Whilst it is technically possible to lay pavers on bare, unprepared ground, this practice is not recommended as the ground will shift over time, causing the pavers to develop a sunken look, or even crack.
Don't do it! Dirt is not a suitable paver base because it doesn't drain well and can shift, sink, and swell easily depending on weather conditions. Additionally, if your soil isn't level, you'll have uneven pavers that will be difficult—if not impossible—to fix.
After you lay gravel, you'll need to spread a smooth layer of concrete sand for your pavers to settle in and stay. If you try to replace either of these aggregates with dirt, it won't be long before you have to tear it all up and start from scratch.
Setting pavers directly over dirt is a straightforward task and is a good option if your surface has a proper drainage structure and your ground does not freeze over in winters.
Without sand, the pavers are likely to shift and sink over time, resulting in an uneven and messy surface. The sand keeps the pavers in place, preventing unnecessary replacements and repairs, as well as keeping your patio free from tripping hazards.
Materials to put under pavers might include mortar, sand, bituminous material or pedestals. Should I Lay Pavers on Sand or Mortar? Again, it will depend on several factors. The mortar set method is most popular and is typically used in pedestrian or vehicular areas where a rigid system is required.
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. Quarry processing creates a combination of 3/4-inch crushed stone and stone dust.
A GRAVEL BASE LAYER BEFORE SAND IS A MUST! Using sand alone to set pavers is not enough. The best and recommended paver base is 3/8-inch crushed gravel. The gravel provides a flexible base that absorbs ground tension to prevent frost heaves.
A traditional base consists of a 3/4″ angular crushed stone down to fines also called Granular A or 3/4 minus. The bedding layer of this is a screed layer of concrete sand. This is the base that is recommended by ICPI in paver installation.
Before you begin laying pavers, prepare the ground. Ensure you have a root and rubble free compatible sand sub-base of at least 50mm thick. The sub-base should be roughly levelled and damped down before tamping down firmly with a hand or mechanical compactor.
Estimating the Paver Sand
The final paver sand depth needs to be 1 inch and you need to account for sand filtering into the paver base and into the joints between the pavers. Make your calculations using a sand depth of 2 inches or 0.1667 feet.
Tamp and sweep
Compacting causes the stones to form a tight bond with the bedding layer, which reduces the chance of your pavers sinking again.
It's simple science. Water moves in between things and by adding pavers to your landscaping, you're ensuring there are cracks and joints between them, which allows water to drain through. One thing to remember though is to allow sufficient space between pavers to allow water drainage.
The traditional base for a paver patio is 4–6” of compacted gravel above your dirt. If you're installing a driveway or road intended for vehicular traffic, you'll need to double the thickness of your gravel layer.
When comparing the price of paving stones to gravel driveways, patios, and walkways, paving stones are significantly more expensive than gravel. Not only is the material cost for paving stones more expensive than gravel, but the labor cost for installation is substantially higher as well.
Pea gravel is very versatile, often used to cover driveways and fill spaces between stone pavers. It also serves as a good weed barrier and won't decompose like mulch.
When you install the pavers, you need to make a choice. You can set them in sand or in a sand and Portland cement mix, or you can mortar them directly to a concrete slab. My paver walkways and patios are all mortared to steel-reinforced concrete slabs.
The coarse and irregularly shaped grains of joint sand create friction between the pavers, which help them stay in place. There are other types of sand that can be used as fillers, aside from joint sand. Polymeric sand is widely used, as well, especially with new paver installations.
Porcelain pavers can be laid directly over existing grass or lawn as 'stepping stones' or to create a pathway, but for better stability of the pavers, the grass beneath the pavers should first be removed, together with a shallow layer of the topsoil.
The process for how to set pea gravel into TRUEGRID pavers is simple. First, the desired paved area is excavated to a depth of about 1 inch. Next, it's filled to the top with pea gravel and compacted. Then, the empty pavers are snapped into place over the top of the filled pit.
If you are laying pea gravel and pavers, you will want to dig 2-3 inches deep. I chose to dig about 2 inches below the surface. Keep a tape measure with you through this process and make sure to check all sides of your area to ensure you're depth is consistent.
Landscape Fabric Works Under Rocks and Pavers, Too
Laying down landscape fabric will help prevent unsightly weeds from popping up in between the rocks and pavers, and as you probably already know, these are a pain to get rid of.