Close Lightbox. Hide Thumbnails. Believe it or not, properly installed pavers are more structurally sound than concrete, and they can withstand much more weight and wear than blacktop.
You can lay a structurally sound base in four simple steps: layout, grade, gravel, and sand. You can get many of these items at a Western Interlock facility in Oregon or Washington , a local hardware store, or landscape supplier. First, mark out your area using white marking paint. Pro Tip: Get a locate to ensure there are no utilities located below the project area.
If you are laying a circular patio, place a stake in the center of your project space. Use that string as a guide and spray a circle border. Next, create a square corner to work from using string, stakes, and the method.
You may be wondering, what does that mean? Choose the height that you want the finished project to be and adjust your string lines to grade. We chose the base of the structure to be our top height. As a general rule, adjust the strings so that they are sloped away from any structure to allow proper drainage away from the building. If your driveway sees a lot of traffic or holds more than one car at a time, consider using coarse or large gravel to support your pavers. If you have clay or poorly draining soil or your yard sees a lot of rain or runoff water, consider using coarse gravel beneath your pavers.
Coarse gravel is the largest type of gravel, allows for optimum drainage and can support the heaviest of loads. Consider using recycled gravel or salvaged quarry rocks underneath your pavers. Recycled gravel is created by crushing salvaged or used-up concrete and comes in the same sizes fine, medium and coarse as regular types of gravel. Quarry rocks are left over from inland quarry operations. Fine gravel compacts almost like sand into a really tight surface.
That may not provide enough drainage or seepage to allow water to permeate into the ground below, especially if it is tight or heavy dirt like clay. That can lead to pockets of water under the pavers, which freeze and cause the paving to heave or buckle. Medium gravel is the choice for most paver bases. It compacts tightly, but with small gaps between stones so water can percolate into the dirt below.
It forms a base solid enough to hold a sand bed for the pavers and strong enough for most weights put on pavers, even standard cars in a driveway or big smokers on a patio.
Qualities of a suitable base material include:. Contractors and DIY homeowners use a variety of materials underneath pavers. Here are some things to know about the most common paver bases and their properties.
However, sand is not an ideal base on its own. Over time, sand shifts and can create an uneven foundation. If your foundation is anything but level, your pavers will show it. Sand is often used in conjunction with crushed stone for increased durability. Because sand comes in many degrees of fineness and coarseness, not all types are suited for use as a paver base.
The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute recommends washed concrete sand as the best base sand for pavers. This allows pavers to drain after a heavy rain and maintain their structural integrity over time. A crushed stone paver base is made of small stone pieces that have been broken and screened for uniformity. According to the Minerals Education Coalition , common rock types processed into crushed stone include limestone, dolomite, granite and trap rock. Crushed stone makes a solid paver base because it allows water drainage and is easy to work with.
Like sand, crushed stone comes in several varieties. The best aggregate for paver bases is a quarry processed dense grade aggregate. This mixture binds well and increases durability, making it one of the best materials for maximum strength and cohesion. Recycled concrete aggregate RCA is a crushed stone alternative with environmental benefits. RCA is made by breaking down existing concrete into gravel. The RCA process has a smaller carbon output and takes less energy than mining virgin aggregate, making it a sustainable option.
Though RCA functions similarly to crushed stone in a paver base, it is impossible to know the different rock mixtures it contains. This unpredictability may make RCA a less reliable base choice when compared to crushed stone.
Stone dust is a powdery mixture of finely ground stones that has a sand-like texture. Though it can be a helpful base ingredient when mixed with other materials, most professionals recommend that you never use stone dust on its own as a base. The fines trap large quantities of water that prevent the base layer from adequately draining. To keep your pavers safe and prevent them from shifting, opt for a base material with a little more durability.
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