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Finally figured out why my paver patio kept sinking
I built a paver patio in my backyard about 18 months ago and it looked great for maybe 4 months... then it started sinking in one corner. This spring I tore it all up to fix it and compared my old method (just sand and gravel) to adding a proper 6 inch compacted base. Man what a difference that base makes. I used a plate compactor this time and did 3 separate passes on each layer before laying the pavers. It's been through two big rainstorms so far and not a single paver has shifted. Has anyone else dealt with sinking pavers and found a good fix?
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diana2012d ago
Used to be one of those people who thought "ah, it's just a patio, how much base do you really need?" Boy was I wrong. My first one looked like a skate park after one winter. Seeing how much of a difference a real compacted base makes totally flipped my thinking. Now I tell everyone who asks that skipping the base is like building a house on pudding.
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charles_kelly4312d ago
Learned that lesson the hard way myself a few years back, ended up with a patio that looked like a funhouse floor. I swear I compacted enough the first time around, but clearly my arm was just fooling itself. Three passes with a real plate compactor sounds about right, I finally bought one after paying a rental place enough to own it twice.
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claire_ramirez12d ago
Yeah that "your arm was just fooling itself" thing hits hard. I think a lot of people don't realize how much hand tamping is basically just making yourself tired without actually doing much. Something nobody mentions is that the moisture level of the base matters just as much as the passes. Too dry and it won't compact right, too wet and it turns into a muddy mess. @diana20 mentioned the house on pudding thing and honestly wet base is like building on pudding that's been watered down. I do a quick moisture test by grabbing a handful and squeezing it, if it holds together but doesn't drip water, that's the sweet spot. It took me three ruined patios to figure that out.
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