How to Add Pavers along the Sides of a Concrete Driveway
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5-15 hours
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Intermediate
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- 300-1000
Adding pavers along the sides of a concrete driveway would not only make your driveway attractive, but would also save you considerable money if you take on the task yourself. This allows you a little extra space to maneuver while you unload the car without having to walk in the grass or cover your shoes in winter mud. Attractiveness, convenience, and cost savings come in exchange for a bit of hard work, planning, and some sand on your hands.
Step 1 - Plan
The first thing is to decide is which sort of pavers are needed. Usually brick and concrete pavers are in demand. Furthermore, the pavers come in all shapes and sizes. You need to choose the design and the price tag that accompanies it. If your driveway is square or rectangle, roughly estimate how many pavers you require and then come up with a tentative budget. Moreover, you could use some rough sketches of how exactly you would want to add pavers along the sides of your driveway.
Step 2 - Mark the Boundaries of the Project
Choose easily available strings to mark the boundaries. These are more important when you are making an entire driveway with pavers but would also be convenient to mark the sides of your driveway to have the pavers exactly where you want them to be.
Step 3 - Dig up the Sides of Driveway
You need to think how deep your base would be. Base your decision on factors such as whether people would only walk on your sideways, if the soil is wet, the depth of your chosen stones, etc. Generally six inches of base will do but in the case of wet soil you will require 12 inches of base. Add up the depth of your base, the sand layering (usually 1.5 inches) and the width of the pavers (roughly around 2.5 to 3.5 inches) to calculate how deep you need to excavate the area.
Step 4 - Fill up the Excavated Area
The base is usually comprised of crushed stone. Add two inches of crushed stones at a time and then compress it using a hand tamper. After ensuring that the base is well compressed, repeat this process until you have the base of the desired depth. Recheck for any uneven spots.
Step 5 - Use the Flexible Edging
These keep the shape of your project intact. Place the plastic or steel restraints around where you intend to place the pavers and lock them with spikes.
Step 6 - Sand Layering
Use sand to fill up around 1 to 1.5 inches of your base. With the help of a screed pipe, level the sand surface.
Step 7 - Pavers
Pavers are to be placed in a straight line without unsettling the sand. Ensure that the pavers are leveled properly. You could use a saw to cut and fit the pavers to the edges.
Step 8 - Hand Tamper
Once the pavers are in place use hand tampers to make sure they are well compressed into the sand.
Step 9 - Fill the Gaps
Use the sand to fill in any gaps between the pavers. The sand should be dry and the gaps should be completely filled.