You may have thought about laying pavers over concrete but assumed that it would be the kind of daunting task best left to professionals. If that's the way you feel, you're not alone. Many people assume they simply can't do this by themselves, so they end up paying exorbitant fees for a professional crew. However, if you have the right tools and knowledge, laying pavers over concrete can be simple.
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Checking with your Local Authorities
Under normal circumstances, you can do this kind work without worrying about permits or permission. However, checking with your local government is a great habit to get into any time you do construction projects on your home. This is especially the case if you are working on an area where there's water runoff. Some residential communities also have specific laws on the use of driveways. Because of this, it's a good idea to check with any authorities including your HOA, municipalities, and county.
Prepare yourself
Before you start your work, you should make sure you are well prepared. Creating a paved area is a very easy to manage task but if you don't start with a paver design or plan, it's easy to get confused and make missteps. A plan is a must whether you are working on a small or a large area.
What tools do you need?
Before you start preparing the area, make sure you have all the below tools. This will make your work easier and reduce the amount of energy you spend searching for tools when you are already in the middle of the job.
- Wheelbarrow
- Road base
- Coarse sad
- Joining sand
- Garden Gloves
- Spade
- Cement
- String line to measure the area
- Small trowel
- Whacker packer
- Level
- Broom
- Straight edge
Laying Pavers Over Concrete, Step One: Excavation
The first step is to pave the area. You should excavate it first, allowing additional room to work at the edges. During this step, you'll remove all the vegetation and loose debris. You should also ensure that you have excavated deep enough for your paver thickness.
Laying Pavers Over Concrete, Step Two: Prepare the base
The second step is to prepare the excavated area. You can use a whacker packer to align the road base. Go over it at least three times. Make sure you change the direction each time. The step also should involve spreading the sand to a desired thickness.
Laying Pavers Over Concrete, Step Three: How to lay the pavers
In the process of laying the pavers, you should start by setting up a header course off one of the sides. You can always choose to do this on the longest side of the paver. Just make sure you are leaving about a 3mm gap between the pavers. This will make it easier to adjust and will reduce potential paver damages.
Laying Pavers Over Concrete, Step Four: How to edge and lock the paving
After you are done with laying the pavers, you'll want to edge and lock them in place. You should use a sand and cement mix to lock any paving edge that aren't against a wall. After this, support all the outer edges of your paving job to make it less likely that the pavers will move over time.
Laying Pavers Over Concrete, Step Five: Sand and settling
Now that you have laid all the pavers, take your time to make sure the pavers are dry. You may also choose to add joint sand in order to lock everything in place.
After you've finished everything else, sweep the sand with a broom so excess is removed. Finally, you can once again use a whacker packer with an old piece of carpet beneath. This is will settle everything and compress the pavers into the sand bed underneath.
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