Managing Home Maintenance Costs

This is a continuation from a previous post about installing pavers or interlocking stones on your driveway. Once you have compacted the base, leveled the base and placed the patio stones in the design that you have chosen it is time to complete the final steps. In this case the stones were placed in a half moon shape. Borders running down both sides of the driveway. It is important to install the pavers as level as possible. Before adding the sand concrete mixture to go in between the joints.

Pour the sand across the driveway starting at one side. Using a brush, push the sand across every stone so that all cracks are filled. Once this step is completed you will want to run a compactor across all of the pavers which will accomplish two goals. The first is to compact all of the pavers well into the base  and essentially make them all level with each other.

The second objective is to vibrate the pavers so that the sand concrete mixture penetrates the joints all the way to bottom. This is the way the professional do it. They make sure that the base is well compacted and level as possible following the natural slope of the driveway. Compacting the pavers and pushing the sand into the space between the stones ensures that they will not move. Also water does not easily penetrate between them.

Driveway Paver Installation – Repeat the Process

Once the first phase is completed, you find that more sand concrete mixture must be added. Again using a broom, brush the sand across all cracks so that they are completely filled. You will also want to sweep up any access at this point as well Some consumers will run the compactor over the stone one more time and refill any cracks that require more sand. Too much sand mixture on the stones will cause it to adhere to the top of the pavers. You will want to remove all excess sand mixture before completing the next step in the process. The last step is critical and must be done correctly otherwise the sand concrete mixture will not set properly.

Driveway Paver Installation – Lightly Spray Water

We really mean lightly spray some water on the sand concrete combination to harden it. If you spray too much water on it too soon, the sand concrete mixture will not harden properly. You may find it lifting in the future from these cracks. The final bond will ensure that the joints are all sealed and no water will get in between them especially in the winter which would cause cracking and lifting of the patio stones.