Paver Installation Over Concrete | Concrete Overlay Using Pavers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- When properly completed, concrete overlays are a cost effective way to renovate a space for your clients and to add a lot of value to the property. Instead of having to hammer out the concrete to dispose of it and re-do the base, concrete that is in good condition can be overlaid with pavers or other natural stone material.
Learn more about concrete overlays here:
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When starting an overlay project, we need to make a judgement call on whether or not the concrete slab is structurally sound. This means ensuring that there is a proper slope away from the foundation to allow water that enters the system to move away from the house. Any imperfections, cracks, separations of +/-⅜” over 10 feet in the concrete slab may mean that the slab is likely to move and the base of the concrete slab was not properly prepared. Overlaying concrete that is questionable will come back to bite you. However, there are products on the market that allow you to address any inconsistencies in the concrete slab like crack repairs. We like to ask our potential clients questions like how long the concrete has been there and whether they have they had any issues with it before we start looking it over.
We like to use a 2” natural stone cap around the exterior of our overlays because we like the finish that it provides especially in high traffic areas like steps where the surface can become worn down. The good thing about natural stone is that it is the same all the way through. It also provides us with a ¼” difference in height between the pavers being laid in the field of this overlay allowing us to line the area with a non-woven geotextile and ¼” of concrete sand. Having the same height cap as the pavers would cause us to have to use just a very light dusting of fine masonry sand in order to create separation between the pavers and the concrete slab.
We use a polyurethane adhesive to glue the caps using perpendicular lines to allow any water to run right under the caps and out. If you ran parallel lines, water would be trapped under the caps causing issues during freeze-thaw cycles and the retention of moisture under the entire overlay system. When adhering these caps, we make sure each piece is in line with one another, level, but with a slight pitch towards the drainage area for water to run directly off the caps and out onto our walkway.
The pavers should never be laid directly on the concrete, as this will trap water that enters the system between the paver and the concrete which will cause issues during freeze-thaw cycles as well as the retained moisture causing effloresence issues which is a mineral deposit in the concrete that shows in the surface of the stone as a white residue.
Especially in concrete slabs that have control joints cut in or if a crack presents itself, the non-woven geotextile will act as a bridge containing the sand in the overlay system while still allowing for the drainage of water. It should be overlapped 12” at the seams. In the case of this concrete porch overlay, the fabric wraps up the sides of the caps to prevent the washout of concrete sand.
ICPI calls for holes to be drilled through the slab along these expansion joints to allow for the free flow of water through the system and into the base material and out to the drainage area. In the case of this front porch where it is covered and a polymeric sand suited for overlay applications allowing just 1% of water through it, not to mention that holes should not be drilled through a concrete front porch, we are not following this step.
Weeping holes in the masonry around the house should be addressed as well. These should never be blocked by the paving stones and an expansion cord or other material should be laid between the pavers and the stones to allow for the airflow behind the masonry. Failure to do so will cause moisture problems for the homeowner in the future.
When screeding the concrete sand on top of the geotextile, we want to match the slope of the concrete slab from our starting point to our ending point. At the caps, we want to have the pavers be approximately ⅛” higher than the caps to ensure the water runs off the caps properly. We also want to factor in the final compaction of the pavers after installing the polymeric sand. This will be minimal considering the ¼” screed layer, but still needs to be taken into account.
When installing the polymeric sand for your concrete porch overlay, you will want to ensure that you are using a polymeric sand that is specified for overlays.
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Really helpful video, especially the tip about not having to compact again if using the stone instead of sand. I’m a 58 yr old woman putting in a 17x17’ patio in my self this summer, so minimizing digging and compacting is a big plus. I also feel like I have a clue when talking to my paver supplier. These base panels will make life easier as my dogs will be having to go through where the new patio is going.
Glad the video helps!
I'm redoing a failed overlay much like that one and I'll be following every step. Thank you for this excellent tutorial! ⚒👍
Thank you! We also have this one which may be helpful as well: th-cam.com/video/umz9Guvcy88/w-d-xo.html
I'm so glad I found your video! Unfortunately I never finished my patio demo last summer and so its quite ratchet looking right now (you can see the concrete patio but there's still pieces of overlay and adhesives etc stuck because I was doing it with hand tools). This helps me so much, looking forward to finishing this project this summer. Thanks again for all the detail you provided!
Glad you found this helpful!
Amazing work and great narration. Thank you.
Thank you!
very valuable. thank you. I'm getting ready to do a paver overlay on my 25' entry walkway, and am extending it out 14 feet into my front yard. I'm going to concrete that area first, so that I'll have a similar base for the entire patio. it will be 22 x 25 overall, and we'll tie the new pad to the old by drilling sideways into the old walkway, and adding rebar to prevent settling. I like the idea of putting concrete down, as I want to avoid settling issues that seem to be a problem with pavers over gravel/sand. I'm not sure if the house sill area has weep holes along the entry walkway, but I will check into that.
Glad the video helped! If there is existing concrete and it is in good shape, might as well use what you've got.
Excellent presentation!✌️🇨🇦
Thank you!
I’m going to over lay a 4x7 foot concrete porch would you use this method or glue them down or mortar them ?
If you are in a freeze thaw climate I would go this method as long as your outside caps are thicker than the pavers going inside. If you are not in a freeze thaw, do what you are most comfortable with.
Very well explained👍
Thank you!
Great video. Thank you
Thank you for watching and commenting!
I want to cover a concrete walkway that is in good shape. How does water dissipate? Do you drill holes so any water will get down to concrete has somewhere to go? How does this hold up with freeze and thaw?despite pitch some water will get down to concrete level. Should you glue pavers directly to concrete?
Yes, the proper way would be to drill holes every 16” I believe it is (not for porch overlays). However if you install the geotextile along with a bedding layer that is your drainage and as long as the walkway slopes fine it will hit the concrete and follow the slope out. Yes if you are doing a walkway, glue the outside pavers, then line your inside with geotextile, sprinkle some concrete sand, screed, and lay. It works best if you use a thicker border paver than the inside pavers. Try Techo Bloc Blu 45 for example as the inside and any other 60mm paver for the border. That leaves you with enough room for concrete sand
Hello thank you so much. I am really confused if I should break down the concrete patio or not as I am planning to extend the patio with paver installation but I am worried the level with the extension may change overtime. Also I have little water pooling because of a dip. Should I simply break the concrete patio and make all paver patio? Or not just for few hundred dollars? Please advise I would appreciate your help Thanks
If you are going to extend and lay on top of the concrete, I would still pour concrete for the extensions and tie rebar into the two slabs. but if you have pooling on the current slab it would likely be better to tear it out and start new.
This looks awesome. Good job. Our front porch pad has a giant crack in it where one side settled. 1/4” gap between the sides. Thinking of grinding it down so it’s level then filling the crack so we can do this over our porch. Think that will cause problems?
It depends on the quality of the patch repair and what the product warranty is on it. I would consult with a technical sales rep for the product and see what they think. But it would be the route that I would likely opt for and have done before. But ultimately it depends what has caused that movement.
Thank you sir for the video
Thank you for watching!
We currently have old outdoor carpet glued on our front porch. Debating various options if we remove the carpet. Obviously if we want to show the natural concrete, we will need to grind down the carpet to remove the adhesive. If we went the route you took, would that step even be necessary? It would seem the fabric and sand would provider a barrier to any adhesive on the concrete. Also, curious where you purchased your materials from? Do you have a material list? Thanks!
You still need to adhere your caps, so I would just remove the carpet personally. You should have a landscape supplier near you. Don't go to a big box store. These materials are natural stone caps and Techo-Bloc Blu 45 for the interior.
How do I cement pavers to the side of my porch? Last owner used pavers in driveway and on porch but I think if I put pavers on the side of porch it will look much nicer. As of now you see the cement pierce on the ends
You wouldn’t want to use a paver, it is too heavy. You’d want to use some sort of veneer stone or thin natural stone. You could if you really wanted to cut the face off of the pavers. But you would use a mortar mix or TechniSeal has an adhesive for vertical applications
Hello
Love you video! I have a porch I am going to pave with porcelain outdoor pavers. The porch is just 4 months new but already has a 1/8" crack from one end to the other. What do I need to do to fix the crack? What to use? Thank you Sincerely Jane French
I would see what the warranty is on that. It would worry me to pave over that or put a bandaid on it. But Mapei has concrete repair solutions
ours is going towards the house slighty. only when it rains heavily do i see some water. The problem is our front porch is basically on top of the foundation. I really wanted to do this but I cant figure our how to make it go towards the walk way.
You could use this method and slope it away from the porch with more sand at the foundation and less at the steps. Or you could mortar and do the same.
Thanks for the great video and all the great suggestions. I have a sidewalk (an we had the slate top re cemented, the gentlemen said , did you know there is a sidewalk under this one?? Also my sister in SC said if you put a few drops of dish soap in the cement it causes a chemical re action that stops the cement from cracking in freeze thaw climates.
This is true 👍 makes it more workable and easier to breathe because of the air pockets it creates but some ready mixes already have an agent like this added in.
Getting ready to do this but with bullnose edging and nicolock pavers. Do you have a polymorphic sand that you recommend? Doing a patio 17x21 below existing concrete steps so I'll need two types of sand.
Alliance has an Ultra sand which is for overlays and a regular sand for patios. It may also be branded as Gator Maxx sand.
Great video. I too live in canada where freeze/thaw cycles commonly play havoc with many outdoor overlay solutions. Can you comment on the long term (5 years or more) integrity of jobs done using this workflow? Are you seeing glued edge pieces popping loose over time?
If built properly, they should last significantly longer than 5 years
What’s your recommend procedure for correcting the slope of the pad if it’s settled some and has a pitch back toward the house?
Remove and replace. Or there are companies that can jack up concrete, but it is a bandaid and not a complete fix.
Can cement and sand mix be used as jointing sand to bind the stones instead of polymeric sand?
No, especially not in freeze thaw climates. There’s no flexibility to that mixture
What kind of concrete sand did you use? Limestone or silica? Why did you choose this over stone dust? My contractor wants to use stone dust but I’m worried it will settle (sink). Also I’m not sure I want them using a machine compactor over a concrete pad, in case it cracks.
I’d assume it’s a limestone concrete sand. Stone dust doesn’t drain and leads to all kinds of problems.
Would you ever glue natural stone over the whole porch? (Like you did with the caps, but for the entire surface of the porch)
I wouldn’t just because of the tolerance of natural stone. I’d prefer a sand setting bed to fine tune them if I can contain it with a thicker cap stone.
I have a river boulder porch that has flagstone on top. The flagstone is coming up because of water getting under them. The porch is in good condition. Should I scrape up all of the old sand and mortar and do something like you did on top of the existing structure? Would your method work?
Oh, I would have to see it to be able to give advice like that unfortunately.
can this be done with thinner " pavers" i got only 1/2 height in which i can use ( do to sideing bottom lock channel ) I'm looking for options to overlay my front porch and patio i got 20 plus year old concrete 12 plus in slabs solid as can be but ugly
Yes, we’ve used 1” natural stone to do this before as well
Thanks for the great video. Do you see any issues with HPB instead of concrete sand? It would be about a 1” of HPB.
No 1” would be fine 👍
Thanks for your answer. I’m thinking of using 1” sandstone instead of the pavers. Do you think this method would be OK?
How do you level pavers on concrete patio? I’m making steps into the house and I can’t seem to get the pavers flat! HELP!
Check this video for instructions on levelling using concrete sand.
Great video. All your videos are so informative!! I would like to ask you a question if I might. I am helping my buddy with his front entrance. They have a concrete slab. They removed the small concrete step going into the front door. They then added 4 inches of crushed stone and then a layer of stone dust. Would you remove all the crushed stone and stone dust and do what you did in the video and then add another step to the front door (do the step first)? Or could we remove a few inches of the stone dust and crushed stone and then add PBS and use Gator Base. Or am I dreaming in technicolor? LOL Thanks so much for your time! Much appreciated!
Normally for a front entrance I just match the same base that the driveway is built out of because we are building it right up against the driveway usually. So typically a 3/4" crushed down to fines, but we wouldn't use stone dust as the bedding layer ever. Yes step first, then lay the walkway.
Thanks very much!
What if the entrance to the house is exactly as you described but below grade? Like a property that has a step DOWNWARDS instead of upwards kinda like a semi-basement. It’s just how the property was build for level 1 first story. The actual basement/garage slopes and is WAY below grade. I should make all the same considerations with like a French drain of some sort draining water out in slope and then AROUND the porch? Thanks and cheers from north east Italy!
I a concrete pad that is around 5 feet wide next to my house, but it slopes slightly back towards the french drain at the foot of my foundation. Can I use the sand underlayment to correct this slight slope when I lay the pavers to ensure correct drainage? I estimate it would be less than 2" needed to correct this over the entire length of the pad.
You will need to maintain that slope for water. Is the slope 2” over that 5 feet?
Any worry around that column? I’m thinking about doing this on my back porch and have three columns. I’m worried about standing water but I assume it would run off?
You can flash it or just make sure that it will run off
@@iamahardscaper ah. Makes sense. Didn’t think about flashing it. But with enough sand base it would be able to flow out
We are installing 1.5" thick natural bluestone over a concrete patio that is in great condition. It is uncovered and in the Pacific NW where we have lots of rain/freeze/thaw cycles. Would you recommend using this method or installing them like tile with mortar using a square groove trowel to create grooves to allow water to drain off the slope of the patio? Thank you!
I like either way, but for the most part with natural stone will opt for the mortar method
@@iamahardscaper Thank you for the quick reply! We appreciate your input.
What do you do to protect those wood post from rot now that they are where water can sit and soke up them
flash and caulk
Awesome. Thanks
I didn't see the step where you attached the stone/pavers to the side of the porch. For reference go to the 7:00 minute mark on your video.
🙌🙌
@@iamahardscaper I don't understand your reply.
Oh I thought you were mentioning the point in the video where the stone was adhered to the side of the porch.
Yes, there is no video of that step. We used a vertical adhesive for this.
I have a patio surfaced in Seattle with very-well-weathered-brick. What would be my steps to do a paver-over?
I would not lay pavers over brick. Only over a concrete slab that is in good condition.
Also, I’m sure you use some type of design software, what would you suggest for a homeowner in terms of something simple to use. Or should I just hire out for future projects. Because I’ve done three major projects so far, driveway, raised back patio and a gazebo pad. I at this point I need a design to tie my landscape together.
If you want to play around with something, look up SketchUp. They have a free web based design program for personal use. Though it never hurts to get a professional opinion as well 👍
So you could do this over a large cement patio? I have a 20 x 30' cement patio. Unilock makes nice a thin stone veneer.
If it is in good condition, it slopes to where you want it to, and there aren’t large variances 👍
@@iamahardscaper Ty!
No problem!
Is it good just to lay and glue pavers on concrete. The contractor is not laying no fabric no send good or not
Probably best to discuss this with your contractor
I noticed that the finished level of the pavers is almost dead even with the threshold of the door, which makes it a little higher than the height of the interior flooring.
Is this code correct?
Frankly, I’m going to do it either way, I’m just worried about resale in the future.
Good eye, this is not code correct. Clients understood and wanted that specifically.
@@iamahardscaper Thank you for the reply. Would you happen to know generally how far below the exterior footing should be below the interior footing? I’m hearing things like 5”.
If I use a 1.5” pavers I might be able to get away without too much trouble or, even any notice.
I actually do not know, it depends on the region as well. Most people opt for a 1" or 1.5" paver / natural square cut flagstone like you are
@@iamahardscaper Thank you for the info.
Im in west tx. I was told caliche is used as a base since rain is rare. Thoughts on caliche as a base?
Ohh I wouldn’t be able to comment on that personally. Could be some truth to it. I’d speak to suppliers and contractors near you to see what a consensus is on that.
How does the water that falls in between the pavers stone cracks drain if they have no sand underneath the caps wouldnt the water get traped?
The caps are glued with perpendicular lines of adhesive allowing any water to escape through a small enough for it to exit.
Would you do same for 1” sq cut flag? I normally wet lay the stone coping as well as the sq cut using Megaflex . ( silver valley/ Hampton stone). When I’ve overlayed with pavers I use the same installation steps as you.Cheers
Yeah that definitely works too!
did you say polymeric sand will fail to cure if installed on top of concrete? Isn't this how you did it?
You need a drainage layer, that being the sand under the pavers in this application. If you were to install direct onto concrete and then use polymeric sand it would fail.
@@iamahardscaper oh I see what you mean. What about installing with mortar? I have seen a lot of videos where they install these pavers with mortar? Is that ok?
I dont like that in my climate which can be wet but also we experience freeze-thaw cycles. If you are not in a climate like this it would be okay, but if you are I would stay away from mortar with pavers personally.
Installing pavers on my back slab patio.
Slab is uneven in certain spots and puddles in a couple of areas. Can the sand act to help so that slope can run off away from the house?
Unfortunately it will not. Water that enters the system will flow through it and you will still have that pooling.
Hi what did you end up doing here? What can you use prevent the water from pooling?
How long will the overlaid materials last if the job is done properly?
We have projects that are 10 years old and still look great.
Thank you! Very helpful
can you not overlay the stone with mortar? do you have to use concrete sand?
I would use mortar for a natural stone application but not for pavers.
@@iamahardscaperwhy?
Hi. Thank you for the video - very helpful. What would you do and use for overlay installation of stone step tread on concrete steps?
You can use a hardscape adhesive or mortar
@@iamahardscaper Thank you very much. But for the pavers themselves you prefer a sand bed over mortar (I am in Canada too)?
@@iamahardscaper Also, what is minimum sand bed thickness. Both the pavers and the border pieces are 2.75".
Yes sand bed, I’m in canada too. There isn’t a minimum for overlays, just trying to get separation between the fabric and pavers. If the border and pavers are the same height, just do a light dusting of masonry sand instead. It is more fine.
@@iamahardscaper Thank you very much
You mentioned a product that can be used to repair small cracks or imperfections in the existing concrete before installing pavers. What is that product?
There are various manufacturers that have a product that does this. Try Ardex concrete repair.
Great Video. I plan on using 1 inch overlay tiles for my covered back porch. I can only find 2 inch caps, would it be ok to use 1 inch of sand or is too thick of sand a bad thing? Thanks in advance for any advice.
1” is the max I would go 👍
What non-woven geotextile material do you use?
We use what our landscape supplier has in stock. They always have the same product.
Can the paver base panels be used in this application ?
Yes I believe they do have an application for concrete overlays. I’d say it’s overkill especially not necessary for a porch overlay. You’d also need a much thicker border stone about 3” thick or so.
@@iamahardscaper I forgot about the border stones. Thank you!
No problem! 👍
I have a slate walkway that is becoming very loose and disjointed. The slates are laid on top of concrete. Can I just re-glue the slates to the concrete and then apply polymeric sand to fill in the joints? If so, what kind of glue works best, and what kind of polymeric sand should I get? The walkway is nowhere near my house, so I don't have to worry about water collecting around my foundation. Thanks for the great vid!
Typically it is mortared on top of concrete. You will likely have to break away all of the mortar and re-mortar it. Then you would have to use an outdoor grout for the joints, not polymeric sand. If the pieces are consistent in height you may get away with gluing and polymeric sand, but I don't think that is the best option.
@@iamahardscaper That is great to know! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your response on this. I have been having some trouble pinning down the best method for what I am trying to do here, so having a strait answer from somebody who knows what they are doing is really helpful. Any recommendations on the mortar and grout to use?
Nothing in particular, it is not something I do quite often. Ardex is a good name though 👍
@@iamahardscaper Alrighty! Thank you so much for answering my questions.
How’d you Stick that stone on the sides underneath your caps? Thanks in advance
We chiseled off the parging and glued them. Check out sticky stone by Techni seal or MFA also makes a vertical adhesive. You could also mortar them too.
@@iamahardscaper thank you, I’m considering that or just building a tumble stone block around it.
No problem!
Great video! I’ve got a similar step that I am planning to overlay. Will follow these steps, but I’m racking my brain trying to find a way to extend the sides down all the way to the ground. Like this step, I’ve got a roughly 1 1/2 inch lip over the side. Any ideas on how to make a smooth layer all the way down?
I don’t know the best route to do that unfortunately
Im to scared to do this at my house due to the water issues
Yes if the concrete is no sloped properly in the first place or there are problems with the concrete, there will be issues
Hi, Great Video! I have a concrete pad for my patio in great condition but has too many expansion joints to honor for mortaring my 2x2 porcelain pavers. Have you tried this method with porcelain pavers? The manufacturer does allow for this method but doesnt really go into specifics. Also, if it does work, do you think 1/4 inch of concrete sand would be enough if it's not covered? Thanks!
Thank you! Yes, this works and is enough for 1/4”. Also use the Alliance Gator Tile System for the porcelain to lay on top of on top of the sand bedding layer. Hope that helps!
@@iamahardscaperGreat tip on the Gator system. It looks good. Thanks!
Hello,
Would this method of installation work for porcelain pavers as well? Is there a way to bring the pavers all the way to the edges (rather than using different coping pieces)? It is for a covered backyard patio that will be essentially level with the surrounding ground, which will be rocks. Also, would the same polymeric sand be effective? I've read that some users had issues with the sand between porcelain pavers.
Yes, this works with porcelain. You can glue the outside area, but you still need to have geotextile and a very fine coating of sand for the interior. There are other polymeric sands on the market that are good for overlays besides alliance. Check TechniSeal
@@iamahardscaper I appreciate your prompt response. I'll check out TechniSeal. This helps so much. Thank you!
Is it possible to install interlocking 50mm stone on old concreate ?
As long as the concrete is in good condition
Thickness of sand?
Whatever the difference is between the height of your pavers and the height of your caps. To a max of about 1”.
that wasn't concrete sand that was lowes paverbase ...how long have you been in the industry? way to technical for an actual pro. if you use pipes to screed the pavers won't bounce with a mallet ..hmu you need help
😂 thank you 👍
Question The 2” natural stone can I lay them like tile on my front porch.
Yup using the right adhesive / mortar
Thank you
No comments?
Thanks for the comment!
Thank you I am going to tear it
👍👍
Instead: Mortar natural stone pavers onto the concrete. Keep the water out!
One option. But this video is paver installation over concrete.
I think I may go with the mortar method as I was able to get some granite pavers for free. Would you also mortar the joints as well? Or do something different there
Silica dust be damned.
👍
it would be an interesting video if the camera wasn't moving that much. makes you sea-sick.
👍
This is a terrible idea
Terrible idea??
@@iamahardscaper what country is this? what's the climate like?
@@TruthNinja195 Canada - several freeze-thaw cycles a year.
@@iamahardscaper can you update us on this in the spring?
@@TruthNinja195 Absolutely
just what in the hell is the point of putting cement over cement? like putting carpet over carpet - dumb!!!!!!!!!!
I think you need to research what cement is
Just lay the pavers on a mortar bed, straight onto the slab, and then grout. I don't know why you're messing around with paving sand and geotec on a rigid foundation.
Different strokes for different folks
We have old, dated looking brick pavers for backyard patio. The installer I spoke with said to remove old brick pavers and pour concrete as base, instead of using compacted gravel and layer of sand, which seems very common practice. Is pour a new concrete as base a good option for laying pavers? Thank you.
Yes this is something some contractors believe in doing. We do have a video on concrete overlays if you want to check that out. It just has to be done properly.
You realize that sand will hold more moisture than cement, right? Putting sand over concrete, then covering it up with pavers will really trap that moisture in there.
Nobody builds with straight cement…
Nice! The only issue I have is: If you are doing a lot of cutting with a dry blade, you need to be aware of dust, as a nuisance and a health hazard. My neighbor hired a guy to install Belgard Pavers around a pool next door. The whole job was a f…..cking dust fest for about two months. No consideration at all. Thanks for the good info here!
I do agree with you! We have a dustless table saw we try to use as much as possible, but on these larger treads we gotta go to our demo saw.
Please have the person doing the cut wear respirator. As small dust particles migrate deep down his lung and he could end up with respiratory illness or even cancer.
I learned a lot from your video. Thank you for sharing it on Tube.
Using a wet saw, cutting freehand will definitely solve the problem..
We would never do it like this in Australia, we would glue with 12mm notch trowel with expandable glue, that way it won't be drummy like this method.
That’s interesting. Do some mortar there? We could glue but it’s not best with the freeze thaw we experience here.