Pavers (flooring)
A paver is a paving stone, sett, tile,[1] brick[2] or brick-like piece of concrete commonly used as exterior flooring.
In a factory, concrete pavers are made with a mixture of sand, stone, cement and iron oxide pigments in a mold and then cured prior to packaging.
Typical areas of use would be for driveways, pavement, patios, town centres, pedestrian precincts and more commonly in road surfacing.
This pattern is the strongest of the block paving bonds as it offers the most interlock, therefore making it a good choice for driveways and road surfacing.
The advantage of using this in residential living is that it compacts a lot harder than yellow brickies sand, which prevents weeds and ants from coming through.
It started in the Netherlands[3] where all the roads are made to be flexible because much of the country is below sea level and the ground shifts, moves and sinks.
Due to their success, paving stone manufacturing plants began to open throughout the United States working their way from east to west.
In addition to being economical, interlocking concrete pavers are also widely available in water-permeable designs, which have added ecological benefits.
Some permeable paver installations are designed to harvest rainwater, which can then be repurposed for uses such as irrigation or washing a car.
[11][9] If the base layer is deeper than 6", then biaxial geogrid should be added every 6" and spaced evenly throughout the bedding to maintain stability.
A 1/4" crushed stone bedding material is favored over concrete sand on walkways for its better drainage that mitigates freeze-thaw shifting, easier compaction especially on rainy days, and less weed growth.
Additionally, when that water in the rock dust eventually evaporates, it will carry salts through the pavers which will deposit on their surface and stain them with "efflorescence build-up".
[15] Edge restraints prevent pavers from spreading apart and maintain the integrity of the pavement system to move uniformly with freeze thaw cycles as well.
After the pavers have been laid and cleaned with a pressure washer, and they must be dried according recommendations the particular polymeric sand (usually at least for one hot summer day).
Stone pavers are made of many materials including limestone, bluestone, basalt (such as that from The Palisades used in New York City), sandstone and granite.
[19] Travertine is a durable, low-porous stone that stays cool in direct sunlight, making it a popular choice for pool-sides, patios, walkways and outdoor entertainment areas.
Granite pavers have high integral strength and density making it easy to maintain and hard-wearing in outdoor use.
