How to pave a framed front deck?

[SuzeS]

Hi, I've had this edging put in to pave a deck with second hand bricks.  It has cracked concrete at the bottom and I'm just ordering packing sand to fill the boxed area and then pave on top.  Just wondering if I should do some sort of base over the concrete to prepare it, such as a road base gravel or heavy plastic etc.  Help would be appreciated thanks!

[JacobZ]

Hi @SuzeS,

Thank you for your question about your upcoming paving project.

Base material is used to create compaction, and there aren't many things that are harder than concrete, so I don't think there is any need for anything outside of the sand, as the concrete will act as your compacted base.

If you wanted to protect the surface of the concrete, adding some Builders Film over the surface of the concrete would certainly be worthwhile, but I wouldn't call it a necessity.

The one thing I would definitely recommend is adding a barrier to the back edge of your edging boards to prevent them being in direct contact with the sand. If you were using builder's film, you could have it turn up the back edge of the timber and fix it in place with some staples. Alternatively, you could attach plascourse to the back of the timber with the same staples.

Let me know if you have any further questions. 

Also, don't forget to share some photos when you're done, it would be fantastic to see how it comes up.

Jacob

[SuzeS]

Thanks Jacob

Really appreciate your help and I'll definitely share some finished pics

[JacobZ]

I look forward to seeing them @SuzeS.

Good luck!

Jacob

[SuzeS]

When I called to get the packing sand delivered, the person told me that I would be better off using stone dust - do you think this is a good idea for this project?

[MitchellMc]

Stone dust (also called crusher dust or cracker dust) can definitely be used for paving @SuzeS, but whether it’s the better option really depends on how you plan to lay your bricks.

Since you already have a concrete base, you don’t need to worry about compaction as much — that job’s already done. In this case, packing sand is ideal because it’s easy to level and adjust under each brick, which is helpful when working with second-hand pavers that might have a bit of variation in size. It also gives you a bit of forgiveness if you need to lift and re-lay anything down the track.

Stone dust sets firmer than sand once compacted and can give a really solid base, but it’s less forgiving when it comes to levelling or adjusting individual pavers. It can also be harder to work with if your bricks aren’t perfectly uniform.

So in short — if you're laying directly over the concrete and just want a levelling layer, I’d personally stick with packing sand. But if you were building from the ground up without the concrete slab, then stone dust would be a stronger base option.

Mitchell

[SuzeS]

Thank you!  Very helpful information