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Hello everyone! I am in the planning stages of putting in a paver(stepping stone) walkway for my mom. She has picked out a 16" x 16" x 1-7/8" concrete stepping stone that she wants used. I have attached a picture of the stepping stone. The walkway will be 5'6" wide and 13'4" long. I know that after laying the pavers down that paver sand should be swept onto the walkway to seal the "cracks" between the pavers and help stabilize the pavers. But should I still sweep the sand across with this type? My concern is with the line designs on the paver. The sand will get in there as well, and make it difficult to get out. Maybe not, but just wondering what anyone else thought.
My next concern is that this walkway will butt up to a concrete patio on 2 edges. Should I leave a gap between the pavers and the concrete edges to act as an expansion joint? I know concrete expands and contracts, especially during the summer. If I put the pavers tight against the concrete, I'm worried it might loosen the pavers eventually and cause them to move around later on down the road.By the way, these pavers are sold at Lowe's as Oldcastle Pinnacle Stone paver.
I used a crushed granite well tamped down for a base to lay the pavers, then swept it in between the stone after they were laid, and then gently watered it all down real well which rinsed the material off the stones and packed it down, and then added more... You should leave the same gap from the patio to the stones, as you leave between the stones...I did this down in Florida, and we got torrential rains in the summer down there and this thing only got tighter with age...The following summer I added more of the crushed between the stones, as it had further packed down from the rains, and after nearly 12 yrs, it never moved, nor needed refilling again... If you use sand, it will move unless you use a border to contain it...The crushed granite paver base is by far better and ultimately gets like cement..
One advice I have for you: make sure the pathway is perfectly level! My DH and I buildt ours, but there is one part that is not level, and it accumulates water, mud, etc...I'll have to re-do that spot!
