Silverthorn Landscape Supplies

INSTALLATION

Note: If you are installing a Rain Water Harvesting System below your driveway, please see the Rain Water Harvesting System PLAN page. Then follow this installation guide for laying your pavers on top of your reservoir. If you are NOT installing a Rain Water Harvesting System, simply follow the guide below.

1. PLAN

Go through the How to Start list, make a good plan, be sure to include your measurements, which type of product you need, and quantities.

2. PREPARATION

Mark out the area to be excavated.
*Remember to call the appropriate utility companies to find out where any lines may be buried before you dig! Phone, cable TV, internet, gas, hydro, waterlines, city piping…etc.

3. EXCAVATE

Excavate the area a minimum of 6”- 12” deep (depending on your exact project type). Be sure to remove all loose soil. Your sides should be excavated a minimum of 6” wider than the area you are planning to lay pavers onto.

4. BASE

Place A-gravel into the excavated area, compacting every 2”. Grade the base as close to the final outline of your project as possible. Continue to add gravel and tamp every 2” until height re-quirements of your project are met. Be sure to slope all installations away from buildings, for drainage purposes. (Minimum slope is one inch across every ten feet). Your gravel base should stop 3” (roughly) below desired finished height of your driveway.

5. SCREENING

Once a solid A-gravel base has been compacted it is time for Limestone Screenings to be put down. Lay ¾”-1” diameter pipes on top of the compacted base so that when your pavers are laid they will be 3/8” above desired finished level, then put down Limestone Screenings. Level the screenings evenly by pulling the 2 x 4 board across the pipes. Once screenings are level, remove the pipes, and fill in the holes with additional screenings.

6. LAYING PAVERS

Lay your pavers directly on the bed of screenings you just leveled. Start laying your pattern along the longest straight side of your driveway – this minimizes the amount of cutting required. Use a string guide to keep the joint lines straight as you lay. Be sure not to lay the pavers too close together, or you will not be able to fix a line irregularity.
*(If you are doing any banding or accents, place these first before installing your main pattern. Build your main field towards your accent/boarder and cut the pavers to fit into the design).

7. CUTTING

Depending on the design you chose and the size of driveway you are building, some pavers may need to be cut in order to fit the design properly. Mark your pavers and either cut them yourself* or bring them into Silverthorn and we will cut them for you.
*Be sure to wear the appropriate safety gear and have proper training on machinery when cutting any stone or paver. *See Cuttting under our Services for rates

8. EDGING

Once your driveway has been laid it is important to install edge restraints to prevent your pavers from moving laterally. Using Snap Edge and 10" Metal Spike line the perimeter of your patio and hammer the spikes into the compacted base (do not hammer them into the soil as they will not hold).

9. COMPACTING

Sweep the pavers clean and compact them with a plate compactor. Be sure to pass over your en-tire patio a minimum of three times in varying directions. This final tamping allows the pavers to settle into the Limestone Screenings.
*Note: Certain speciality pavers require a pad on the plate compactor so as to not scratch or damage the paver.

10. FINISHING TOUCHES

To create a more durable driveway, prevent weeds and insects from getting into the joints, and resist erosion in steep slope applications, sweep Polymeric Sand in between the paver joints. Fill the sand so it is flush with your pavers. Compact again, and sweep more sand into the joints that have settled further. Whisk off each paver so it is free of any Polymeric Sand, and lightly mist your driveway with a garden hose to seal the joints.
*Note: some specialty pavers are not made to be used with polymeric sand

DONE!
There you have it! A beautiful new driveway for your enjoyment!

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