Hi,

Anybody knows whether the pavers sold at home depot can be installed over concrete?

Somebody told me it might be possible if lime rocks is first poured over the concrete.

 

If you are referring to interlocking concrete pavers, they can be installed over concrete. They are intended to be installed over a compacted soil base. If used over a concrete slab, the load capacity would be limited by the strength of the slab, which may be less.

If you have an existing slab, you would should have a gravel base under a 1" sand setting bed.

Dick

 

Here is what we do all the time, as long as the existing slab is fairly level and stable...

Lay down the pavers in a bed of pure, dry, Portland Cement (NOT morter mix). Tap them down with a rubber mallet, lightly, to make sure they are bedded in the powder with no air gaps under them.

Mix up some sand morter mix and "spackle around the outside perimeter of the whole paver'd area so as to seal the base and vertical joints around the outside.

When the outside morter is hardened, sweep in morter mix or a stabilizing compound that you can buy just for this purpose at the paver supply company, into the interior vertical paver joints to the level of the top of the joints. DON'T put in too much. You will get the idea.

Finally, hose down the whole area and make sure there is enough water to wet down the vertical morter in the joints PLUS seep under the pavers and wet the cement underneath.

These pavers will never shift or pop up from water getting underneath and freezing.

Good luck.

 

Olen1009, I would respectfully recommend that you do some research on the proper installation of pavers.

 

The right type of pavers can be installed on concrete, according to what I have read. If the concrete is good, stable and has no cracks, that's better. The main objective is to keep the pavers from moving excessively from frost heaving. One of three methods could be used but each has its own issues:
1. Lay them on a sand base, setting base.
2. Set them in a type of mortar mix.
3. Glue them down.

If water can get between the cracks, frost heaving will occur if the water isn't drained off. If installed on concrete using sand, then it must drain through the sand to the edges. But the edges must be retained so the sand won't leak out. This is a problem.

Glueing down don't necessarily mean there are no gaps underneath. Any water leaking down will break the pavers away from the concrete base.

If they are "mortared" in as olen1009 suggests, and if the joints can be made completely water resistant, that could be the best solution. I wouldn't write olen1009's method off so quickly. He is not talking about the standard method over dirt, which of course is the best.

The best installation will be one which forces the water to drain away over the surface. If the cracks are sealed then a commercial grade sealer can be used to not only protect the pavers but seal in the crack fill mix.

Another idea is to use a high quality grout caulk for the joints. However, this would only work if there were 1/8"-1/4" cracks between each paver as in brick laying. The caulking would be applied to a depth of 1/4". If water ever did get below, the remaining space in the crack would absorb the expansion. Also, the bottom would have to be completely water proof as in olen1009s method.

What do you think?

 

dewyman -

Most of what you say only applies to thin clay pavers and not the much more common interlocking concrete pavers.

Following your recommendations for concrete pavers would be contrary to industry standards and void all guarantees.

This is based on the accepted practices, but you can do it wrong and still have it work for a while on light duty patio. Real pavers should be placed on a 1" sand setting bed over a compacted base and not on "dirt".

There are oustanding municipal/industrial applications of concrete pavers over a concrete slab in Europe, Canada and the northern U.S., but subsurface drainage is required and the scope of the projects in terms of size and complexity are beyond a DIY application.

 

its your home so you can do an anything you like,,, but, for best results, i'd resurface the conc,,, MUCH less expensive & not all that difficult,,, find a polymer-modified mtl at whitecap/hughes/const supply house,,, just more food for thought !

 

Quoting olen1009
"Lay down the pavers in a bed of pure, dry, Portland Cement (NOT morter mix). Tap them down with a rubber mallet, lightly, to make sure they are bedded in the powder with no air gaps under them."

Can you comment about your method related to my situation posted under Pavers on Concrete? I would have to spread enough to fill the aggregate gaps, then more to get above the highest pebble.

"Mix up some sand morter mix and "spackle around the outside perimeter of the whole paver'd area so as to seal the base and vertical joints around the outside."

My edge is not a patio. It is the brick on my house and the perimeter of the landing and the steps. Any ideas to seal the perimieter here?

"When the outside morter is hardened, sweep in morter mix or a stabilizing compound that you can buy just for this purpose at the paver supply company, into the interior vertical paver joints to the level of the top of the joints. DON'T put in too much. You will get the idea.

Finally, hose down the whole area and make sure there is enough water to wet down the vertical morter in the joints PLUS seep under the pavers and wet the cement underneath.

These pavers will never shift or pop up from water getting underneath and freezing."

Are you sure this will not crack because if it does, then the pavers will loosen up. Maybe it is better to fill the mortor mix to 1/4" below the surface. After all is dry, then use a self-leveling grout caulk to provide maximum flexibility so water never leaks down.

What do you think olen1009?