Brick Paver Patio Repair: How to Level Sunken Bricks

If you have a brick paver patio and some of the bricks in the patio are not completely flush, you need to take action in order to level those sunken bricks. The process for leveling your patio involves determining which of the bricks are sunken through the use of a furring strip and/or level, removing the sunken brick and adding sand in order to raise the brick. This how-to article will discuss the steps necessary, along with the tools and materials for repairing your brick paver patio.   

Step 1: Lay out a Furring Strip

You will need to mark the bricks that do not sit flush in your brick patio. This is done through the use of a furring strip, which is one of the materials that is listed above. A furring strip is a thin piece of wood that forms a frame or template used when building basement walls and decks made with concrete blocks or paver bricks. The furring strip allows you to maintain the pattern for the deck. You can purchase a furring strip at a home improvement center or create one yourself with vinyl or wood veneer strips.

Place the furring strip across the length of the deck and mark the bricks that appear below the line of the strip. You can also do this with a level, but using the furring strip can make the task of identifying sunken bricks faster and easier.   

Step 2: Remove Marked Bricks

Once you have identified those bricks that are sunken and in need of leveling and have marked them, use a trowel to carefully remove them from their spot. If the paver is damaged you need to have replacement pavers on hand to put in place of the damaged ones.

It is best to work on the leveling the sunken pavers one at a time if you have a large number of them that are sunken, as oppose to pulling them all out at once, especially if you are unable to complete the project in a single afternoon.  

Step 3: Add Sand to Level Bricks

After removing the sunken paver, place an amount of multipurpose sand into the resulting spot to level the paver. This process involves a lot of trial and error since you will not know how much sand to place into the hole until you place the paver inside and check the level, which is also why you may want to work one paver at a time.

Step 4: Level the Sand and Reposition Bricks

When you add the sand, use the back of the trowel or the level to smooth the sand out before placing the paver inside. You want as smooth a surface as possible when placing the paver in to create the level that you are looking for with your brick paver patio. Repeat this process for each sunken paver.