Patio Paver help

[Ron]

My neighbor and I did my patio paver job this past weekend. 400sqft of Interlock 12" pavers on 3" of pulverized gravel and then sand. The first layer of sand, 3", was spread with an 8ft 2x4 and leveled throughout with string grids and eyesight. I then use a plate compactor and packed everything real good, then 2" of sand and the compactor again. After that, we through out maybe a 1/4' of loose sand and started laying the pavers. Afterwards, I went through it with the plate compactor again and spread sand. Maybe the last loose layer was my mistake, but I now have some hills and valleys. They are very minor and you can hardly see them, but *I* can see them and it is bugging the heck out of me. The wife says once the landscaping goes in, the grass grows and the furniture is placed, you will never see it. Maybe so, but it is still annoying me. What would you do?

1. Pull some of the pavers back up and redistribute the sand?
2. Rent the pate compactor again and go at it on the hills, fill some sand under the few valleys?
3. Leave it alone, the wife is right.

Thanks!

[Don Young]

The loose sand may be a contributor but you need to screed (level) the sand after compacting it. It may look "smooth" but still be wavy if you don't. Don Young

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

- Ron -

- Nehmo - I don't know the answer to the technical question as I've never done that type of job. Regarding the philosophical question, however, I wouldn't settle for the imperfections. Find out what you did wrong and correct it. The wife's opinion is irrelevant - unless you need somebody to provide you with an excuse to be a quitter.

[Ron]

Thanks. I'll try to reseat the few.

[Ray K]

I assume you meant 3" of gravel

Too thick.

Wrong. Never compact the sand.

Huh?! 1/4' or 1/4"? Sounds like the loose sand was not screeded to a uniform thickness. How do you expect the pavers to be level?

Yes, it was.

Good idea.

You've already compacted once.

Better than compacting the hills.

Even though I'm an engineer, and normally like everything to be precise, lately I find minor irregularities to be appealing. That's why I don't like vinyl siding, compared to cedar shakes, for example.

If you read the installation instructions from EP Henry, Cambridge, Anchor, and other paver manufacturers, you'll see that:

1. The underlying soil should be compacted. (If the soil is clay, next add a separation fabric over it.)
2. The gravel over the soil (or fabric) should be compacted.
3. The sand over the gravel should be 1" (or at most 1.5") thick and screeded level, but NOT compacted.
4. The pavers are laid and compacted.
5. Sand is swept into the joints.

Who told you to lay 2" sand, compact it, and lay another 1/4" (or

1/4')over it? That's wrong. Did you truly use sand, which is what the manuacturers recommend? Most installers use stone dust under the notion that they are smarter than all the paver manufacturers?

What did you do for edge restraints?

Check this out:

Ray

[JerryMouse]

No brainer. The wife is always right.

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

- Ron -

- JerryMouse -

- Nehmo - Not on these kinds of issues. OP recognizes the imperfections of his job, and he won't feel satisfied until they're corrected. I would be disappointed in OP if he did nothing.

[JD]

[Ron]

Great trick! For her of course.