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.

Brick Paver Repairs for Spring

Brick Pavers

In the Midwest, the ground is beginning to freeze and Brick Paver Repairs will have to wait until Spring. I have put away my tools and will concentrate now on marketing my brick paver repair services for the Ann Arbor area. I will also spend my time analyzing the reasons for brick paver repairs and the best solutions for avoiding future repairs costs to clients. Not only at my own home, but at other clients paver installations I will observe the effects of winter freeze thaw cycles and erosion from Spring rains. This physical feedback will allow me to recommend brick paver and modular retaining wall design and installation techniques that will reduce the need for repairs.

After 28 years of designing, installing, repairing, and cleaning & sealing, interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining wall systems, I am always learning new ideas, products, and techniques that will improve the performance of brick paver patios, sidewalks, and driveways. I have spent over 2/3rds of my life in the brick paver industry and I am always challenged by the improving products and paver installation techniques. Only historical performance of paving stones and landscape blocks can be used to set the standards for brick paver design & paver installation methods.

I will continue my posts on the Steps of Installing Brick Pavers in the coming months. The next post will be on the "Bedding Course & Screeding" step of installing brick pavers. Think Spring! and I will post soon after the holidays!

Winterizing your Brick Pavers

I am asked alot about the need for "winterizing" brick paver patios, walks, or driveways. The great news is that interlocking brick pavers are designed and installed to withstand the ill effects of winter climate & frost cycles and do not necessarily require any winter prep.

I do have some suggestions that will help in the long-term success and aesthetics of your brick paver installation.

• Remove any heavy items or vehicles that you plan on leaving on your brick pavers throughout the winter months. The reason is that the area under a heavy item or tires will not flex to the freeze thaw cycle, thus possibly causing sunken areas as the base below shifts. Over the years I have noticed, especially on brick paver patios,where homeowners leave there patio table base (filled with sand or water), leaves a slight indention in this brick paver area. Also, on driveways where homeowners leave boat trailers, campers, motor homes, etc.. the spots where the tires sat through the winter freeze thaw cycles are sunken.

• Sweep some joint sand in all the joints if needed. I always instruct my clients that brick paver joints will require a resweep of joint sand each Spring after the winter frost effects. But if the sand is low in your brick paver joints heading into the Winter, it would be a good idea to do a quick sweep. Brick Paver joints that are filled will allow for proper drainage of late season rains and also properly hold pavers in place. Really you should always keep your brick pavers filled with joint sand all year round for optimum success.

• Redirect any direct water or ice sources from draining on your brick pavers. If there are any gutter spouts that drain onto your brick pavers, it would be a good idea if possible to connect a solid corrugated pipe to the end of the gutter spout and run into the grass or plant bed. The constant freezing and thawing of snow and ice that runs down the gutter onto a brick paver patio, walk, or driveway will create a tremendous stress on your pavers in this area. Hopefully you addressed water drainage during the original brick paver installation but it will be important to reduce any thaw drainage & refreezing.

These are just a few things you can do to add to the long-term success and aesthetics of your brick paver installation. There is no need to cover your pavers or shovel off your paver patio. Just let the functional beauty and benefits of interlocking brick pavers do there job and enjoy!

Top Reason for Brick Paver Repairs

Yesterday I met with Al Martin, a UNILOCK sales representative for North America's largest brick paver manufacturer. We were discussing the challenges that the climate in southeast Michigan presents for interlocking brick pavers and modular retaining walls.

We both agree that our frequent "freeze thaw cycles" , the cycle of the ground freezing and thawing during the winter months, creates a lot of paving damage. It has been no secrete that the roads & highways in the Detroit area exhibit these damages like no other metropolitan area in the country, with Chicago a close second. I would like to comment on the effects of sub grade frost on pavements.

People enjoy the warmer weather here in Michigan during winter month's, but like most good things, there is always a price. When the ground freezes, water or moisture does not trickle down through the water table. Typically, in the Detroit area the average frozen ground depth is 3 feet. This is the reason footings for deck posts or masonry walls must be a minimum of 3.5 feet so the frost does not get below. When the top of this frozen ground starts to "thaw" due to warm weather, it becomes mushy & permeable. The soil below brick pavers, concrete, and asphalt becomes unstable and falters from loads (traffic) and voids in the subsoil. To add more salt (no pun intended) to the wound, it refreezes and traps more moisture between the frozen ground below and the surface. This freeze thaw cycle creates tremendous stress on any pavement by heaving and contracting.

It is not unusual for the Detroit and Chicago areas to experience over 30 freeze thaw cycles during the winter months (Dec thru Mar). This is probably the equivalent of 5 winter frosts versus 1 for a northern city like Minnesota. Many municipalities try to reduce the damaging effects of frost thawing by imposing "Frost Laws". These laws typically reduce the weight allowed by trucks to haul by 50%.

This background leads us to the the conversation I had with Al Martin on brick pavers & retaining walls. It is obvious why UNILOCK locates most of its brick paver manufacturing plants in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Ontario Canada, Toronto, etc.. . These cities fall in what I call the Frost Belt. Interlocking Brick Pavers and Modular Retaining Walls are the most economical and functional pavement for the "frost belt" over time. Repairs of brick pavers is much more economical than repairs of stamped concrete or asphalt. Over 60 years of paving stone experience & feedback has proved this throughout Europe, Australia, and North America.

Many of my clients blame their brick paver repairs on poor installation and this is not always true. Often I do see brick paver patios, sidewalks, and driveways that were poorly designed and installed. The first thing I point out to them is how many times in the last 15 years did the County or State redo that stretch of highway nearby. Usually, it has been redone twice so that is 3 different pavements, sometimes 3ft thick of concrete, that have been totally removed and replaced on average 5-6 years.

Brick pavers and retaining walls that are properly monitored and maintained will out perform any wood deck, stamped concrete or ashalt pavement. Whether you perform brick paver maintenance yourself or use a professional, you can enjoy the financial and aesthic value of paving stones for a lifetime!