Paver walkway questions

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mattya
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Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 29th, 2015, 8:49 pm

Has anyone done their own paver walkway? My main question is how deep did you dig? I've read 8 inches is fine - 4 inches of gravel, 2 inches of sand then 2 inch pavers. I know deeper is better and it's all about the prep work, but for just a walkway I'm wondering if going 12"+ is really necessary or the 8" is fine?

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 29th, 2015, 9:13 pm

I haven't done a walkway, but I have done a 8'x12' patio off my porch and a 15' diameter fire pit. Like you said, the deeper the better, but it's a walkway, not a driveway. I did 4" gravel, compacting it every 2", then 1" sand(2" is too much IMO, because the sand is just used to level the pavers), then laid my pavers. Dig out the depth of your gravel + sand, don't include your pavers(or only partially include them) because you want them a little higher than the surrounding ground, not level with it. Put in gravel, compact, more gravel, compact. Keep a check on the level of the gravel base, this is important because it's the foundation. If there's a high spot in the gravel base, you will have a high spot in your walkway. For the sand, lay a 3/4" PVC on the gravel base on each side of your walkway then fill the middle with sand. The outside diameter of the pipe is 1", so then you can lay a 2x4 from one pipe to the other and screed the sand to get exactly one inch. Don't compact the sand. Then install your pavers. After that, install the paver edging to keep everything nice and tight. Once that's all done, sweep sand between the joints, and I'd recommend running the plate compactor over the pavers to really settle them in and lock them in place. Keep adding sand and running the plate compactor over it until the joints no longer take any sand. Might even want to lightly water it down for good measure. Oh, and the polymeric sand is a nightmare, just get the regular sand.

Took this pic while spreading mulch.
Image

mattya
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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 30th, 2015, 8:16 am

Sweet thanks - So basically sounds like what I had planned. The pvc trick is good to know, thanks for that!

Wondering why you didn't compact the sand?

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by Billybob » June 30th, 2015, 10:17 am

I recommend polymeric sand once you have the pavers down instead of plain old sand. Polymeric has binders in it that bond the pavers together n harden to create a good barrier. Doesn't wash out like sand.

It also comes it different colors. Good stuff, I use it on my EP Henry pavers. Brush it in with a broom like sand then water the entire patio,light spritz. Try to get the sand off the pavers and not let it sit.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 30th, 2015, 1:54 pm

mattya wrote:Sweet thanks - So basically sounds like what I had planned. The pvc trick is good to know, thanks for that!

Wondering why you didn't compact the sand?
You want to lay the pavers on uncompacted sand so that after they are laid and you run the compactor over the pavers, the compactor will force the pavers down into the sand, which forces the sand up between the joints from the bottom and helps to lock your pavers in place. Then you follow up by adding more sand from the top, sweeping it in, and continue compacting.

@Billybob, I tried the polymeric sand first, and it didn't work out so well. I followed the instructions to a T, swept it in the joints, removed any excess on the pavers, lightly misted, etc and everything was great. A few weeks later(plenty of time for the polymeric to cure) we had a decent rain storm and white foamy film(the binding polymers) from the polymeric sand came up and made a mess of everything and stained my new pavers. I did more reading on polymeric sand and I wasn't the first to have this experience, so I decided to try again with regular sand. It took a whole day of pressure washing the polymeric from between the joints and cleaning off the pavers, but I've been happier since installing regular joint sand. Polymeric is a good idea, which is why I went with it first due to the binding properties, but in my experience it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Maybe I just got a bad brand or a bad batch. What brand do you use? I used Quikrete.


mattya
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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 30th, 2015, 2:01 pm

I feel like that could cause the pavers to push into the sand and end up uneven? Wouldn't you want to make sure the base is flat and level?

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 30th, 2015, 2:15 pm

Guess you're right - Most things I'm reading don't mention tamping down the sand. Sweet, sounds good. Glad I asked and get these things sorted out before hand lol.

As for the sand - I'll take note of Quikrete polymeric. Maybe I'll look for another brand. Going to go by a local landscaping business tomorrow to see what they have for pavers and can ask for opinions.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 30th, 2015, 2:16 pm

mattya wrote:I feel like that could cause the pavers to push into the sand and end up uneven? Wouldn't you want to make sure the base is flat and level?
It does force them into the sand, but they will only be uneven if your gravel base is uneven. The compacted gravel is the foundation for everything, and making sure it is level is the most important thing.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 30th, 2015, 2:42 pm

How big is the walkway? If you need a decent amount, it may be cheaper to buy crusher run from a rock quarry for your gravel base and concrete sand(not masonry sand) for your sand base from them and have it delivered. The gravel was like $25/ton for me, and if I would have bought the bags at Home Depot it would've been $4.15 for a 45lb bag, roughly 45 bags = 1 ton, so it would've been almost $200/ton going that route. After I laid my pavers, I then used the tan Home Depot sand to fill in my joints. You can't see the gray sand I used in the base.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 30th, 2015, 4:42 pm

I've got to measure it but I'm guessing around 80 sq ft, in which case 1 ton should be just about right.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by Billybob » June 30th, 2015, 5:13 pm

Never had that issue, I've done it twice. Maybe you got rain b4 it set. Don't know but it's good stuff. Had the patio 12 yrs and reapplied a couple yrs ago.

It really keeps everything together, nice n tight. Not one ant hole

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » June 30th, 2015, 5:27 pm

Billybob wrote:Never had that issue, I've done it twice. Maybe you got rain b4 it set. Don't know but it's good stuff. Had the patio 12 yrs and reapplied a couple yrs ago.

It really keeps everything together, nice n tight. Not one ant hole

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image
Did you also use Quikrete? Or a different brand?

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 30th, 2015, 5:41 pm

I'm interested in the brand of polymeric sand, too. The rain came well after I had finished my firepit, probably a little over 2 weeks. And I didn't over wet it either, just kept a light mist to keep it damp. All the features of binding the pavers, keeping weeds and ants out, etc sound like a win-win. It just didn't work out for me for some reason, even though I followed Quikrete's instructions to a T.

[ Post made via iPhone ] Image

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by Billybob » June 30th, 2015, 6:05 pm

Def did not use quickete....so I can't comment on that. I went to a building supply house. I will call them tomorrow and ask for brand name. I can't remember right now but I love it.

You know I remember getting some particles on top of the pavers that where white in color but after it dried I just brushed it off.

My pavers are called Devon stone from EP Henry. They are not very porous so maybe yours are and more of the material sits on top and gets into the pavers.

Here is a picture.....I used a grey polymeric sand, but I know they have tan also.
Image

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by Billybob » June 30th, 2015, 6:12 pm

I just called...they were still open. It's called techni- seal.

http://www.techniseal.com/web/polymeric-sand.php?pl=13

I used RG+

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ken-n-nancy » June 30th, 2015, 6:20 pm

"Polymeric sand" is a quite generic term, kind of like somebody saying they planted some "grass seed." There are completely different formulations of polymeric sand (kind of like different kinds of grasses (fescue, kentucky bluegrass, poa trivialis)) and different variations of each formulation (kind of like different grass cultivars). Your mileage may vary significantly from one "polymeric sand" to another.

Our contractor used Alliance Gator Super Sand which has held up well. We used it on some small areas of our own with success, too.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by Billybob » June 30th, 2015, 6:47 pm

The only thing about the brand I used is when it breaks down ( had mine about 7-8 yrs before it did) you have to remove the remaining old material. It doesn't bond well new and old. For me it wasn't too bad because my joints were wide so I got in there with a screw driver.

Yes all brands are not all alike

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » June 30th, 2015, 8:17 pm

Makes sense. I got my polymeric sand at Lowe's and I guess that's the equivalent of getting my grass seed there. Quikrete is like the Scott's of the masonry world. lol Good analogy, ken-n-nancy. I may give it another shot with a better quality sand later on, but the regular sand seems to be doing good right now. Thanks for the info guys.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by mattya » July 1st, 2015, 3:58 pm

Just ordered everything I need today. Gravel/sand is being delivered tomorrow and I'll use my dads truck to pickup the rest on a pallet. Planning to spend the day Friday and Saturday (I'm on call, but hopefully it's slow) working on this project. I'll post some pictures of before/during/after.

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Re: Paver walkway questions

Post by ENVY23 » July 1st, 2015, 5:01 pm

Sweet! Any more questions during the project just ask, I'll keep an eye on this thread to try and help as best I can. The fire pit turned out really well, but was definitely a learning experience. Once I finished that, the patio was a piece of cake.

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