any paving experts on here?

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diymirage

diymirage

HP@idle > hondaHP@redline
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so I have this section in my back yard where the grass does not want to grow
not a big deal, since I don't care to mow it anyways

I decided to put in a "patio" with a fire pit on top
this will be a 9 foot 5 inch wide round paved section with "dry cast pavers"

https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...441434706-c-5786.htm?tid=-4018023883352098237

I called the place that sells them, and the person I talked to said this can be installed on top of black dirt just fine
simple remove the grass, smooth out the black dirt and put the pavers on

according to the instructions I need 4 inches of "compacted base" (whatever that is), or 2 inches of paver base AND on inch of leveling sand


so, which one is it?

do I just level the black dirt and call it good?
do I go with the instructions (and spend another $100.00 on different sands)
or is there a third option (like free fill sand off C/L) that will do the trick ?


thanks guys
 
If you want it to last then go overboard. I did my 20x25 patio 18 years ago and other than a couple of places that get the sand washed out from rain it still looks like the day I laid it.
I went with 4" of 1"minus rock compacted with 1" paver base [crushed rock] Al this was compacted with a vibrating compactor. Then I put 1" sand on top and screed it level using 1"fence post for my depth and dragging it off with a 2x4. Layed the pavers, swept the joints full with sand, left a layer of sand on top and went over the entire thing with the vibrating tamper.
 
thanks for the reply

is the vibrator crucial to this?
I was hoping I could do without that part
its just a small patio to have a fire pit on
 
I looked into this a little a few years back. If you live where the ground freezes you should consider using the right base material... You can lay them on grade, but they will move around over time. That's what I was told anyway...
 
yeah, it definitely freezes here

I called a local excavating company today, to see what they have to offer
I heard good things about crushed lime
 
Vibrating tamper is not a necessity but it does make it easier. Crushed lime is what I used on top of the 1" minus rock to get a solid base. We also get the freeze thaw situation here. You could use a hand tamper for the job but renting a vibrating plate tamper for 1/2'day or if you are lucky the local rental place does it by the hour is well worth the $25-$50 to get it done in an hour. I also found using the metal edge strips to lock them in place worked much better than the plastic ones.
 
X2 With topslcuda , I would dig down so that
Paver surface is equal to lawn surface when finished. Pack dirt, 3/4 minus pack then an
Inch of sand , screed level. Use straight 2x4's and 4' level. Once level lay pavers in pattern you want walking on pavers as you
Go , not the sand. Use a rubber mallet to tap
Pavers tight. When finished spred sand over
Pavers and work in with compactor. Pavers should sink about a 1/2" keep moving as not
To pack in one place for too long. When finished sand should be packed into cracks
Sweep of excess . Fired pavers are rated at
About 6000 lb per sq in vurses concrete at
3000 lb. I've layed a few. Good thing about
Pavers is if they start to sink you can pull one or all and reset them
 
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well guys, here is the result
not as great I would have hoped, but decent enough for my first try

I think I may have skipped a bit on the leveling, figuring the compactor on top would level the pavers...and that didn't quite happen

whenever the weather turns I will put some locking sand on there, and after that install the actual fire pit

 
Looks Great to me also !! Hell I thought you meant Asphalt Paving. I did that two Summers in a row, while I was in High School.....NOT FUN !!
 
thanks guys, I'm pretty happy with it

they are Belgium tumblers, whatever that means

the whole thing came in a kit, it was a good size skid that weighed 2100 pounds, and a sheet of paper that shows what stone goes were
I think there were 5 different shapes of stones in there

altogether, a pretty fund project

(and there are enough stones left to make some other small land scape doohickeys with (I think they send a few extra just to make the stack nice and square)
 
image.jpg
That turned out well. You should be proud of it.
I just hosed out all the cracks in my walkway the other day and resanded them. Next is the patio.
 
Not bad for a rookie . Give yourself a pat on the back. Now I'm going to scold ya . yes you should have paid more attention to sand leveling. you expected the packer to adjust for mistakes. Ok so what are we doing this week end .
 
toplscuda said:
View attachment 1714933935 That turned out well. You should be proud of it.
I just hosed out all the cracks in my walkway the other day and resanded them. Next is the patio.
Click to expand...
now that looks good, ill have to keep that in mind for the next project

zigs said:
Not bad for a rookie . Give yourself a pat on the back. Now I'm going to scold ya . yes you should have paid more attention to sand leveling. you expected the packer to adjust for mistakes. Ok so what are we doing this week end .
Click to expand...

lol, that sounds like something my dad would say

I will actually be up north this weekend...so no time to redo it ;)
 
Some times it takes two dads to keep you
young guys straight. Don't fore get to fill in dirt around pavers.
 
zigs said:
Not bad for a rookie . Give yourself a pat on the back. Now I'm going to scold ya . yes you should have paid more attention to sand leveling. you expected the packer to adjust for mistakes. Ok so what are we doing this week end .
Click to expand...

Lol, now that's funny.
 
zigs said:
Some times it takes two dads to keep you
young guys straight. Don't fore get to fill in dirt around pavers.
Click to expand...


and considering there is about 5000 miles between me and my dad, I appreciate the help
 
you'll get a kick out of this Zigs, I talked to my parents on the phone the other day
my dad said that it was a good learning opportunity for next time but my mom (whos dad was a bricklayer) told me to rip it up and do it over
she said that her mom, who was a seamstress, made her do over her sewing time and again until she got it right

so, i figured if they were gonna scold me like a teenager, i would ignore them like a teenager, quickly put the fire pit on top and call it good

(the adhesive will take at 2 days to fully cure), so come Thursday ill be cooking smores and stovetop popcorn over an open fire :)




 
Oh ! For minute I thought you were showing
me a picture of Stone Hindge. We grew up in a different time and mind set. Don't blow
Your parents off.
 
lol, no worries, that was all tongue in cheek
(i wouldn't disregard their advise in serious matters, this was just a little throwback to when i was younger and lived under their roof and rule)

i actually used the "Stonehenge" reference to explain to my brother in law what it would look like

I'm pretty happy with the way it came out
 
I see all the "perfect" back yards. Dont be one of those people. The restoration builders(think clapboard houses) put lots of effort into not quite being perfect.
 
fratzog lover said:
I see all the "perfect" back yards. Dont be one of those people. The restoration builders(think clapboard houses) put lots of effort into not quite being perfect.
Click to expand...

not intentional, but i think i nailed it then
take a look at the brick in the 12oclock position in the second picture
the silly thing is upside down
 
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