Pavers are a popular choice for driveways / walkways. They are more durable than their concrete driveways. For paver driveways, small, individual, brick-like pieces are made into geometric shapes; and they are designed to look like stones.

We at Professional Stonework have years of experience building quality paver driveways. Here are some ideas to have your own beautiful paver driveway / walkway.

1. Hire a professional driveway paver

Your time is valuable, and we can do the work for you. We would be happy to come and inspect your site and give you a free in-home estimate. We will give you the estimate for the entire project, including the material cost as well as any grading or drainage work that must be done. If you decide to hire us, to protect your and our interest, we will draw up a contract for the work detailing cost, payment schedule, start date and estimated completion date.

Driveway Beautified By Pavers
Driveway Beautified By Pavers

If you are interested, before you decide to hire us, we can provide you references from our satisfied customers.

2. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of wet/dry construction methods

Paver driveways can be laid using either the dry method or the wet method (laying the pavers on concrete). Before installing pavers, you should decide which one best suits your needs. When we come to give you the estimate, you can also discuss with us to help you make an informed decision.

Here is some basic information on the dry and wet methods, which you may find useful. For either method, before installing your pavers, we lay a thick base of coarse, crushed stone.

Once this is compacted, for the dry paver construction method, we put down a layer of sand. This is the glue that will hold your pavers together. Finally, we lay the pavers straight down in the sand and press them down. Pressing the pavers in this way allows for their 8000 psi compressive strength. The sand stabilizes the pavers, yet allows for some flexibility; and makes them a more durable choice. This dry construction method will absorb stress from small earthquakes, freezes and thaws, and will not crack or buckle like concrete. However, over time, weeds can grow between their joints and you will need to use some weed control measures in the case of dry construction.

The wet paver construction method is the better option when soil conditions are poor (eg. reactive or poorly drained clay). In this method the pavers are installed with a concrete base. The concrete is wet cured for at least 7 days before the pavers are laid. We then prepare cement slurry and apply a thin coat to the concrete base and to the underside of each paver. The pavers are then laid directly onto the concrete base. The additional advantage of the wet method is that there will not be any weed growth between paver joins, since the joints are filled by cement mortar.

3. Consider driveway edging

Edging is an important feature to add a decorative and aesthetically pleasing appearance to your paver driveway. It also provides support to the pavers, keeping them fixed and in place. Edging will also protect your garden and landscaping from vehicle and foot damage; it will decrease maintenance requirements over the long term.

4. Reap the benefits

The interlocking pavers used by Professional Stone Work come with a product guarantee against breaking or cracking. From shifting soil to severe hot and cold temperatures, our pavers are guaranteed to endure even the harshest conditions without cracking or crumbling, and they are also non-skid and non-slip. Our paver driveway stones are made to meet American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards of at least 8,000 psi; which is about four times stronger than concrete and 10-20 times stronger than asphalt.