Common Mistakes when Building a Brick Pavers Walkway in Michigan
A great way to really make your walkway stand out is by using brick pavers. They are made to last and really hold up well if they are done right. Unfortunately, many home owners take on the task of laying brick pavers themselves and the outcome is less than desirable. In this article I’ll discuss some of the most common mistakes when building a brick pavers walkway in Michigan and how to avoid them so you have a great looking walkway.
Common Mistakes when Building a Brick Pavers Walkway in Michigan
For building a brick pavers walkway in Michigan you’ll need several tools so be sure to have them before hand. The most common tools you’ll need are:
- Flat Point Shovel
- Round Spade Shovel
- String
- Masonry Cutting Saw with Diamond Tip Blade
- Edging (Plastic or Metal)
- Tamper
- Safety Goggles
- Gloves
- Back Brace
- Stakes
- Broom
- Level or string level
Before you begin make sure you have all the tools you’ll need to complete the job. Each tool is crucial to steps in the brick pavers walkway creation. Tools can be found at your local hardware shop or home improvement store. You’ll also need the following material in order to have the best looking outcome:
- Concrete Sand
- Dirt
- Pavers you want to use
- Gravel
Be sure to have all the materials that you’ll need ready and available once you start the project.
Get a Good Base is Crucial to a Good Outcome
One of the worst things you can do is to rush the initial steps in creating a brick pavers walkway in Michigan. You’ll need to remove the topsoil so that you can create a good base for the walkway. Many homeowners decide to use the topsoil as a base and it goes horribly wrong. The problem is that the topsoil compresses and can cause your walkway to look like someone just dumped some bricks in your yard rather then using pavers.
Removing the topsoil removes items that can cause problems later. Roots of flowers or grass that are no longer there should be removed. If not, this will cause problems later when they decide to re-root or die leaving a void in the soil. Making sure all things that can cause problems later are removed and getting the soil in better shape to handle the walkway’s components.
Make it Level to Start With
Another huge problem that many home owners have when trying to do a brick pavers walkway in Michigan is that they don’t get things level to begin with. When creating a brick pavers walkway it’s best to start with a level base and level each and every layer until you get to the top. This can really help with each step because you won’t need to compensate for mistakes you made in earlier layers at the final layer.
If you decide not to level each layer then you’ll have areas of base that are thicker than others, More sand in areas can compact differently and it will show up later. It will cause brick pavers to fall in areas where sand is not as compacted.
Walkway is Not Properly Tamped
This step is usually skipped because it’s thought of as ‘not needed’. But for getting a good base for your brick pavers walkway in Michigan you’ll certainly need to tamp the soil with a tamper. This compacts the dirt and sand to that it doesn’t shift later. If the base is not continually tamped then later the walkway will sag in certain areas. It may not be immediately apparent but over time you’ll certainly be able to tell a walkway base wasn’t tamped.
Using the Right Sand in Your Base
Another problem that is extremely common is the sand that many home owners use. All sand isn’t the same and if you’re using the wrong sand your walkway will look good initially but will eventually spread. Using concrete sand is recommended because it’s a more jagged sand. Concrete sand will lock together and works very well for brick pavers walkways. Play sand or beach sand can be ‘fluffy’ and round causing it to shift which can be a disaster for a brick pavers walkway.
Avoid These Mistakes by Hiring a Professional Contractor
As you can see from the mistakes that so many home owners have made before there is much more to building a brick pavers walkway in Michigan than just laying down some pavers. If you want to tackle this job yourself be sure to avoid the mistakes above. But if you really want to avoid all the lessons and get a great outcome then be sure to hire a professional landscaper in Michigan to build your dream walkway.