Asphalt is a good solution for the budget conscious person. It can also be a better fit for a home than concrete. Concrete can be more expensive and durable, but it is prone to cracking, spalling, chipping and heaving. As they say its not a matter of “if its gonna crack” it all about “when its gonna crack”. Standard PSI of concrete is 4000 while the standard PSI of pavers is 12,000. This is why pavers are less prone to chipping and can hold up a heck of a lot longer than concrete or asphalt.
If installed properly your brick pavers should require minimal if any paver maintenance. It is no different than a concrete patio. The various products available, such as the high end polymeric sand, modified mortars used for edging and sealers have made it possible for patio and driveways to become more durable and longer lasting.
Depending on the conditions this can take between 2-6 hours to dry. On hot dry days you can walk on it right away. It can take just over an hour to completely dry and remove any changes of tracking foot prints into it. However on a humid moist day it can take you the better part of a day to completely dry.
How long do I have to wait after my paver driveway is installed before I can drive my car over it?
The two things you would have to be concerned with are the polymerics sand and the edging. Polymeric sand can dry very quick. After 2 hours of drying your polymeric sand should pose no threat. However the edging is a different beast. Since more companies are using a modified mortar, for edging, the wait time has extended. Ideally waiting at least 24 hour or even longer would be good. The reality is that some homeowners in certain areas cannot wait too long. We advise those folks to just stay away from the edges for a couple of days.
On average villages take anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks to turn around a permit. However we have seen some villages take as much as 6-8 weeks.
Typical building permits can range from as little as $75 to as much as $250. However your project may require various permits such as a patio permit, gas fire pit permit and/or electrical permit. Each will have its own rate.
This answer depends mostly on the materials you use to seal your patio with. A water based sealer will require sealing sooner than a patio sealed with a solvent base sealer. With a water based sealer you may need to seal every 2 years. A well applied solvent based sealer can go as much as 5 years under ideal conditions.
Typical pavers are 6cm thick. They are used for patio and can also be used for standard residential driveways. However if you simply want a more structurally sound driveway, or suspect you will have heavy traffic or are in a commercial setting, an 8 cm thick paver is recommended.
Sealer come in two forms, water based and solvent based. Each form will have a set of sealer that will achieve a different result such as natural, color enhancers or wet look. A solvent sealer is by far longer lasting but a tad more costly to install.
May companies can care less about there employees and prefer to pay a low wage and as a result they experience high turn over. This has an effect on the quality of your paving project. In order for us to retain our skilled craftsman we pay them well, give them vacation time and paid holidays. That reflects on our costs, but also on the quality of our end project.
ICPI certified installers are taught the correct and proven methods of installing structurally sound paver brick and block projects. Companies that employ these certified individuals can rest assure that they will be applying the proven industry standard methods of application on all their projects.
