A brick driveway will add more value to your residential property and is one of the most popular types of driveways in the Chicagoland area. Pavers are known to be more durable than concrete and are easy to maintain and repair. If you’ve decided to use brick pavers for your driveway, patio or walkway, it’s best to hire a professional brick paving contractor in Chicago who will do the job right and have your best interests at heart. However, it’s always good to do your research first and know what to expect when working with a brick paving contractor.
Paving stones are made from real brick, which is formed from clay and is heat cured at a high temperature to obtain a certain shape, usually a rectangle. They’re a material commonly used on patios, driveways, walkways, and retaining walls. In order for the pavers to fulfill their task, they must be properly arranged.
Brick laying is not difficult, but it is worth knowing how it should be done properly in order for it to withstand all loads and together with the house’s exterior create a beautiful focal point.
Before starting laying paving stones, it is important to check if the pavers are not damaged and, if necessary, immediately make a complaint to the manufacturer. After bricks are laid out, making such a claim won’t be possible. During the period covered by the warranty, sellers and manufacturers are not responsible for mechanical damage resulting from improper shipment, storage and installation.
Laying Euro Pavers – Preparing the Foundation
In order for the driveway not to collapse, it must be laid out on a properly prepared ground that’s about 12” deep. The foundation is the most important thing when laying out brick pavers – the quality of the entire surface depends on the quality of the base. The thickness of the foundation depends on the type of soil that makes up your property and on the way the surface will be used in the future. If it’s a driveway, the depth of the layer will need to be larger, if we’re laying out brick pavers on a walkway or a patio the depth of the foundation will be lower. The work can be done manually – if the area is small, or with the use of specialized equipment for large areas.
The substructure has two functions – support and drainage.
However, in order to ensure that water is drained to avoid flooding, a 3-4% slope must be set before the actual foundation is prepared.
The best materials for the foundation are aggregates such as: crushed stone or gravel.
Sand mixed with cement or lean concrete can be used as well, however, due to their low load capacity, they are not suitable for places exposed to high loads, such as for example, a garage driveway. The thickness of the foundation depends on the anticipated load stress. Sometimes, however, it is recommended to lay a second layer of aggregate, which will increase the strength of the foundation.
Laying Euro Pavers – Joints
When laying paving stones, proper joints between them is a guarantee of stability and durability of the entire surface. Joints should be about ¼ inches wide and carefully filled with sand at the end of the process. Only then will you avoid uneven shifting of your euro pavers and the chipping of their upper edges.
Laying Euro Pavers – Step by Step
- Make a plan
Even a simple, not so detailed drawing will be helpful in working out the dimensions of your driveway and the area that will be paved. It will also be a good reference when it comes to the amount of materials you will need for the project. A well-thought-out plan will save you problems that may be difficult to solve at a later stage.
- Mark your area
After having the design prepared, the works should begin with measuring the area and determining the boundaries of the surface that will be paved. Using wooden stakes or metal pins, mark the points specified in the project. Next, connect the points marked with stakes with a string, which will determine the leveling of the area and give you general layout of the driveway.
- Prepare ground
Excavate all the topsoil and the underlying soil off the area. Already at this stage, you can shape the slope from the garage towards the road. Thanks to this, the thickness of the individual layers of the foundation will be constant over the entire surface of the driveway.
- Drainage layer
The first layer of coarse gravel or a sand-gravel mixture should be put on the bottom. The proper compaction of subsequent layers is essential for obtaining a durable and even driveway. It’s best to rent a mechanical compactor for this job. The next layers can be damped down with a wooden pile with a piece of board attached to the bottom. The effectiveness of this method will increase when the gravel or sand are poured with water.
- Load-bearing layer
The load-bearing layer should be made of well-compacted concrete or gravel and should be about 6 inches thick.
- Laying bedding sand
A sand layer is placed directly under the paving stones and is necessary to help secure your euro pavers in place. About 1 cubic yard of sand per 300 sq ft should be used.
- Laying driveway brick pavers
For large surfaces, you should use cubes from at least three pallets at the same time. This way, any color differences will be eliminated. The paving stones should be layered quite loosely. The surface will be more durable, silent (generating less noise) when the pavers are arranged diagonally to the direction of travel. Is A Brick Driveway Cheaper Than Concrete?
- Filling in the Joints
Once the driveway brick pavers have been laid, the gaps between them should be carefully filled. The entire surface should be sprinkled with quartz sand, which should then be worked down into the cracks with a broom until the joints are full. You can also pour water over the surface so that it soaks into the cracks and compacts the sand even better.
- Vibrating the Driveway Brick Pavers
The final stage of works is the interlocking process, which is done with a vibrating plate compactor. This should be done when the pavement is dry. After vibrating, it may be necessary to refill the joints with sand.
Brick Paving Contractor Chicago
Euro pavers are one of the most common driveway surface types used by Chicago homeowners.
Different types of driveway materials will certainly enhance a property’s space and add value to your home and brick pavers will allow you to choose different shapes, colors, and design options, making your driveway classy and unique.
Euro Paving is a brick paving company serving homeowners in Norridge, Hinsdale, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and many other Chicagoland suburbs.
We’re always happy to educate our customers and future clients about how the works are usually conducted. However, when it comes to brick paving a driveway it’s better to leave the job to a reliable paving expert that has years of experience and will happily recommend the best types of paving for driveways and designs.
