5 COMMON MISTAKES MADE WHEN LAYING PAVERS

Interlocking bricks that have concrete or other materials as their basic composition are generally known as outdoor pavers. They are also called paving stones, concrete pavers, or pavers.  These concrete pavers are generally used in the beautification of homes, shops and offices to great effect.

But beautification is just one advantage of pavers; there are many more advantages that are attached to concrete pavers. For example, unlike asphalt, concrete pavers require less maintenance and they are also much stronger – they will stand the test of time in terms of environmental degradation.

But all of these advantages are thrown away if you don’t lay the paver correctly. So in order to avoid this conundrum, here are the five most common mistakes made when laying pavers:

1. Watch Your Soil

One of the most common mistakes made when laying pavers is failing to take into account the type of soil the paver is being laid upon.

The first thing that you have to do is to get the ground ready for laying pavers. Do not even think about laying pavers on clay grounds. Though it may feel hard then and there, clay ground is almost certain to shift as time goes on.

Also, take into account the weight that is expected to be exerted on the pavers. One type of soil will hold firm for a walkway, but not for a driveway.

2. Make it Compact

The next mistake to avoid is failing to make your chosen sand compact. When compressing sand, the stability of the substrate or base is critical; it should be mechanically compacted. This can be done inexpensively by hiring a compactor.

By watering your sand and hiring the correct equipment, you can help avoid this problem. It only takes a few minutes, but it can save of hours of frustration and thousands of dollars in a few years time.

3. Drainage

Many people fail to design a good drainage system for their newly installed pavers. This tiny oversight leads to huge problems down the road.

In construction, every structure should have a very good water direction. If the water flowing across the construction is not well channeled, then the construction will soon become waterlogged.

Make sure you avoid this mistake by installing a functional and effective (quality) drainage system.

4. Keep it together

Another problem that many people face is not keeping your paver edges together. This leads to a second-rate walkway, driveway or patio that is ugly to look at, so make sure you use spacers when installing your pavers. Pavers laid closely together with corners meeting support each other and provide a stronger more stable surface

5. Settle Down

Do not make the mistake of stepping or driving over your pavers before they’ve had the adequate time to settle. As a last precautionary step, you should make sure that all the gaps between all your tiles are adequately filled. Once you are satisfied that this is the case, wait a day. Better safe than sorry.

These five common mistakes are easy to avoid if you have the right information. As a final tip, if you are thinking of using asphalt for your walkways, try sandstone pavers instead. They are much easier to install and look great!