passes in opposite directions. If the base is dry add a bit of moisture to it so that it compacts better. Don’t wet it too much or it will not compact at all. Once the base is compacted, you should be at -3” of your final grade. (2” for the pavers and 1” for the sand)

4. Your base is rock solid? Let’s get moving to the next step. We will be creating a bed of masonry sand. The easiest way to do so, is to lay 1” irrigation pipe about 8’ away from one another and use a STRAIGHT 2x4 to screed the sand in between the pipe. This will level the sand and create a perfectly smooth base to lay your pavers on it. DO NOT walk, compact, or touch the sand once it is screeded and ready. Screed sand bed section at the time. There is no point in screeding the entire area and not laying paver on it that day because I promise you that "Oliver", the cat next door, will walk right through your bedding and possibly use it as is potty break area and you will have to start all over again.

5. Start laying your pavers in a square (90 degrees) corner. Pay close attention to your pattern. Every few rows, pull a string line across your paver line to make sure that you are still perfectly straight and parallel to your beginning. You may need to adjust by tapping with a rubber mallet the pavers that are too far or by pushing with a trowel the pavers that are too in. Lay your entire area before starting the cuts.

6. To mark the pavers, use a pencil or a marking crayon. If they are straight, you can measure every single one of them and mark them or lay them out and use a straight edge and mark all of them at once. If you are going for a curve, use PVC pipe so that it gives you a nice smooth curve to it. Use a wet saw with a diamond blade. Silica dust is cancerogenic and you don’t want to breathe that fine dust that a regular grinder would produce by cutting pavers. Don’t cut any pavers less than 2” or they may crack over time with vibrations. If you do have a small cut, cut two pavers instead.

7. All of the pavers are in place, and it is time to restrain them. There are a few options out there to restraint pavers. You can install your perimeter pavers on a bed of concrete so that they create a bond and hold everything together. This is a bond beam. The other options are steel, aluminum, or plastic edge restraint. These restraints come in 10-foot sections and are being nailed down to the base with 12” spikes

8. You made it to the last step!!! Filling the space in between the pavers with sand is the last step. You will use sand locking made for pavers. This type of sand has been made so that once it gets wet, it hardens giving more stability to your pavers but also help with not letting weeds grow through the crack and crevices. Apply a good amount of sand over the entire area, with a push broom use a back-and-forth movement, and work the sand in the cracks. Once the cracks look full, leave the extra sand on the pavers as a cushion so that you can run your vibrator plate on top of the installation. Make 2 passes with your machine in 2 different directions. This will push your pavers down to the sand bed and have the polymeric sand go down the crack even better locking the pavers into place forever. After vibrating the pavers, you should have some cracks to refill. Use the extra sand that you had left on top of the pavers and repeat the broom operation. Once every joint is completely filled, remove all of the extra sand and gently wet down the area. The moisture will start the sand reaction and harden it.

9. CONGRATULATION you have a brand-new Paver area to enjoy!!!

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Chris Bruchez

760 687 6013

Outsidesolution@outlook.com          

Fallbrook, California      

License C27 #1029124            

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