Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
You’ve probably noticed in many public places the color and design of concrete paver stones and how they enhance the look of the buildings they surround. Well you can add a concrete paver deck or sidewalk to your home and enhance its beauty and value as well.
This is a project that 99% of do-it-yourselfers won't want to do because of the heavy machinery involved as well as the effort and time it takes to do it right. We hired A&A construction to do the job.
We wanted to replace a front sidewalk that led from the street to the front of our house because we recently added a curved retaining wall and the old sidewalk did not match the new look. It was the wrong color and its squared steps did not match the curved retaining wall.
A&A brought a crew of six workers and they used a jackhammer to break up and remove the old concrete sidewalk. They took the old concrete to a recycling plant.
Then the area is excavated with picks and shovels to a depth of 4” to 6”.
In our area, the soil is a thick clay, so the workers then added a mixture of sand and Portland cement to the soil.
The Portland cement is a catalyst that helps break up the soil chunks and make for a smooth bed to lay the pavers on top of.
Once the soil is prepared, a large vibrating compacting machine is dragged over the area to tamp down the soil. A firm base is essential because if the soil is loose, the pavers will shift after a hard rain and the sidewalk will not look good.
Then A&A put more sand and cement on top of that layer and leveled it out. Once that was done it was time for the interlocking paver stones to be laid.
A chalk line is popped in the middle of the area to provide a line off of which to lay the pavers.
After the pattern is set and the pavers are in place, workers use the vibrating compactor again to go over the stones and set them into the soil. The pavers have ridges that lock them together during this compacting process so that they will not shift over time.
Once the installation is complete, concrete sand is spread over the top of the sidewalk and broomed into the cracks between the stones. This settles into the cracks and will not wash away, giving the sidewalk a nice finished look.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
You’ve probably noticed in many public places the color and design of concrete paver stones and how they enhance the look of the buildings they surround. Well you can add a concrete paver deck or sidewalk to your home and enhance its beauty and value as well.
This is a project that 99% of do-it-yourselfers won't want to do because of the heavy machinery involved as well as the effort and time it takes to do it right. We hired A&A construction to do the job.
We wanted to replace a front sidewalk that led from the street to the front of our house because we recently added a curved retaining wall and the old sidewalk did not match the new look. It was the wrong color and its squared steps did not match the curved retaining wall.
A&A brought a crew of six workers and they used a jackhammer to break up and remove the old concrete sidewalk. They took the old concrete to a recycling plant.
Then the area is excavated with picks and shovels to a depth of 4” to 6”.
In our area, the soil is a thick clay, so the workers then added a mixture of sand and Portland cement to the soil.
The Portland cement is a catalyst that helps break up the soil chunks and make for a smooth bed to lay the pavers on top of.
Once the soil is prepared, a large vibrating compacting machine is dragged over the area to tamp down the soil. A firm base is essential because if the soil is loose, the pavers will shift after a hard rain and the sidewalk will not look good.
Then A&A put more sand and cement on top of that layer and leveled it out. Once that was done it was time for the interlocking paver stones to be laid.
A chalk line is popped in the middle of the area to provide a line off of which to lay the pavers.
After the pattern is set and the pavers are in place, workers use the vibrating compactor again to go over the stones and set them into the soil. The pavers have ridges that lock them together during this compacting process so that they will not shift over time.
Once the installation is complete, concrete sand is spread over the top of the sidewalk and broomed into the cracks between the stones. This settles into the cracks and will not wash away, giving the sidewalk a nice finished look.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
