Replace that nasty paver!

Posted on October 30, 2011 by admin

Picture a day where the birds are singing and the day is warm with a slight breeze. Of all days this is literally the perfect day to work outside in the garden or to clean out the garage. Let’s say perhaps you decide on cleaning out the garage. In preparation for this day of organization, you pull out of the garage and into the driveway your beautifully refurbished 1962 Mustang Convertible. The day goes on and you are able to effectively clear out all the junk from the garage and organize the remainder accordingly. As you are about to congratulate yourself on a job well done, you remember to put the Mustang back in the garage. As you slowly ease your car back in the garage, a horrific irremovable oil stain is revealed. Your brand new paver driveway is destroyed… Or is it?  

Chances are that most of us have come into contact with a situation similar to this one – but hopefully not if you have a paver driveway! While we all know that if oil spills on your concrete driveway, well, you better just get used to the “artistic” design, such is not the case for pavers. Pavers are typically held in place by a special type of fine sand that is used to hold the pavers in place (mortarless set pavers).This is very different from what most of us are used to with brick and mortar driveways. While pavers can be held in place by mortar, they are more commonly held in place by sand, which makes paver repairs a whole lot easier.

The sand allows for pavers to be easily replaced should something happen (like an oil spill) or if a paver is cracked. Should you find yourself in a similar situation as denoted above, four simple steps will allow you to remove the scarred paver and replace it easily thus preserving the beauty of your driveway.

First Part: Remove the Problem Paver/s

This part is fairly simple, no matter what the reason, simply remove the problem paver from the walkway, patio or driveway.

Second Part: Put Back the Sand

General rule of thumb, if you take it out, you have to put it back! After successfully completing step one, you are now ready to replace the paver sand base. Traditionally, sand that is coarser works well for the base because of its ability to compact well, thus preventing the sinking of pavers. With this step it is essential to pay close attention to ensure that the sand you are laying down is the same level as the existing sand base, otherwise you will be creating a lovely rise in elevation that will trip your family and friends.

Third Part: Replace the Pavers

This is the fun part; remember when you were young and loved to put together puzzles? The same technique applies here! After you have placed the pavers be sure to check to make sure that they are even with the previously existing pavers, if you need to make some adjustments, a rubber mallet works well to tap pavers into place!

Fourth Part: Sweep in the Sand!

If you have made it to the fourth part, you are almost done! Now it is time to “fill the joints”! Simply sweep the finer type of sand into the joints of the pavers you have just placed. Remember, that base sand is different than grouting sand. After one sweep of sand, pull out your hose and give it a good spray to wet things down a bit. This will serve to compact the sand between the grouts, after the sand has been compacted sweep more sand into the joints –repeat. You get the idea.

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Landscape Curbing

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

It is the perfect spring day and you are sitting in the warm sun basking in the beauty of your newly planted flower beds and new paver patio while drinking a glass of white wine. The smell of flowers blooming is in the air and there is a slight breeze, you think to yourself that this is literally the perfect oasis – but all good things must come to an end so you put down your book and wine and go back into the house to do the laundry. Fast forward one week: there have been rain storms and major winds and you can’t wait for the sun to shine so that you can enjoy your garden once again. Much to your dismay, you enter your once beautiful landscaped backyard to see the soil from your planter splattered across your patio!! Now your poor plants are swimming in water due to the lack of soil that once surrounded it, and you think to yourself, this could have all been avoided with a little landscape edging…

Many people when they think of landscape edging think of simple bricks piled on top of each other to create an outline, but landscape edging has come so much further than that!  Landscape curbing is crucial if you intend on preserving your planters, garden bedding and walkways. If you fail to use a form of landscape curbing, you will find yourself in a very similar circumstance as denoted above. Landscape edging not only protects your garden beds and planters from rain but also from snow and pedestrian traffic. Landscape curbing also adds an aesthetic finish that is difficult to argue with, essentially it is the “frame for the landscape”.

Okay, so now we are assuming that you are sold on the concept of landscape edging (right?), and are probably wondering what type of materials can be used for landscape edging. Primarily there are three types of materials that are most commonly used for landscape edging: brick, stones, and concrete pavers. All of these materials are not only aesthetically beautiful, but are durable and practical (how often are beautiful and practical in the same sentence?) The question that now most likely comes to mind is, how do I choose a material? Well, one recommendation would be to use the same type of material that had previously been used for the patio to allow for a sense of congruency. Overall, it is probably most beneficial to ask yourself these questions:

  • What am I trying to frame? Do I want to bring attention to it or have it blend in?
  • Do I want it to be more decorative in nature or more subtle?
  • Do I want it to have a different texture than the solid surface that it bumps up against?
  • What is my purpose of having landscape curbing? Aesthetics, functionality or both?

 These questions may give you a little bit of direction when it comes to selecting a type of material for landscape curbing. While there are certain “Rules of Thumb” if you will, remember, it is your space and as long and you are happy with the result, you can’t go wrong!

Posted in Landscape Curbing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Simple Truth About Pavers…

Posted on September 24, 2011 by admin

Imagine you finally saved up enough money to rip out that old and torn up asphalt driveway that did a not so great of a job welcoming people to your home. Of course the natural tendency for most people is to pour a driveway of concrete and perhaps adorn it with a decorative border of brick – so naturally you follow this trend. For the first few months, the driveway is perfect! It is absolutely everything you wanted, and you wonder why you waited so long to replace what was originally there. But then one morning as you have your coffee in hand, you go out to grab the morning paper, and there is a large and unsightly crack in your concrete. At that exact moment, you recall the contractor warning you of such travesties. However, there is nothing you can do, but look at that crack every single day.

While concrete is a very affordable option for many home owners as well as commercial owners, it can also lacks on the side of longevity. The earth is constantly settling (even if you can’t feel it) and because concrete is a solid mass and an unmovable form, it can crack and break under the weight shift. In addition, depending on where you live, concrete can also be impacted by changes in the temperature. So the question that begs to be asked now is “where do pavers come into play”?

Right off the bat we are going to tell you that pavers do cost more than concrete. However, while you will need to replace your concrete every so often, you will get a much longer lifespan out of your pavers. One of the main benefits of selecting pavers over poured concrete is that pavers interlock together with a special type of grouting sand; they are not a solid form. This allows them to shift with changes in temperature as well as when the earth settles without cracking.

Now you might be thinking, I am not entirely sold on the idea of pavers, how strong are they really? This is a very common question, and it has been found that manufactured pavers are physically stronger than poured concrete and more durable than asphalt – are you impressed yet? Because of this, pavers can take more of whatever you, your family or your vehicles can throw at it all while retaining its beauty, shape and color.

Posted in Paver vs. Concrete | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Slip and Slide??

Posted on September 10, 2011 by admin

It’s a summer day, and you are having a farewell summer BBQ and pool party for your closest friends. The day is perfect, it’s warm without being to sweltering; you can smell your burgers cooking on the grill and hear children laughing and splashing in the pool while the adults talk. It is literally the perfect day. One of your friends asks if they may use your restroom, of course you agree and point to the general direction. As they get up your vision turns to the kids and a faint smile crosses your lips. You think to yourself for as much splashing that they are doing that you will have to refill the pool, but you don’t care because it is the perfect day. As your friend walks towards your house along the wet concrete, it crosses your mind that it may not be safe because everyone knows how slippery concrete can get when it is wet. In that exact instant, your friend slips and falls, it is no longer the perfect day.

This short story is something that most of us (especially women wearing heels) can relate to. Concrete patios are a very popular choice for commercial and residential home owners, however as you can now see, it truly has its disadvantages. For this reason and many others, pavers are quickly becoming the number one preferred choice material for areas that see a high amount of traffic and are likely to become wet. The three most popular choices for using pavers in an area that is likely to become wet are: brick pavers, concrete pavers and stone pavers.

Brick pavers are a popular choice because they come in a variety of natural tones and because of their naturally abrasive characteristics, they are skid resistant. Now I know that you are thinking, “Well, why would I rip out my concrete which becomes slippery when wet just to replace it with concrete pavers?” And we would say, excellent question! The difference is that because of the way they are made, concrete pavers are slip resistant. Stone pavers are another beautiful solution to creating a skid resistant area. Stone pavers are exactly what they sound like, stone pavers. They are an entirely natural product and come in a wide array of brilliant colors. While stone pavers are not naturally skid resistant, they can be sealed to become skid resistant.

Well, now that we have enlightened you on the dangers of wet concrete as well as the solution to fix such a problem, you will probably think twice before running on wet concrete! As always, your comments are very much appreciated! Feel free to leave any remarks at the bottom of our blog!

 

Posted in Benefits of Pavers | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments

Welcome to the Paver Search Blog!

Posted on August 21, 2011 by admin

The wait is over; we are finally ready to reveal the Paver Search Blog! My name is Julie Hadduck and I am so excited to be blogging for Paver Search. This blog is where you will find the latest and greatest news on the Paver Industry, hands down! So sit tight (or sit back) and subscribe to our RSS feed because you won’t want to miss the information we are going to share!

Most everyone in the contracting and masonry world has heard of Paver Search. When Paver Search was first founded in 2005, the vision was simple: to become the leading and most respected paver resource for both homeowners and contractors in the United States-and we have done just that. (If you don’t believe me take a look at our extensive website) This blog is an extension of the CEO’s original vision and another way to provide excellent and fresh material to our members.

One of the many things that we are proud of here at Paver Search are the services that we provide for free. Yes, you read correctly, FREE. While many other companies charge a monthly fee to provide people with information about a specific industry or product, we find that to be tad ridiculous. Therefore we have complied the largest informational and paver resource guide available to both homeowners and contractors at absolutely no cost. If you have ever wondered about the difference between cobblestone pavers and clay pavers-check out our website, it will give you all the information you could ever want to help you make the best decision!

In this blog we will be covering an array of subjects-everything from the benefits of pavers to their eco friendliness to tips and ideas for incorporating them into your own interior or exterior space. The purpose of this blog is to serve as a tool to help both homeowners and contractors stay current on the latest trends, resources and to understand the differences in the wide variety of pavers available on the market today. –And I can promise you, that we will try to make this blog a tad more interesting to read than most of your appliance manuals. As always we appreciate your comments and feedback, you can leave your response at the bottom. Until next time, happy Paver Searching!!!

Posted in Paver Search | 5 Comments