How to Install Pavers Over a Concrete Patio Without Mortar

Re. Julie’s article on installing pavers over concrete.

I plan to do this on the walk leading to my front door. The existing concrete (in good condition) like many other sidewalks consists of a series of 3 foot sections. If these are expansion joints, the groove is only a half inch deep. The question is can I go over these joints with pavers? Do I have to avoid going over these joints when I set the edge using an adhesive or mortar? Thanks. Doug

I’m laying pavers over my existing concrete patio. I have mortared in the two sides, but left the front of it unmortared to allow for drainage. I planned on building the soil level up a little here so that it allows drainage, but also some restraint. Does this sound like a good method? If not, what do you suggest? Thanks, Joe.

Another area to consider when making lawns and gardens look great is professional concrete curbing. I haven’t read any articles here that speak about it. Curbing will really enhance the look and feel of your property, either residential or commercial. Installing concrete curbing is what we do and it makes all the difference.

Hi Danny,

Thank you for providing this service to home owners.

I’m the second owner of a townhouse and pavers were added to the concrete patio in approx. 1996 (I’ve lived in the house 6 years). The pitch from the middle of the patio has changed and its slopping toward the house and now my laminate floor is warped because of the moisture from the water absorbed by the concrete slab my house is built on.

Since I’ve lived in this house from spring thru fall, high powered sprinkler have been saturating the patio and vinyl siding,leaving puddles of water all over patio.

Also, the paver stones by the wall of the house are all lifted up or sunken down. There are 3 brick borders edges around the patio but not at the edge of the house where the sliding door is, instead the is about a 1″ space between the pavers and the wall.

The question: would almost 19 years of water saturating the patio and the house cause the downward sloping of the patio and the pavers to shift and come up and sink down? The homeowners association is responsible for outside maintenance and the sprinklers and they are trying to shift the responsibility for this issue. I would appreciate any information you can provide. Thanks.

Dee

Dee, I think you need an attorney. I am living testimony to the effects sprinklers can have on on structures. For six years I wasn’t particularly careful about water hitting the wood fence that borders my backyard garden. By last fall the cedar posts needed bracing to keep it upright, and this summer I had to replace it–to the tune of $7,000. Good luck!

I want to put a step outside of my French door. It is paved area. What do I put down first before I lay the bricks and then the paving slabs? I am a lady of 71 and I would like to have a go at this.

Is there a way to drill drainage holes in an existing partically cover patio. The patio is concrete cover with porcelain tiles. When there is a heavy rain, the water puddles in areas and runs across part of the patio. The patio has a stone wall on one side and the water collects in area against the wall.

My landscaper installed pavers over my existing patio using a sand base and filling the spaces between with sand…then the rains came and leached water up to the stucco on the house. They drilled about 60 holes in the patio, layed the pavers over sand again and now the monsoon season in New Mexico is here…needless to say, water is leaching up to the house and staining the stucco….what should be done to resolve this problem? My landscaper says this is normal and especially on a patio facing north. I say this could ultimately result in stucco damage as well as other structural problems…any suggestions?
Thanks

I have cool deck over concrete around my pool. It is not is bad shape but looks old. What is the best way to spruce this up and make it look new again?

I have an uncovered patio that used to have outdoor carpet. After mulitple demo efforts, there are still traces of carpet glue residue and water pools in the center. The patio is surrounded by the brick walls of our house on three sides and a short drivet wall on the fourth. I’m looking for an inexpensive solution that will be slip resistant and won’t trap dog hair from my shedding Shepherds. I am open to removing the short wall. This seems quite hopeless without a huge budget. I have 1/3 of the patio covered in recycled rubber pavers as a test area – this was a miserable failure since it requires daily shop vac to remove all the dog hair. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I have just signed a contract to have pavers put around my pool deck. I asked that he use polymeric sand & he said I didn’t need it on a concrete deck base. What do you think?
Regards
Lauretta

Hello,can you lay bitumen on top of old uneven driveway

Can I use a thin rubber sheet on top of a cement walkway- below the pavers?

My house is 97 years old and sits on the corner at the intersection between two streets. The concrete walkways to the street at the front of the house and the one to the street at the side of the house are old and pocked, and so are the two or three steps that go down to the street level. After thoroughly scrubbing this old concrete with a rotary wire brush attachment on a Rigid angle grinder, I used Quickcrete patching material to patch the pocked areas in the concrete. Then I used masonry adhesive from Lowe’s to glue a course of 4 by 8 by 1 inch thick brick pavers placed perpendicular to the edges of the walkways. I placed small round globs of the masonry adhesive at six points on the bottom of each brick paver so that there would plenty of space for rain water to drain out between the pavers and the concrete surface underneath. Then I cut heavy black construction paper to fit in two layers between the two courses of brick pavers on either side of the walkway–a space 24 inches wide. Then I spread a thin layer of sand over the black paper and proceeded to cover the black paper with a basket weave design of brick pavers. It all fit together just perfectly without doing any cutting. (I did have to do some cutting to cover the steps going down to street level and at the porch steps.) then I spread polymeric sand over the surface and brushed it carefully into all of the small spaces between the brick pavers. I sprinkled the whole surface with water to wash as much of the sand as possible into the spaces between the brick pavers. Using the same procedure I covered the concrete patios at two entrances into the house. That was two years ago, and things have held together beautifully.

Do you have any photos of before & after for the “sand over concrete” pavers install.

Also, any photo examples of a few years AFTER the work was completed?

I’m a visual person. Seeing an example & perhaps the steps would simplify the “how to do this is;” particularly in my mind.

Sounds like a great idea! I can’t wait to see & try it out!! Thank you

i plan on installing pavers over an existing 24 x 24 concrete patio. Will I have a problem in winter with water getting under the pavers and freezing? I would add 1/2 – 1″ of sand under the pavers. Should I leave a means for water to drain at the end of the patio by drilling holes through the concrete every 6 ” in front of the mortared border at the low end of the patio

I like your recommendation to fill joints with polymeric sand to help with excess water. My wife and I are considering renovating our driveway to be something more unique, compared to our neighbors. We may consider reaching out to a supplier to see what driveway materials they recommend.

My dad told me that he would like to make his patio bigger since he has enough lawn already. I found it interesting when you said that you can extend your concrete patio by digging soil around the area that you would like to expand. I will recommend him to hire a concrete contractor so that they can do the job for him.

I have 1500 sft of concrete pavement which is 5 months old and I am going to lay concrete paver over this pavement. This pavement is without expansion joints Now can I lay pavers directly on the concrete pavement

Please advise on this proposals and rainfall and heat is moderate but there is light snow fall during winter

This is what I wanted to know, and I will implement this at home now. I want to install pavers over the concrete patio in my backyard, and I can quickly achieve that. I am happy.