Brick Pavers Edge Restraint Replacement: Common Paver Repair

Cement Bead versus Plastic Edge Restraint for Brick Pavers

One of the most common brick paver repairs that we perform each week is the resetting or replacement of plastic or aluminum brick pavers edge restraints.  About 12 years ago, brick paver manufacturers and suppliers were touting the use of plastic edge restraints for paver borders. This was a new specification to replace the old tried & true cement bead edge restraint that was widely used on pavers patios, walkways, driveways, etc.. .

About this time I had built a new home in Ann Arbor with a paver driveway, walkways, and multi level patios and I used all plastic edge restraints for my paver borders.  Within 3 years, I completely removed ALL plastic edge restraints and replaced with cement bead.

The plastic edge restraint was properly installed per manufacturer's specifications, but winter frost in Michigan had eventually heaved this edge restraint above the height of the paving stones. This caused an unsightly appearance and was damming water back and from flowing off the brick pavers. Also, I had to pound down  most of the spikes that had raised after the thaw each Spring.  This appearance is much like black landscape edging you see raised above the grass and flops around and gets cut by lawnmowers. It becomes unsightly and nonfunctional.

When properly installed by a brick paver contractor, the cement bead wedge method of a brick pavers edge restraint will perform admirably. See the guidelines below to insure edge restraint success:

• The cement bead needs to be installed on top of the paver base material so it is crucial to remove the 1" bedding course outside of the paving stones. Remember this is why you prep for your pavers patios, walkways, driveways, etc.. a minimum of 4" outside the finished paver edges. This will insure the cement bead wedge grabs below the bottom of the paving stone and has the same drainage below as the brick pavers.

• The cement bead wedge needs to be @4" wide and come withing 1-1.5" of the top of the paving stones.  This allows enough room to cover the cement bead with sod, mulch, or stone mulch.  

• Properly trowel a good consistent and quality mix of concrete. Your concrete bead should not be runny and have a mud consistency.  Trowel your cement bead wedge with a 4" spatula and make smooth.

•  Install your cement bead wedge prior to final plate compactor compaction. This will allow for final adhesion to outside paving stones &  paver joints.

• Finish covering your cement bead with surrounding landscaping (i.e. sod, mulch, or stone mulch).  Preventing erosion around borders is crucial for all paver edge restraints.

I am not claiming that the cement bead method is the perfect brick pavers edge restraint solution. From my experience, it is the better of the 2 most popular and frequently used brick paver edge restraints. Does it crack? sure, but the cracks should not be visible if properly installed and covered. If an area fails, it can be easily removed & replaced. Landscaping is your ultimate paver edge restraint and the cement bead keeps your outside paving stones wedged in and help prevent creeping out of your brick pavers.

After 12 years since the introduction of plastic and aluminum brick paver edge restraints, I have concluded that the cement bead is the better performing of the 2 methods based on appearance, repair & replacement.

Brick Paver Patio Cleaning

This past week we performed a brick paver patio repair, cleaning and polymeric sanding on a paving stone patio in Ann Arbor.  As you can see in this pic, the paver patio was in an extreme need of cleaning.  The abundance of moss was the direct result of moisture and shade.

We performed a brick paver repair by lowering the paver edge restraint that had raised from frost. The raised edge restraint was not only unsightly but it created a dam around the paver patio and did not allow water to run off the paving stones.  Therefore creating a lot of moisture on the paver patio and allowing moss to thrive combined with the shade in this area.

Reinstalling the plastic edge restraint is not easy. Grass & roots grow around the edge restraint and the spikes rust and make it very hard to remove.  We removed @18" of sod around the paver patio so the client could install enviro mulch or stone mulch. We reinstalled the paver edge restraint properly by making sure the top lip was at least 1" below the top edge of the paving stone border.

The cleaning of this paver patio required an aggressive approach to power washing.  We spent over 2 hours at a high PSI blowing out ALL the paver joints freeing them of dirt, moss, and weeds.  There is a need to be careful not to wash out the bedding course under the paving stones. This may result in paving stones sinking. After the paver joints where free of debris, we widen our spray nozzle and cleaned the individual paving stones to remove dirt, stains, and mold.

When the paving stones and paver joints were dry, we returned to sweep in polymeric sand in all the paver joints.  Keeping up each Spring season with polymeric sand will almost eliminate future accumulation of dirt in the paver joints which allows weeds to fester.  Moss on the other hand can still grow on top of paver joints and paving stones. Moss can be easily controlled by keeping a spray bottle mix of clorox bleach & water.  Also, moss can be sprayed off fairly easy with a traditional hose & spray nozzle on jet stream.

Brick Doctor Bill was able to help this brick paver patio regain its function and luster.  We spent the time to educate the homeowner on the easy & timely brick paver maintenance steps to keep their paver patio at it's best.  Another satisfied client in Ann Arbor!

The Top Brick Paver Repairs

After 25 years of installing and repairing brick pavers in Ann Arbor, I have come up with a Top List of repairs that I have seen and done. Brick Paver repairs are not uncommon in States with continued frost damage but these particular repairs are the most common.

SOLDIER COURSE SETTLING:

This particular interlocking brick paver repair is the most prevalent. This is the outside brick border that frames most brick paver patios, walkways, or driveways. It most cases, this row of "soldiers" settles or moves more frequently. The main cause is under prepping the base. Alot of installers only install the base to the exact width of the brick paver installation. When this is done, the edge restraint, plastic pvc or cement bead, is not properly installed on the same paver base material, thus this brick paver edge restraint fails and the concrete paver moves with it. It is also very important to cover the outside edge restraint with landscaping, such as, grass, ground cover, or mulch, to protect from long term erosion.
The most evident of this brick paver soldier course settling is the row of brick behind the caps of modular retaining walls and steps. Again, it is the under prepping of base behind these wall blocks. When you build up the base behind these modular blocks, you must compact carefully in 2-3" lifts. The most important step is to fill all voids or gaps with compactible base material, not sand. Over the last 8 years , the use of a geo-textile filter fabric is important to use behind these modular blocks to give added support to the base.

LOOSE PAVERS or WEED GROWTH:

This brick paver repair is the easiest to avoid, but is seldom prevented. The lock up of interlocking brick pavers occurs when the plate compactor goes over the top of the pavers, thus embedding them down in the 1" bedding course (usually a course sand). What occurs at this point is the the bedding course sand "jets up" through the joints from below. This is much like sticking your hand down into sand and the sand comes up between your fingers. The final crucial step is to then sweep an approved joint sand into all joints of your brick paver walkway, patio, or driveway, run the brick paver compactor over the entire brick installation again to jiggle down any loose sand, and then finish off with a final sweep. The joint sand keeps the pavers from moving laterally and keeps them from coming loose. Keeping the joint sand filled in the brick paver joints also helps prevent dirt or weed seeds embedding into the joints.
I will go back to brick paver installations that where installed 5 years prior, and no joint sand will be in the joints. I can stick my finger in most joints and feel the bottom of the paver. When joints are not filled, the pavers can move laterally and come loose. The most damaging effect is that water will easily come of the paver surface, tunnel down through the joints unabated, and slowly erode the the base material below.
Just 15-20 minutes of your time and $10-15 worth of joint sand each Spring to sweep your paver patio will help you avoid 100's of dollars of brick paver repairs and frustrations of a unsightly patio.

Brick Paver Dips or Waves:

This repair is usually immediately evident if a poor paver installation is performed. Keep in mind that any & all repairs are NOT the result of poor installation. The whole premise of interlocking brick pavers is to withstand the effects of winter frost or ground settling, at a minimal cost of resetting or repair. The biggest cost savings is the ability of the paver repairs service to reuse the same products, thus reducing material costs.
A poor brick paver installation can begin with a poor base preparation. Often installers cut cost & time by not excavating deep enough to install a proper base depth. A basic base material depth for patios & walkways is 4-6" and driveways 10-12". Actual base material depths vary due to weight requirements and soil conditions to name a couple. If the base material depth is compromised, your brick paver patio may not drain properly and therefore have added stress during frost periods. It is also very, very, important to compact the subsoil (dirt) prior to installing the base material on top.
Another common mistake by brick paver installers is not compacting the base in "lifts". This means they should not dump more that 3-4" thick of base material at any given time with out spreading evenly and compacting. The common brick paver compactor can not properly compact more than 4" lifts at a time. I see many contractors filling raised brick paver patios or driveways with base material over 8" high, then raking and compacting the top only! This will have an extreme effect on the performance of the brick pavers!
Another faux pas of installing paver base is not spreading and compacting in level lifts. Some paving contractors rake out, compact, and then install bedding course over a "wavy" base installation. Keep in mind that the bedding course can not make up for the uneveness of the base material in terms of long term paver performance. What you observe with base material installation will mirror the brick pavers in the future!

This is just some of the top brick paver repairs that I have seen & performed over the many years that the brick paver industry has experienced here in North America. In the fuure, I will continue my list and requirements.