Restoration of Brick Pavers Walkway installed 10 years ago

Simple paver maintenance will help avoid repairs and major restoration

This brick pavers walkway in Ann Arbor was recently restored by our company. The condition of this paver walk is a common occurrence that I estimate restoration for on a daily basis.  It was a reminder to me that neglect of simple routine paver maintenance will turn into a major restoration cost in the future.

This pavers walkway had never received any additional sweeping of joint sand since it was installed 10 years ago!  Who is to fault?  Neglect by the homeowner? or the lack of educating the homeowner by the installing contractor?  Either way, the homeowner is now responsible for the cost to restore this pavers walk.

The 2 contributing factors to the deterioration of this pavers walkway was the lack of paver joint sand in the paver joints and the exposure of the cement bead edge restraint.  If these simple maintenance requirements had been addressed, the homeowner would not have the cost of complete re-installation of this paver walkway.

The lack of keeping joint sand in the paver joints allows for water to take the least path of resistance.  Water will rush down the joints instead of running over the paver surface.  The result is the base below slowly erodes over time and allows the paving stones to sink, tilt, or loosen.  Joint sand also is the key factor in keeping the pavers "locked-up" and tight.  Lack of paver joint sand will allow the paving stones to loosen, gap, tilt, and shift.

The lack of the cement bead edge restraint being covered by proper landscaping (i.e. soils, grass, or mulch) allows the edge restraint to erode, crack, and break loose.  In turn, the outside row of pavers begin to "creep" out.  The result is the inner paving stones begin to excessively gap, loosen, and tilt.  I was amazed after 10 years that the cement bead edge restraint was totally exposed.  All the homeowner had to do was allow the grass to grow over the cement bead on the lawn side with a few bags of topsoil & seed and cover with mulch on the inside landscape bed.

We completely lifted up this pavers walkway, re-compacted the existing base, added new base material as needed to re-level, re-installed the pavers in like shape & design, cleaned the pavers, and swept in new pavers joint sand.  The homeowner also elected to have the paver walk sealed to enhance the color and give it the "wet look" appearance. The final result was another successful house call by the Doctor and staff!

Brick Pavers Restored in Ann Arbor

Paver Patio, Steps, and Front Walk repair, cleaning, & sealing

If your brick paver patio, steps, or walk is in much need of attention, do not fret, a qualified brick paver contractor can restore them to their original beauty.  This past week my team and I had a challenging paver restoration project in Ann Arbor. Their paver patio was covered in mildew & moss. The front paver walk had alot of gapping & settling. The front walk steps where improperly installed and deteriorating. See this transformation!

Assessing the time & cost of restoring brick pavers can only come from years of experience.  I often work with customers that want to perform the cleaning process and that is fine. Repairs & sealing should be handled by the brick paver specialist to insure long term success & performance.


The pavers patio had never been cleaned or sanded since it was installed. Moss had taken over most of the paver joints and dirt & mildew diminished the color & texture of the paving stones.  By aggressively power washing & scrubbing with a general cleanser, we were able to prep this brick patio for a coat of paver sealant.  After we completed the sealing, this brick paver patio was anew & vibrant.

Look to the right here at the "before" and "after" pics to give you an idea of the magic that can be done to give you the confidence to have family and friends over again!

The front paver walk had several areas of settling and the soldier course row on both sides was gapping. Not only did the gaps present a tripping hazzard, the "opened wound" allows for erosion of the under base and breeds weeds & grass growth.  The paver repairs were performed first, the entire walk was cleaned & re-sanded, and then completed with an application of brick paver sealant. Repair of paving stones are not as easy as the original installation. Re-installing the pavers require attention to detail and foreseeing issues.  Often we find ourselves just relaying stretches of the paver installation because the frustration level will be greatly reduced.

The existing front walk paver steps were improperly installed by mortaring the paving stones together. After years of touch-up and frustrating repairs, the homeowner wanted another solution. In frost States like Michigan, mortared high density concrete pavers will NOT last long as steps. Our solution was to install a modular retaining wall block & cap system for the new steps. If there are any future need for repair, they can easily be repaired at a very low cost and no unsightly patched mortar.

If the brick pavers around your house have been neglected, it is not too late to restore & enhance the beauty and function they once served.  The cost is always determined by the severity of the neglect and the labor time it will take to restore.  The good news is we usually can reuse the paving stones and wall blocks & caps to keep the cost reasonable.  With a little tender loving care, you can avoid the high costs associated with extreme make overs.

TAKE A VIDEO TOUR BELOW OF THE FINISHED RESTORATION !