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Patio construction

kimikimi Member Posts: 44,723 ✭✭✭
We are thinking about having a patio and walkway installed made of paver bricks.  We would appreciate any comments that have to do with the pros and cons regarding brick pavers and how well they hold up under ordinary use, to include, any type of maintenance they will need.

Thanks in advance for any comments.
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Comments

  • gjshawgjshaw Member Posts: 14,697 ✭✭✭✭

    I put in an English Garden with a fountain in the middle with 4 in interlocking pavers then put the sand/motor mix and sweep it in. 8 years ago and I have drove trucks on it and nothing out of place. Prep is key.

  • TANK78ZTANK78Z Member Posts: 1,320 ✭✭✭
    proper bedding /prep of the site to be covered is of utmost importance , laying the pavers/bricks properly is also an art , sure anyone can do it, but some do it 100% right and if done correctly it will last many many years with minimal to no real maintenance issues.
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,723 ✭✭✭
    gjshaw and TANK:  Thank you!  Do I need to use Polymeric sand to bond the bricks together?
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  • dunbarboyzdunbarboyz Member Posts: 2,127 ✭✭✭✭
    I have a brick patio from 1950 and grass grows out of the cracks. I have killed it every way I know. It will be poured if ever redone.
  • Butchdog2Butchdog2 Member Posts: 3,834 ✭✭✭✭
    Grade to solid ground, no fill. COMPACT about 12 inches ABC gravel for base. Add and COMPACT about 2 to 4 inches screenings from quarry or sand. Make it LEVEL. Screed on a couple inches, don't compact this layer. Install pavers tight together, add a 1/2 " of sand on top, COMPACT, sweep off and have at it. A plate tamper will be the trick for compacting. Try to set surrounding grade so surface water won't run towards the patio and soak under the pavers into the ground below.
    Works for me. Your mileage may vary.
  • Smitty500magSmitty500mag Member Posts: 13,603 ✭✭✭✭
    You might want to look at stamped concrete designs. You can get it dyed any color with just about any design of stone.
    The last power plant I worked at we had an entrance to one of the building poured with the stamped concrete and the concrete was dyed to look like slate. You couldn't tell it from real stone. 








  • FrogdogFrogdog Member Posts: 2,761 ✭✭✭✭
    I have done a lot of patios and, as others have said, prep is the key to a good outcome. After you have dug out the area and flattened the dirt, I recommend leading with a layer of heavy plastic or garden fabric. This can help to prevent weeds popping through later. Be sure to poke lots of holes for drainage, though. Second, the base. This is where I will disagree with some of the above advice. I do not recommend sand as a base. Over time, water drainage can wash out small channels of the sand underneath the patio. This will cause sinking and shifting. Instead of sand, go with gravel grit/crush-n-run. Do a nice thick layer (3-4 inches). Then, (and this is key) tamp the heck out of it. You can use a hand-held tamper if you want a work-out, or rent an automatic one. Tamping it helps to ensure you get a firm (though still adaptive) surface. Level, as needed, by adding more grit. Then, lay your pavers. Think it through carefully to make sure you end up with the look you want. You can score and break pavers, but you might want to just go ahead and rent a cutter. As you lay them, use a rubber or sand-filled plastic mallet to tap them into place (down and sideways) and keep things even and level. Use a level frequently to keep on track. Once you have successfully laid your patio, it is time for the sand. Fine play-sand is best. Dump it all over the patio and start sweeping. You'll be amazed by how much sand it takes as you keep sweeping it/working it into the cracks. Get all the cracks filled in really well, and sweep up the excess. Over the next couple of weeks, you may want to add a little more sand and do the sweep routine again, as some may settle.

    That's all there is to it. Not too hard at all. Just have a muscle relaxer on-hand for the next day. Your back will thank you!  ;)  
  • BrookwoodBrookwood Member, Moderator Posts: 13,280 ******
    My patio off the driveway leading up next to my house was installed 20 years ago and still is holding up OK.  It was built on sand and every year I have a battle with ants!  Those little buggers can sure remove a lot of that sand underlayment in short order!!   Last year I sprayed the patio with ant killer but where my wife set up her planter pots next to the house, I just went around and missed.   

    In the fall when I took her planters out, the hollow bases they were resting on were full (8") of the sand that once was under the patio blocks!  :o
  • DONDALINGERDONDALINGER Member Posts: 1,541 ✭✭✭
    Many years ago I worked for a contractor that did brick paving. The outer perimeter was done with 1/2" mortar joints in the pavers to add strength. We made a sand /mortar dry mix for the base. We then laid the pavers either straight or herringbone pattern. After finished, we took a sand/mortar dry mix and swept it into the cracks. This was followed by a soaking with a water hose and repeated until no more settling in the joints. After a few days it would cure hard as a rock and lasts a long time. Like others have said, the base has to be tamped really well. Each person laying kept a 48" level and laid each paver to the level and would "set" each paver with a large rubber mallet. We added the dry mix under each paver as needed to level it. I would generally be able to compress about 1 inch of the mix, so I would set each paver about 1" higher than the last and use the mallet to compress it down level. The stamped concrete pics above look awesome and personally I would go that route if you can afford it. Best of luck whatever you decide. Don
  • kimikimi Member Posts: 44,723 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    I really do appreciate all of the expert advice and comments on this subject!  Thankfully, I am not going to do this myself!!!  And, if we go with patio concrete bricks, we will use Polymeric sand that is supposed to bond the sand and bricks together, sealing it against water.  

    Smitty and all:  I guess I should check into the stamped concrete option, too.  

    Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to help me!

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  • Smitty500magSmitty500mag Member Posts: 13,603 ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    Yeah, I've always thought that stamped concrete looked really good.  I've always wanted to try that.  Only time I've ever done anything like that was on a job one time where we used form liners inside concrete forms to put a block pattern on a concrete wall, and that looked pretty horrible IMO when we stripped the forms because you could see the aggregate.  And I guess that's the key thing with stamping too, you have to make sure you get a good layer of butter on top to stamp.
    Our basement walls and retaining walls for our house are poured concrete walls using forms to look like concrete bricks. They all turned out looking pretty good. 

    The picture below is the retaining wall just outside the basement.



    This is a section of it in my basement shop.


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