Installing a paved driveway

A home or an office driveway or walkway will always having a lasting impression on visitors. Block pavers can make the difference between an ordinary walkway and stunning curb appeal. Curb appeal will do wonders if you are trying to sell a house, it will force the potential home buyer to stop and take notice. 

When choosing a driveway or patio, there are many choices available. Concrete is so brittle and breaks so easily while asphalt is not at all pretty. Gravel is cheap, but needs replacing often and finding gravel in the lawn with your feet or the lawnmower can be uncomfortable and dangerous. One of the commonly used ways of beautifying the walkway, driveway or patio that will not disappoint is by use of paving blocks. They come in so many colors, designs and sizes and allowing the owner or contractor choices of patterns and edgings to make a driveway or patio a piece of art. Repairs, if necessary, require no more than picking up a broken paver and replacing it. There's no better material than pavers for your driveway or patio.

To avoid frustration and wasted time and ensure that your driveway turns out as beautifully as possible it's important to carefully follow the directions when installing the pavers;

Prepare the base

Mark the area and excavate it to a depth of 4 inches (100mm) for patios and sidewalks. If the area is being laid with paving blocks for the first time the topsoil has to be removed before final marking for excavation. In case the topsoil is large, you can rent a topsoil remover to lighten the work of removing it. Save the topsoil heap in one spot as it can become handy in future for landscaping purposes. Special care should be taken in case of cotton soil; all of it should be removed and disposed. Paving blocks should never be laid on unstable ground.

When working on an existing patio or driveway remove the existing one by use of a sledgehammer and pick axe to break up the old sidewalk. The work will be easier if you create gaps or holes in the pavement to allow you to break and pry up the pieces.

If you are paving a driveway, excavate at least 10 to 14 inches (250 – 350mm) so you can make a paver base of at least 8 to 12 inches (200 – 300mm) of road gravel, crushed rock or quarry chips. You can easily get the quarry chips or gravel for the paver base from local quarries.

Rake out and compact the base material

Compacting is the most important part of any paving project. Place enough gravel to a depth within 3 inches (75mm) below the finished grade of the pavers. Allow for a slight grade so water will not puddle in your driveway.  A well compacted base will always ensure that the driveway or patio withstands the pressure imposed on it by heavy loads.

Add sand to a depth of 2 inches (75mm) below final paver grade and screed to a smooth surface. This grade will allow for settling allowance during final compaction. Keep material smooth during installation.

Setting the Pavers on the Base

When you finally starting laying the paving blocks on the finished base, start with a straight edge or corner. Edging should rise just slightly above the walkway, so keep the sand about 2 inches below the top of the edging.  Use a string line to keep the pavers straight. If you are paving a large, wide area, begin at a center line and work toward each edge. This helps keep the pavers better aligned. Keep the pattern in alignment. Always place all full pavers before doing any edge cuts.

When you are finished setting all pavers in place, sprinkle sand over the entire surface and compact using a compactor plate.The compactor plate helps in vibrating and running sand into joints.  After compacting is done, fill edge joints with concrete if they are twenty five percent less than a full block.
Edges or road curb should be dry before laying any blocks as they could easily give way due to compaction. Once work is complete sweep off excess sand and debris Sweep off the excess sand. If you wish, you can apply a sealer to enhance the color and give it a wet look. Care should be taken in applying the sealer so that the paved block surface does not become slippery.