Anyone ever do interlock brick?

[Devils'Advocate]

I want to put an interlock brick deck in back. I can't afford to have it done professionally... I was quoted $15,000, which is way out of my price range.

Now, if I was to do it myself I would want to do it slow and in stages. Every "do it yourself" video on youtube has 5 guys going at it and they do everything in a day.

Things I'm concerned about:
(1) If I dig down a foot for the base, and then it rains, I'm gonna have a 2nd swimming pool.
(2) Are you supposed to tamp down the ground before adding the gravel, or just tamp the gravel once it is added? Because if I dig down the foot, and add the gravel, subsequent rains will reduce the flatness of the ground under the gravel.

Also, if anyone knows where to get good information, I'd love to know. A friend of a friend does this for a living, but he keeps saying "you do the programming, let me do what I do...". *HE* wants the $15,000.

[You Need a Thneed]

Me personally, I'd tamp down the dirt a bit before adding the gravel/sand. You're going to need a plate compactor anyway for the gravel.

This is how I'd do it:
1. Excavate and level ground where you want the interlocking pavers.
2. Run plate compactor
3. Place gravel and level it
4. Run plate compactor
5. Place interlocking pavers
6. fill in between the pavers with sand (cover the whole area with sand, then clean off the top.)
7. Party!

[Nufy]

I did a 17 x 20 patio on my old house over the course of a few weeks.

I cleared the sod and packed the ground. Enure the drainage is away from your house.

A layer of landscaping fabric and then about 2-3 inched of sand. The sand kept everything level.

I line the perimeter with landscape ties and worked toward the house and around my back step. Took me a while but I do know it is still there today after about 8 years.

Take your time and it should be ok.

Good luck.

[Methanolic]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

Me personally, I'd tamp down the dirt a bit before adding the gravel/sand. You're going to need a plate compactor anyway for the gravel.

This is how I'd do it:
1. Excavate and level ground where you want the interlocking pavers.
2. Run plate compactor
3. Place gravel and level it
4. Run plate compactor
5. Place interlocking pavers
6. fill in between the pavers with sand (cover the whole area with sand, then clean off the top.)
7. Party!

^ Excellent advice!

Just a few tips that will ensure a professional looking finished product:

Between steps 4 & 5- I would add 1/2" to 1" of sand, level and tamp. Adding the sand will enable you to get the base "Perfectly" level. Might sound like a lot of work, but this extra step will pay off huge!

Also, step 6- broom the sand over the entire area of bricks, use the tamper to vibrate the sand thouroughly between the cracks. this will "Lock" the bricks together. Repeat this process untill the sand no longer has any voids to fill. A quick sweep and a light wash with the hose and your done......Unless you want to apply sealer, which adds a real "finished" look.

[bc-chris]

lots of great advice here

i'm not sure on the cost, but when we built our place we asked our builder about this. his recommendation was to pour a concrete slab first, then once it's cured for a couple days add the pavers on top - this 'guarantees' you're pavers won't have highs/lows (assuming your concrete pad is level and smooth). a good idea but pricey.

when we finally did our patio, we just did it on sand (it is covered by the upper-floor deck) - got the area as smooth as we could, wet it down, compacted, smoothed, compacted, etc, then laid the pavers and then swept sand over everything. it still looks great and that was 5 years ago.

one thing i did a couple years ago was to roll some high gloss sealer over the pavers - wow - what a difference. they have that 'wet look' - it's looks great - it really brings out the colour in the pavers.

[Methanolic]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

one thing i did a couple years ago was to roll some high gloss sealer over the pavers - wow - what a difference. they have that 'wet look' - it's looks great - it really brings out the colour in the pavers.

I agree. I don't know why more people don't do it. It makes such a drastic difference and gives the stone more of a "high end" look. espicialy grey stone.

Maybe people are scared off by maintaing the sealer, not a big deal to re-apply the stuff every 2 years or so...IMO.