The paver bed is usually made of sand, 1/4″-10 crushed gravel, or synthetic material, and is the topmost paver support layer keeping pavers in place.
The principle to remember is this: your pavers are only as stable as the base they're sitting on. That's why you'll need to lay a substantial gravel base on top of your dirt. Use road base gravel so that you get the right mix of fine and coarse aggregates for the best compaction.
Many factors contribute to the right choice of base material and installation method, including geographic location, drainage requirements, planned use and more. Materials to put under pavers might include mortar, sand, bituminous material or pedestals.
What Happens If You Don't Put Gravel Under Pavers? Drainage can really make or break an area where pavers are installed. If you have a paver patio, for example, without gravel or an alternative drainage system in place, water can roll back on it, causing damaging erosion.
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.
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.
Why You Need Drainage Under Pavers. Water can be a home's worst enemy. A build-up of moisture around your home can damage your foundation and your landscaping, cause mold and mildew, put you, your family, and your pets at risk of slipping and falling, and much more.
We suggest using 3/4″ gravel for the base. This can be either 3/4″ crushed stone or a 3/4″ recycled concrete product. Both products allow for adequate compaction and drainage—compact your gravel base with a vibrating plate compactor.
It remains one of the most popular materials for pavers due to its accessibility and spreadability. But landscapers recommend using sand under pavers for areas that get some, but not constant foot traffic as over a long period and with excessive use, the pavers will begin to shift.
Dry laying allows porcelain pavers to be laid directly on grass and sand, but also on gravel, thanks to their reduced thickness of 20 millimeters that avoids the use of adhesives.
Do not place plastic under any paving application. Some people place plastic believing this will prevent weed growth.
The ICPI (The Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) recommends installing a geotextile fabric under pavers in all clay soil applications. Without a geotextile, soil can migrate from the sub-base material and cause the paver system to fail.
Often, homeowners want to put pavers over top of existing concrete because it's much better than the alternative: tearing up the underlying concrete first, which is a messy and potentially expensive job. Fortunately, you can put pavers directly over existing concrete.
The amount of sand you use can make or break your paver installation, so it's best that you use no more than the recommended 1 inch. Here's why: A sand layer that is too thick can create waves in your patio during the installation. Pressing pavers into a thick sand bed may result in misalignment and a messy look.
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.
You'll be using 4 inches of gravel, which is 1/3 of a yard, for a paver base. To figure out how many cubic feet of gravel you will need, multiply your square footage by 1/3. In this example, you'd need about 20 cubic feet of gravel, or 3/4 cubic yards. You may want more in case you spill some.
An influx of water that sits for a long period of time can damage your paver surfaces by weakening the cracks or chips already present. If your pavers are already loose, they may collapse. Flooding can also lead to erosion when soil and rock are transported and deposited into the area.
Pavers are great for patios, since they allow water to seep through and not form puddles and pools.
Interlocking Pavers: Concrete pavers and bricks, installed without mortar on a bed of sand or pebbles, are attractive, and water can easily pass through the small joints between pavers.
Joint stabilization – If you don't have sand in the joints, rain water or pool water will run between the brick paver joints, and wash out the base aggregate sand material your brick pavers float on, (usually a 1.5” – 2” sand base) making your brick pavers loose, wobbly, uneven, sunken in or even raised up in some ...
Stone aggregate comes in a variety of sizes, but most experts recommend 3/4-inch gravel for paver bases. 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.
Lay Pea Gravel
Fill in between the pavers. Continue the process until you have filled your area without covering over the pavers. You may need to inspect the pavers and move gravel underneath them if they're not level. Use your sweeper or a blower to clean off the dust that comes with the gravel.