Florida is home to nearly 8 million households, which shouldn’t be a surprise given how great the weather and climate are in the state. Homeowners in Florida these days are taking on paving projects to spruce up their homes.
But what should you know about paving projects? If you’re looking to pave your patio, what should you know about paver patio installation?
Read on to find out more about the do’s and don’ts of paving projects.
Dos of Paver Installation
While there is plenty of room for error when it comes to paver installation, you can set yourself up for success by following a few best practices. Let’s break down some of the dos of paver installation:
Map Out the Area
Whether you need pavers around the pool or your patio, it’s always best to map out exact coordinates. You might not be entirely responsible for this part, as there is different software that helps you make exact calculations.
Regardless, it’s good to know where everything goes and how far apart certain elements need to be. That way, you can make accurate mock-ups and set yourself up for a successful paver installation project.
Find a Reputable Paver Company
Even with a perfect plan and accurate measurements, your pavers might not be installed properly if you don’t work with reputable contractors. Ensure that you’re working with someone who knows exactly what you want.
That way you can get the best bang for your buck when you install your pavers. The right paver supplier will also get access to the best materials for your project, leading to greater results down the line.
Base Layers at Correct Intervals
Remember when we talked about improperly putting down the base, resulting in uneven pavers? That’s why you should install base layers at smaller intervals.
This helps the layers set and compact before another one can be added. You simply can’t put down pavers willy-nilly. It’s a long process that requires patience, but you should pour your layers at 3″ intervals whenever possible.
Use an Edge Restraint
There’s always the question of whether your pavers will move around over time and need to be re-installed. A lot of this is inevitable, but you can prevent it as much as possible with edge restraints.
This usually requires you to line the perimeter of your pavers with additional concrete or stone. While this takes a lot more work, it’s an effective way to prevent any major shifts of movement down the line.
Don’ts of Paver Installation
A big part of succeeding with your paver installation is by following best practices and trusting your own process. There are a few things that you should certainly avoid on top of the common mistakes we mentioned earlier.
Let’s break down some of these don’ts to make sure your first project goes as smoothly as possible:
Guessing the Parameters
There’s very little room for error when it comes to the parameter for your paver installation. In other words, you should absolutely have accurate measurements before starting the installation process.
Eyeballing your parameters only results in small project areas. You want to maximize the surface area of your pavers, so why not do the measurements just to make sure?
Cutting Corners
Even if you’ve measured everything out, there’s still a lot of extra work to be done. Making sure there aren’t any underground utilities below your project area is a good start.
There’s also the question of local ordinances and laws that might prevent you from doing patio paver installation in certain areas. A lot of people tend to forget to look this up, resulting in longer roadblocks for their projects.
If you’re installing pavers in Florida, make sure you excavate your corners to be larger than the total surface area of your project. Don’t cut this corner, otherwise, you’ll have too small of an area to work with by the end.
Compacting Sand
When installing pavers in Florida, people tend to naturally compact the bedding sand once it’s laid down. You want to avoid this as much as possible since the sand needs to stay loose for the pavers to set properly.
Sand helps secure the pavers in place by forcing themselves up into cracks or anywhere there’s space. This means compacting it will prevent your pavers from staying where it needs to be.
Paver Patio Installation for You
Knowing how to execute a paver patio installation project the right way is crucial for many Florida homeowners. Use this guide to help you understand the dos and don’ts of pavers to ensure your project goes off without a hitch.
Looking for reliable paver suppliers in the Florida area? Contact us today and we’ll get you started on a solution right away!
