Brick Paver Walkway Brought Back to Life!

 Before

This homeowner had a brick paver walkway that was installed 32 years ago.  There has been no repair or maintenance work done to these pavers since the initial installation.  The homeowner considered having the brick walkway replaced with new pavers or concrete. 

After getting quotes for over $13,000 for replacing with new pavers and over $8,000 for a new concrete walk, this homeowner decided to go with my recommendation to "bring it back to life" with a brick paver restoration approach.  The cost for this "bring it back to life" paver restoration would be under $2,000.  The approach is to repair just some of the severely sunken pavers, but a lot imperfections would still remain.  

Before

Running a plate compactor over ALL the pavers would help improve performance by locking up the pavers.  This plate compaction also helps improve the overall appearance of the pavers.   

Powerwash cleaning the brick pavers and paver joints is a tedious job, even if using a 4000 psi powerwasher.  Great care is taken to reduce the mess from debris but using some common sense and experienced strategies makes the work successful.   

After

Clean up is done and then waiting for the pavers & pavers joints to dry begins.  The next day paver joint sand is swept in joints, blown off clean, and touched up to prepare for sealing.  

A high quality "matte" finish brick paver sealant is applied.  The first coat is a "flood coat" so it soaks into the joints, then shortly after, a light second coat is applied to adhere more sealant to the paver surface.  

After

The before & after pictures of this brick paver walkway tell the story. It is an incredible paver restoration & overall appearance but reversing the years of neglect is limited. 

I always advise if you stay on a routine brick paver maintenance program for your brick pavers, they can look like the day they were installed!

Repaired Brick Paver Walkway revisted 2 years later

Reconstructed Pavers Walkway in Ann Arbor is performing well

While performing our Spring maintenance program service for one of our clients in Ann Arbor, we were proud to see that our reconstruction of this paver walkway looked like the day we completed it's transformation. Here is the link to the "before & after" blog post on this brick paver repair in 2010.

  The past 2 years we have been hired to keep the paver joints filled with sand so the brick pavers will perform properly.  The results have been a complete success. The client now wants to improve the appearance of this paver walkway by sealing to enhance the color and give it the "wet look" effect.

 We performed the preliminary paver joint sanding & general cleaning to prep for sealing.  Once the weather is dry & temps are acceptable, we will return and seal with an approved brick paver sealant. Each Spring we will still return to make sure paver joints are filled with joint sand to insure long-term performance & success.

Paver Walkway updates Historic Home in Ypsilanti

Aesthetics and Function play role in this Brick Paver Walk installation

This past week a homeowner wanted us to update the look and accessibility of this historical home in Ypsilanti, MI.  The homeowner was looking to improve the experience of Historic Home visitors at this Summer's home tour. I designed a simple traditional look using modern interlocking brick pavers to create a subtle meandering walking with flares at each end.


The product of choice was Fendt's Holland Paver in Rustic Blend color. The laying pattern was a common "runner bond" or "staggered joint" pattern with a soldier course border frame.  The traditional 4" by 8" brick shape pavers are usually your most economical solution.  With some design creativity the traditional brick shape can be laid in several patterns to give some distinct contrast or quilting effect. The use of multiple colors is another effective technique of this brick shape to achieve added variety & character.

The end result was a simple ,dignified , and economical solution to a need for improved appearance and function.  My crew was able to install this brick paver walkway from start to finish in one day and brought a smile to the homeowner's face. With routine Spring sand sweeping of the paver joints, this paver walk will give endless years of performance.

The 2013 budget has already been set to replace and expand the current back concrete patio area with matching brick pavers which facilitates the event's cookout & gathering location.

Brick Paver Walkway Repair & Polymeric Sanding

This past week in Ann Arbor we did a brick paver repair of a brick walkway & porch approach. This brick paver walkway was in need of immediate attention. According to the customer, the paver walk had quickly deteriorated this past few years.  Due to the lack of yearly maintenance and some homeowner inspection, this paving stone walk began to fail.

This brick paver walkway had evidence of severe erosion due to joint gapping, lack of paver joint sand, weed & grass growth in the paver joints, and the exposure of the cement bead edge restraint.  Paving stones where loose and uneven and the brick walk was beginning to stretch or move out throughout the paver pathway & porch approach.

 We lifted up all the paving stones, power washed them off, recompacted the old paver base material, added some new paver base to relevel properly, relaid the paving stones, installed a new cement bead paver edge restraint, and finally finished off the paver joints with polymeric sand. We also covered up the outside edge restraint with soil & sod to protect the outside edges from erosion.


After we completed this brick paver repair project, I spent a half hour educating my customer on the yearly paver maintenance requirements. I also pointed out the early signs of any trouble the pavers may exhibit so he can have us address these issues before they become a costly paver repair.


Another successful brick paver restoration by Brick Doctor Bill this week. We will move on to the other side of Ann Arbor this week to help bring back the beauty & function of paving stones and retaining walls in your neighborhood!

Brick Paver Repair or Winter Frost Effect

The Winter frost in Michigan is going to begin to thaw in March. Like most freeze thaw cycles, the devastating effects will push all pavements, even brick pavers, to their extremes. Spring is just around the corner and most homeowners will begin to come out of hibernation and stretch their arms & legs. One of the first thing homeowners do is inspect their paver patios, walks, or drives.

The beauty of interlocking pavers is their capability to expand from winter frost with minimal or no damge. The paver joints absorb the effects of frost and the high density & low absorption rate of the brick pavers keep them from cracking.  But when you are dealing with mother earth, there are no guarantees that brick repairs will not be needed from shifting or heaving.

I always receive calls from frantic customers in pre-Spring weeks that their brick patio has a huge heave or raised area.  Good News! this is interlocking brick pavers at work! After the winter frost works its way out, your brick pavers will reset. No cracks, warps, or expensive repair costs.  As the temps float over and below the freezing mark, you can literally watch your paver patio move like a waterbed mattress.

Pavers that are raised or heaved, will go down. Pavers that are down, most likely will not come up. So, you may now have some type of brick paver repair that will need to be addressed. Do not confuse that brick areas are low because other brick areas are raised.  It is not unusual in Michigan during late March to early April to see your brick patio look like pizza dough be tossed at a pizzeria.  It should all level off when it gets warm and dry and you can enjoy this one free topping.

Once the Spring weather gets warmer & dryer, do not forget the most important brick paver maintenance requirement .... sweeping joint sand in the paver joints! As mentioned in earlier posts, this will deter lateral paver shifting, base erosion, and weed growth.  So, before you call your brick paver contractor for patio repair work, make sure the winter frost has completely thawed.