Laying 16" x 16" pavers for dog kennel.?
Question:We will be laying 16" x 16" x 1.5" pavers in the 8' x 15' tarped covered area of our dog kennel/ run. We have taken a Bobcat and removed the sod from the area. The entire kennel/ run, as well as the area the pavers will be, sits on long gentle slope- 36 ft. So it will be slopped, but we still want the pavers to be flush and obviously not rock.
Some have said we just level it the best we can and put down peet gravel and lay them down.
What is the correct way to do it?
Do we leave gaps and put sand in them, as I have read on here? If so, what keeps the sand in? It is just for one large dog but I need to be able to clean off spilt food, etc.
We have spent about $1600 on the fencing and pavers so far so I don't want to "half do" the pavers. Our newly adopted dog is only 2 yrs. old, so hopefully we will need it for MANY years to come!
Also, the pavers have a random pattern as it was all that was in stock. Is there any reason we can't just flip them and use the smooth side?
Answers:
16"x16" patio blocks are a "wet cast" product, made differently from pavers, and are installed in a similar manner as pavers, except that you cannot use a vibratory plate compactor to seat them into the sand resting bed to force sand down between the blocks. These paving "systems" are called Segmental Pavements". It is not just the block or paver doing the work, there is a complete system at work.
With either paving product, the following installation components are necessary: 1. A properly prepared sub-grade 2. A properly prepared base 3. A properly screeded sand resting bed 4. Properly laying the paving units 5. A proper edge restraint system 6. proper seating of paving units 7. Proper sanding of joints 8. Clean surface of excess sand
For questions about the joint sand. Segmental pavements use friction and binding for support. Imagine holding 3 shoe boxes end to end by pressing in on the end boxes and picking all three up. If you removed one of your hands from the equation, the boxes would drop to the floor. Well, without a proper restraint system to hold the system in place, the paving units would "creep" away. The sand in the joints only works if a proper restraint system is in place to create binding togetherness. The sand is wedged in like a door stopper is wedged under a door. Can you easily move the door with a good door stopper under it? Now, being wedged in between the units, it is difficult to pressure wash it out.
To make sure the sand stays in place during pressure washing, try holding the spray wand at a good angle across the pavement surface. The top 1/8" of sand may displace, but that won't undermine the integrity of the system. The sand wont be messy. You won't notice it. Look at the Appian Way around Rome. It was built centries ago. Has the sand washed all out? Is it messy? When a extremely heavy load needs to be transported in that area of Italy, and the load is to heavy for asphalt highways, the load is transported on the Appian Way.
That's another subject of why segmental pavements are so strong.
I'll take each step 1 - 8 and explain the reason behind my answer.
1. A properly prepared sub-grade consists of establishing what your finished elevation will be and depending on existing soil or grass conditions either excavate deep enough to accomodate the thickness of the paving unit, one inch sand bed and a minimum of 4" of compacted base. Always be careful not to skim the final inch of earth to not disturb its existing compaction. The excavation may possibly be 7.5" deep for pedestrian or dog run applicaitons depending on the what your finished elevation (top of paving unit) will be. Next, compact the area with a vibratory plate compactor.
2. A properly prepared base consists of adding and compacting a minimum of 4" of either crushed limestone road base, seive sized 3/4" down to dust, decomposed granite or stabilized sand. Some people will pour a concrete base, but, I won't get into that subject unless you are truely interested in that type of base. Base needs to be flat in the sense that there are no dips or humps in it because, over time, the pavement surface will mimick these undulations and puddle water. Base needs to be set to drain water off area. Depending on compaction equipment (vibratory plate compactor), the base material may need to be compacted in 3 or 4" "lifts". To try to compact more depth of base than the equipment is able to will leave some of the base material uncompacted and the pavement surface will settle over time. Base material needs to have an optimum moisture content and compacted sufficiently. Usually enough moisture means that a squeezed hand-full of the base material will stay together, but have no water oozing out. Usually, sufficient compaction means passing over each lift about 3 times.
3. A properly screeded sand bed means that you don't try to use the sand bed to set your grade. The excavation and base preparation should have done that. The sand bed can be screeded by placing 1" diameter metal tubes on the base. These may be 10' tubes laid paralell to each other and spaced apart wide enough to cover your project. For wider projects than 7', a third tube may be used. These tubes are set apart like a rail road track. Use an 8' 2x4 board to lay accross the tubes. Place sand (coarse, concrete sand, torpedo sand, never use masonary sand because it holds water) on the base between the tubes and slide the board atop the rails (tubes). This action will smooth the sand creating a 1" bed. When finished screeding, remove the tubes (rails). You may need to carefully fill the tube rail impressions with sand. TIP: Never screed out more sand than you can cover with pavers and complete in the same day. Over night the bed can dry out, get trashed by pets, rain, foot prints, etc.
4. To properly lay the paving units, start at the longest and straightest side. Never slide the units in the sand to get them close to each other. This will pile sand up between the units and they won't be close enough for the system to have friction. Before placing units on the sand bed, hole the unit off the sand and touching the already placed unit then slide the unit straight down to the sand bed. As enough units are placed on the sand bed, the units can now support your weight as the surface grows. Be careful not to walk in the screeded sand.
Paving units may need to be cut to fit angles, curves, columns etc. Try to "bond out" your project to prevent cutting. A dog run project may not need fancy shapes.
5. A proper edge restraint keeps the paver surface from creeping laterly, thus, holding the system together. Depending on climate, different restraint systems are appropriate including troweled concrete curbing. An important component of a troweled concrete "toecurb" is vertical steel stakes or pins. These stakes prevent the curb from pushing out from the pavement surface.
6. Proper seating of paving units consist of forcing the units into the sand bed. This action forces part of the sand bed upward into the joints to start the friction and interlock process. For wet cast 16 x 16" patio blocks, please don't use that vibratory plate compactor because these patio blocks may crack. They don't have the compressive strength of a true paver. Try using that 2x4 laid flat on the pavement surface and pound it with another 2x4 like you were using a post hole digger. Move around the surface until you pound every unit.
7. Proper sanding of joints is achieved by spreading a thin layer of sand over the surface of the paving units and then go take a break and let the sand dry out.
After the sand is dry, use a wide push broom to run over the pavement surface. You will notice the dry sand falling into the joints. Repeat step 6 to wedge the sand into the pavement joints.
Repeat step 7 to fill more sand into the pavement joints.
Repeat step 6. Repeat step 7 until no more sand will enter joints.
8. Sweep or wash excess sand from surface.
Finished.
For further detailed instructions or consultations, post again.
Thanks for making time to learn from the Paver Restoration Specialist
After you have cleared the area of the sod,use an edging material to border the area, then you should put down a layer of a barrier material, the kind that lets water through but grass can't grow up out of it. Then put down a couple inches of sand as a bed for the pavers leaving aproximately 1/4 inch gap between the pavers, tamp the pavers down into the sand to seat them evenly with one another and keep them from rocking. Then put sand on top of the pavers and work it around to finish filling in the gaps packing it in between the pavers, the tighter you pack in the sand the better it will stay in place. If you notice the sand is washing out you may need to go back and put in more sand in every few years. There shouldn't be a problem flipping the pavers over to the smooth side, but some pavers have a coating on the face to seal out moisture and keep them from staining. It shouldn't hurt anything to flip them over for a kennel but it's something to keep in mind.
Put some crushed stone down first, compact it well. Use a "wacker plate" then screed off with washed sand, compact. Screed again, lay the paviers, pour over kiln dried sand on top, and compact with the wacker. The sand will fill the gaps. Sweep up, job done!
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