Building a Stone Paver Patio – Tips/do’s/Don’ts?
DoItYourself-er
| Posted in General Discussion on
First time poster here. I’m getting ready to lay a stone paver patio. I’ve read different things on layer depths of gravel and sand. I plan on having at least 3 in gravel and 2 in sand. Is this enough? Also I plan on using 6×9 and 6×6 pavers. How do I calculate the amount I need of each? My patio measurement is 15ft x 16ft. Any recommendations on patterns using the stones I’ve chosed? Any advice is much appreciated.
Replies
The main rule is compact well. A hand compactor will work for a small area, but for larger you want a plate compactor or jumping jack. (But one of the nice things about pavers over sand/stone is that if you screw up somehow it's only labor -- you can always pull them up and redo it.)
Ideally you should work from a pattern for your layout, and it should tell you how many of each size paver per square foot. If not, just draw it out on graph paper and count. It doesn't hurt to draw out the whole thing anyway, or at least any odd corners, etc, so you can plan things properly.
paver patio
did pavers @ my sons last weekend follow instructions @ EP HENRY 5inches of stone in 2 lifts compacted each time. one inch of dry sand screeded use pvc or electrical conduit for rails and straight 2x4 for screed. Stone yard where you buy pavers will figure everything for you depending on pattern you pick to lay. Do not go to big box stores. Good luck it is a lot of work 12x 24 9 tons of stone. 1.5 tons of sand.
-tjc
The pavers I've picked are sold at lowe's. Is this a bad idea? They're concrete, so inexpensive. I'm not crazy about the color but I figured I could stain them later if need-be. See pics of pavers...
I'm not sure staining would work that well (at least not INTENTIONAL staining), but there's nothing wrong with the cheap concrete pavers, generally, if the basic look suits you.
Figure there are 4 6x6 pavers per square foot, or 2-2/3 6x9 pavers per square foot.
There are many guides to installing pavers on the web, such as this one: http://www.sansoucystone.com/files/ideal-paver-guide.pdf . Their "Brook Stone" pavers are the same proportions (though different absolute size) as your pavers, so the patterns for "Brook Stone" would work on your project.
lowes paver
checked prices at blowes and home despot ep henrys same size at local yard are 2.50 sq ft my price I am not a mason just G.C. followed advie of mason friend of mine at M.W. masonry job came out very nice. couldn't find anything comparable at box stores and a lot of there pavers are only 1 1/2" thick
Completed Project
Well guys, I completed the patio. I have a few worries though and was hoping to get a little insight from any professionals with experience laying pavers. As luck would have it, the day after I swept in the polymeric sand it rained...all day...and then some more the next day. The patio seemed to drain fine save for one low spot that I'll have to fix. But I'm not sure the polymeric sand will cure/set up correctly after soaking up all the water. Also the edges of the pavers seem to hold moisture and not dry out all the way. Is this becuase the moisture soaked up by the polymeric sand is leaching upwards? Will I need to re-do the polymeric sand? I'll try to upload some pictures in the coming days. Thanks for any input.
Sealer
You're going to need to apply a sealer after the polymeric. Wait for it to be good and dry though. RTfD on the sealer. It may help on your edge moisture issue. Is the surrounding landscaping graded correctly?
What did you use for edge retention to keep the pavers from sliding out?
The polymeric should be fine, just scrub off any excess as soon as you can. Might need a stick to scrape it if it's adhered itself. If your not happy with the polymeric you can pressure wash it the patio and it'll remove the polymeric for a redo.
I know you're done with these parts but if you ever do another one, run 2x screed guides every 8ft or so set to the level/grade that you want. Pull these after you're done wit the plate compactor and fill the remaining slots with sand (here they recommend M10, a granite dust for the whole job). This will prevent your low spot. PVC on the ground is fine for walkways that follow the terrain.
Poster earlier mentioned using a Jumping Jack. Not a great idea next to a basement foundation, OK next to a slab though. Smaller lifts of 2" or less and a vibratory plate compactor works well even with Crusher Run. Depending on your luck and how well the first lift of sand was vibrated, gravel under the sand is difficult to work since the sand will over time work it's way down into the voids of the gravel and cause subsidence issues with your pavers later.
Sealer
john7g,
I just re-read your post and wanted to thank you for the advice. To answer some of your questions: the surrounding area is graded correctly and I used a pretty heavy duty plastic edger (don't remember the brand name, from home depot) secured with spikes.
I think I'm going to re-do the polymeric sand and will probably reset a few areas while I'm at it. Another question about the poly sand...is it supposed to set up like pretty hard? The polymer clearly washed out as it sweeps away easily. One thing I'm confused about is the moisture the sand is still holding. Its been a week since any rain and most of the polysand is still moist. Towards the outter portion of the patio the polysand has dried. From the middle portion back towards the house all the sand is still moist.
About sealer...what's the best brand to use? Is there a type that will give the patio a permanent wet look?
Sealer
I don't know a best sealer They all fail over time and need to be reapplied every year or so depedning on your conditions and use. Find one that you're comfortable with and try it in a small obscure place to see if you like the look. The paver mfg probably has a brand they recommend too. There are some that give it that permament wet look but the ones I've read require that the stones be abolutely dry and that includes the base. Lay a sheet of plastic across an area that covers more than one stone and tape the edges down. Let it sit a day and see if anything condenses on the lower surface of the plastic. That moisture came up from the pavers and base. Any moisture under the wet look sealers will make a foggy area, at elast on the ones I've used. The wet looks sealers may make it slippery when wet and that wet look wears down in the traffic areas faster than you want.
The ploymeric will dry to a rubber consistencey. It'll flex but not break and creates a seal to keep the water from traveling below the pavers, and with it's expansion it'll tighten up the stones, it should be dry by now. Does it get sun? There's a process for placing it to follow, not sure if you had instructions. Spread a layer of it across the whole area when the pavers are dry. You can broom it back and forth and shake the tiles with a rubber mallet but the best is to run a vibratory plate compactor with a carpet remant wrapped onto the plate. This'll shake the sand down into the gaps/cracks. Broom off the excess, then blow the duts off. It's a fine line to blowing off the dust and clearing out what you want to remain. But get that dust off. Hose down the area, then let it set for 15 minutes and then hose and do your final scrubbing/cleaning.
Sealer
sorry dbl post
The edges of the blocks stay wet longer because water runs down between them and gets the sides of the blocks wet -- perfectly normal.
And re the polymeric sand, folks did well for a few centuries without it, so don't have a calf about some of it compacting or the goo washing away. You'll likely need to sweep more sand into the cracks several times before everything is filled, though, with or without the polymeric sand.
If the polymeric made it down between the pavers, it'll seal the gap and prevent the water from getting down between them. Best way to apply is to spread it and then vibrate the patio then sweep/blow off the rest.
ETA: then water the polymeric.
Thanks for the input guys
Below is a pic of the finished patio. I think the sand is setting up slower than it should but it'll be ok in the long run. I thought about sealing it but I've read different things about it, i.e. doing it immediately vs. waiting 3+ weeks. Also have heard differing opinions on doing it at all b/c it prevents the pavers from breathing?? I feel like it'd be a good thing to do as it would repell water vs. the pavers soaking water?
The dirt grade is falling away from the patio for the most part. I do have to do a little more work on the left side to get it where I want it. Next step is getting some sod around it and I feel like I need to get that done as soon as possible.
Ultimately I want to cover this with a pergola and I think I have a pretty good vision of how I want to do it but that'll probably be next summer. It's a work in progress.....
Looks pretty good!
The Stone Patio Design looks
The (spam link I stuck here was deleted) looks awesome guys very welldone !