 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Display your paver project photos on icpicentralfl.com. Contact us to send your brick paver photos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Homeowner FAQ | Do-It-Yourself Brick Paver Installation
Before and After Photos | Brick Paver Care and Maintenance
What to do to prepare for installing pavers?
The layout of an interlocking concrete pavement is where the drawing and expectations of a homeowner is translated into reality. In addition to knowing the size of the project and excavated area forces the contractor or homeowner to consider material placement and the sequence of job functions. With all these factors planned in advance the job is sure to go smoothly. As with layout and excavation, proper preparation of the pavement foundation is one of the most important elements of the job. Base preparation and soil sub grade should be the most labor intensive part of the installation. For an example, if the job is approximated to take five days, you can expect the soil sub grade and base preparation to take up about three days. Preparing the sub grade is setting the table for the entire project.
What base materials should I use and how deep should it be?
You will first need to determine the soil type. A properly prepared subgrade will support the base above it and allow the base to perform its role of distributing the loads and stresses from above. Some soil types can end up being more labor intensive and costly. Crushed stone creates a strong base. It may be called different things in different parts of the country – aggregate, crush crete and road base are a few examples. Whatever the name, the stone should range in size from about 3/4" down to a fine dust. ICPI recommends minimum base thickness for different applications. For pedestrian areas, including patios and driveways, a minimum of 4 in. thickness is recommended. For residential driveways a minimum of 6 in. thickness is recommended. These thickness will be increased over continually wet or weak soils.
How to install pavers:
First dig the section you wish to pave with the depths mentioned above. (Keep in mind that you will need to add at least 4" on each side of the excavated area for the edge restraints.) Place a thin layer of base material compacting it every 2"-4" with a layer of sand over the base consistent to the thickness. ICPI guidelines recommend the bedding sand to be installed between 3/4" and 1 1/2". A 2% pitch (quarter bubble on a level) is more than adequate for your pavers. Pavers should always be pitched to carry water away from structures or poor draining areas. Once the base material is level you are now ready to install the pavers. Instead of connecting pavers, as you would tiles, by pouring grout between the joints, you merely tamp down the fine sand particles. The sand that was installed on top of the base material stabilizes the pavers yet allows for some flexibility. Cutting the pavers is a very important part of installing pavers. Pavers will be cut mostly around the edges of a project and most installers use a hand-held gas powered saw. This will be noisy and will create a large amount of dust. Edge constraints will need to be place to hold the pavers in place for the lifetime of the pavement. Most installers use cement to use as the edge constraint. The last step is compacting the pavers in place. First compact the pavers without joint sand so you can create an initial interlock. All pavers should have about two passes with the compactor prior to filling them with the joint sand. When this process is completed apply the dry joint sand by spreading and sweeping it over the pavers. Then, compact the pavers until the joint sand has been pressed into all the joints. What are the methods for compacting the base materials? The most used method of compacting base material is a place compactor. For small areas a hand held tamp may be used.
What are the methods for compacting the base materials?
The most used method of compacting base material is a plate compactor. For small areas a hand held tamp may be used.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
