Driveway Paving Instructions
There isn't anything more attractive to an homeowner than for her to drive up to her house with its freshly paved driveway. Driveways are very nice additions to have as an homeowner: you don't have to worry about losing your parking space to another person, and they are actually reasonably easy to install.
Items Needed:
- Crushed stone
- Sand
- Two batons
- Wood for leveling sand
- Sand Compactor
- Mortar (optional)
- Blocks
- Sharp sand
- Block pavement sealant
- Prepare your foundation. If the foundation is incorrect, this can cause a sunken drive which could mean significant damage to your vehicle. Crushed stone is recommended for preparation.
- Define the edges of the pavement. This means give the pavement its edge definition. This helps reduce the movement of your blocks. This can be done by using the side of your house (its walls), the curb or concrete edging. Do not use wood. This will degrade overtime causing the blocks to move. One highly recommended tip is to use mortar.
- Prepare to sand. Screeded to the bottom distance of 60-65 mm, after it is compacted, the sand should be around 40-45 mm. Working with more or less sand will cause future movement within your blocks. To level your sand, grab two batons for either side of the area that you are paving, followed by using a straight piece of wood.
- Lay your blocks. Organize your blocks on top of the sand. Make sure that you are careful about walking across unpaved area. Choose the pattern of how you want your driveway to look. Most homeowners choose the 45 and 90 degree look, mimicking a herringbone. If the foundation is layed correctly, just about any pattern should work.
- Pack the blocks into the sand. Using a compactor, go over the blocks evenly, compacting the base of the blocks into the sand. This will make sure that the tight stable block area is ready for finishing.
- Finish the paving. Gently sweep fine sand, or also known as sharp sand, into the blocks joints, making sure that all gaps are filled. Go over everything with the compactor, ensuring everything is nice and even.
- Fill in more gaps, if necessary. After 1-2 weeks, apply more sharp sand, to help further detour movement. This keeps the pavement from uneven settling, further avoiding an uneven look.
- Coat with a block pavement sealant. This will also give pavement a nice sheen.