Image by lucias_clay via Flickr
Choices for the look of your walkway or patio have never been as abundant as they are right now. There are dozens and dozens of different textures and colors and textures to choose from when you are looking at pavers. And pavers have never been easier to install for the do-it-yourself homeowner, there are a multitude of how-to videos that are produced by the manufactures along with great entries from homeowners themselves and cable stations like the DIY network.
Once you have that dream walkway, patio or garden area done and it has been exposed to the weather for a number of cold New England winters even using the strongest and best made pavers there is bound to be a need for some maintenance. Tom Phelan has written a good primer on repairing your paver installation titled Resurrecting fallen walkway pavers.
“Once you have removed all the stones from the reconstruction area, you will need to spread a new layer of sand, and level it to receive the stones once again. The level of the sand must be slightly high, because it will be compressed during the reinstallation process. To level the sand, cut a screed board with notches at each end. The notched ends will rest on the stable pavers. The depth of the center of the screed should be about 1/8” less than the thickness of the paver. Fill in the low areas, level with the screed board, tamp, and repeat until you feel you have a level, firm base.”
A little TLC can go along way in keeping your paver installation looking great for decades or even longer. If you have a great tip about pavers please leave a comment below…
