Block paving is a great cost effective option when it comes to driveways. But after a couple of years they start to need yearly maintenance. In particular cleaning, re sanding and sealing your driveway. Fast forward to 10 years plus and even with the best installation and sub base in the world you are likely to have sunken areas particularly at the edges and high traffic areas. And that’s exactly where I am now. Where we park our car has developed tramlines. The block paving is sunken and not only does it look unsightly but it puddles too when it rains and so I thought I’d share with you how to fix it.
What you will need to fix sunken block paving
X2 Philips screwdrivers (preferably old)
A length of straight wood or similar
A plastering trowel
A dustpan and brush
rubble sacks
A rubber mallet
Enough sharp sand for the job
Kiln dried sand
How to fix sunken block paving – step 1 – assessing which areas need repairing
So the first thing we need to do is check the weather forecast. This is a job best done when it’s dry. And depending on the size of area you are lifting good take a few days. Next up access which areas of paving are sunken and which aren’t. Now most of this can be seen with the naked eye. But some areas will perhaps not be quite as sunken as others. And therefore not as apparent until you take a closer look. And so grab your length of straight wood and place it on a sunken area and then move it round. Your looking for it to make contact either side with the correct level pavers revealing which ones you need to lift with a view to raising them to the correct level.
Step 2 – remove the offending sunken block pavers
Now if you’re lucky like me part of your sunken paving will be at an edge. In which case it’s easy to just start lifting them. But it’s more likely that the sunken part is in the middle of your driveway and so the next thing you will need to do is lift a paver. Now this is fiddly and requires a bit of patience but it’s not impossible. Using your two flat ended screw drivers wedge the ends in either side of your chosen paver and use them to slowly lift it out. It will feel rock solid at first but with perseverance it will start to loosen and lift enough for you to finally be able to grasp it with your hand to remove it.
Step 3 – as part of fixing sunken pavers clean them as you go
From there it easy to remove the rest. Just keep checking with your straight piece of wood so that you remove all the sunken ones. And in the interest of keeping your workspace clean and tidy use your trowel or a scraper to remove the inevitably stuck on dirt from all the pavers surfaces (including the bottom). It helps when your ready to replace the pavers.
Step 4 – stacking the lifted sunken block pavers
Now this can become a untidy job quite quickly so it’s important to have a system at this stage. It helps when you come to relaying the pavers. As you lift a line, clean each paver (as above) and then stack them to one side in piles of 10-12. Place two bricks side by side and the add another two on top but in the opposite direction so you create a kind of Jenga brick pile.
Step 5 – Dealing with cut edging pavers
Now the rectangular pavers can pretty much go back down in any order due to them all being the same size. So other than stacking them you don’t need a system. This however cannot be said for any edging blocks that have been cut. These will need to go back down in exactly the same place you lifted them from. Otherwise your going to end up with a giant and rather frustrating jigsaw puzzle. As you lift these pavers place them in the order that you remove them. Either place them just to one side of where you lifted them. Or if that’s not possible arrange them in order somewhere that they won’t be disturbed by your work.
Step 6 – Clean the sides of the block pavers at the edges
Once you’ve lifted all the sunken pavers it’s time to tidy up the edges. Work your way around the border of level pavers with your trowel. And remove any visible dirt or sand on the face of each paver. Not only will this make laying the pavers back down easier. It will also look better too.
step 6 – have a tidy up
All you have to do now is grab you dustpan and brush and sweep up all the dirt and sand that you’ve scraped off as you’ve lifted the sunken pavers. This is where the rubble sacks come in handy. You will be quite surprised by just how much muck you’ve accumulated! Try to remove as much as you can too. As yet again it will really make a difference when it comes to laying the pavers back down.
step 7 – adding the new sand base when fixing sunken block pavers
Now it’s time to start replacing the pavers. But first we need to build a base for them to ensure they are level with the surrounding pavers. So grab your sharp sand and add some to the area needing repair. On a separate note, sharp sand is preferable to builders sand as it’s coarser and makes for a more solid base than builders sand. Now using your plastering trowel spread the sand out to roughly the correct height using the base of the edging pavers as a guide.
step 8 – compacting the sand
When your driveway was originally laid the hardcore and sand layers would have been levelled with a vibrating compactor. Now this is fine for a large area but it won’t fit into the smaller space of a repair. So instead you need to trample it down with your feet. Get some tunes on and dance a little jig!
step 9 – levelling the sand
With the sand nicely compacted it’s time for the fun bit, replacing the pavers. Using your plastering trowel again smooth the sand to match the height of the surrounding bricks and then pat it firmly down with the trowel to make a perfect base for your pavers.
step 10 – relaying the block pavers when fixing a sunken drive
This is rather trial and error. You will find some pavers go down perfectly first time. And others you have multiple goes at before you get the height right. The aim is to relay the pavers in line with the existing ones and thus eliminate the dip. To do this grab your straight piece of wood again and place it across the gap with each end placed on the existing side pavers. Prepare your sand base, then trial fit a paver before then checking if it is level with the surrounding pavers. Add or remove sand until it’s at the perfect height. And then take your rubber pallet and give it a couple of whacks to make sure it’s firmly in place.
Step 11 – continue laying all the pavers
Continue laying all the pavers until you’ve replaced them all making sure each brick is completely clean and free from debris or dirt. The cleaner your pavers when you relay them the better the result.
step 12 – sanding the gaps of your newly laid block pavers
All we need to do now is sand the joints. Not only does this add to the strength and integrity of the block paving but depending on the sand you use it can also help prevent weeds coming through too. The sand needs to be kiln dried to allow in to slip down into gaps between the blocks. Just use a broom to sweep it across the pavers, pushing it back and forth until it fills all the gaps. I then went over each paver with a rubber pallet to help fill any gaps not seen with the naked eye before sweeping the sand over any gaps that appear again.
And there we have it. In total for this large area it took me 2 days to complete, so easily a job for the weekend. And the driveway looks so much better for it. It’s certainly adds to this old houses kerb appeal that’s for sure. So what do you think? Are you ready to tackle your own sunken block paving now? Drop me a question below if you have any x
NB. ‘How to fix sunken block paving’ is a guideline only. Other people may do it another way. And as such I can’t be held responsible for other peoples results. Here’s another great guide too.
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