Merging a Paver Walkway Into a Concrete Pad
How to Merge a Paver Walkway Into a
Concrete Pad
By: Mark J. Donovan
|
|
Question:
I have a question for you regarding paver walkways. I have cast concrete
stairs at my front door. A concrete pad was poured as a foundation for the
stairs. How should the walkway pavers approach the concrete pad? I am
actually having a paver walkway installed now, and the contractor installed
the pavers below the grade of the pad, effectively making the pad a small
step.
|
This was
unacceptable to me. I thought the pad should be cut flush to the first stair
riser (so the paver would go right up to the first step), but the contractor
said that this was not possible (he didn't explain why).
|
|
Answer: Usually pavers are
installed approximately 1/2" above the border, be it metal / plastic border or
even granite steps / cement steps / surrounding slab. The reason for this is
that overtime the pavers will settle a little, even if the sand/gravel base has
been tightly packed.
By installing the
pavers approximately 1/2" above the border (in this case the cement stair
landing), they will ideally wind up settling to a flush level with the border
over time. |
I agree with you
that aesthetically it would make more sense to trim the concrete pad flush with
the edge of the bottom stair riser, however I can understand the contractor
pushing back. To do this properly, he would probably have to temporarily remove
the cast concrete stairs to make a clean cut. Not an easy task.
The other advantage of installing the
pavers slightly higher would be that it would enable you to temporarily fill in
the gap between the elevated pavers and the first stair riser with slices of
pavers (e.g. 1/2" thick) or some other stone product (slate pieces).
Find a Pre-Screened Landscaping Contractor in
Your Area
There are adhesives that you could use
to apply them to the concrete slab. Overtime, and once the pavers settle you
could remove these "slices" so that the concrete slab is flush with the settled
paver walkway.
Planning to have a Brick or Paver Walkway Installed
by a Landscaping Contractor
but not sure what questions to ask to ensure you hire the right one? See HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Brick and Paver Walkway Bid Sheet. The
Brick and Paver Walkway Bid Sheet
will help ensure that your walkway project goes smoothly and you get the
finished walkway you are looking for.
How to Finance your
New Home Project
- LendingTree's
Home Equity Loans
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if
financing is required.
Additional Brick Paver Walkway Resources
Walkway Lighting and Key Walkway Installation
Tools from Amazon.com
|
