It's no secret that replacing pavers can be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, it's usually less costly to restore pavers than to replace them. If the pavers are in good structural condition and you're not tired of the color or pattern, you can restore them to make them look great again. When homeowners are looking to repair a paved patio, it's often because a paving stone has broken.
Replacing the paver is usually fairly easy, but the challenge is finding a matching paver that is still available. Since paver manufacturers are constantly making new products, it's useful to always have a few extra pavers saved. If you just bought the house, this may not be an option. To avoid needing to repair patios with pavers, we recommend never using salt on the pavers.
While salt is often used to melt ice, it can also cause cobblestones to disintegrate. Salt is also incredibly harmful to plant material that you've probably planted around your yard or walkways. Instead of salt, we recommend sand. While it doesn't have the melting power of rock salt, it will give you traction on the surface of the ice. Sometimes homeowners have lived with a cobblestone or concrete patio for a long time and it just hasn't fully adapted to their outdoor living needs.
Keep in mind that any patio, walk, or driveway with pavers is designed as a complete system that must be built correctly to provide lasting beauty with minimal care. This can be expensive, but in the long run it's actually a better investment than repairing a poorly built project. Mistakes made during the construction process can result in patio pavement repair needs that otherwise wouldn't have to occur. If you notice puddles, sediment, low spots, raised pavers, or maybe a border that's falling apart, these are all signs that your yard may not have been properly installed from the start. Whether you bought a house with a yard that needs to be repaired or you've had your yard for a long time and are ready to improve it, these types of restoration jobs can be an opportunity to get the yard of your dreams that really helps you fulfill your outdoor living desires. Even if there is no problem with the patio, you may still be considering replacing your paver patio simply because you prefer natural stone.
We have worked on many projects where an owner bought a house with a cobblestone patio but preferred natural stone. If the base was not properly installed, you will likely need to lift all the pavers and correct the base. If you haven't paved the area yet and are thinking about doing so, be sure to place the pavers on a bed of compacted gravel or coarse-grained sand. If you need to restore a paved patio, you might be wondering if you should go through the repair process or if it simply makes sense to replace it with something new. In most cases, restoring your existing pavers is more cost-effective than replacing them.
However, if your existing pavers are severely damaged or if you prefer natural stone over concrete or cobblestone pavers, then replacing them may be your best option.
