PAVING MATERIALS
There are basically two choices of paver material for paving an area: 1. Concrete blocks in various shapes and colours used for
Decorative paving around gardens, pools entertainment areas etc
Multi dwelling driveways, car parks and residential streets
Estate road developments
Light and heavy duty industrial areas
Specialised applications such as embankments, service stations, warehouse floors etc.
2. Clay blocks in various shapes and colours used for
Mainly decorative purposes as approximately 4 x the price of concrete pavers
CONCRETE BLOCK PAVING (CBP) vs PREMIX ASPHALT (TAR)
CBP requires no maintenance whereas asphalt requires overlaying after some years of use
CBP is far more durable than asphalt
CBP can be easily removed and relayed if services underneath need attention
CBP can be easily added to in matching colours and pattern
CBP is far more aesthetically pleasing than asphalt
CBP has a high skid resistance and sheds water rapidly
Drainage channels can be easily built into a CBP design
KEY ELEMENTS OF PAVING
1. Substrate – the bed upon which the pavers are laid
2. Subgrade – the existing soil / rock
3. Subbase – the imported layers of material used to reinforce the surface of the subgrade
4. Bedding sand – the layer of sand used to ‘bed’ the pavers
5. Jointing sand – the fine sand used between the paving blocks to create a more rigid surface
6. Edge restraints – concrete edging to hold the paved surface in place
7. Drainage – designed to channel rainwater away from the paved surface
The real cost of paving is in the correct preparation of the paver bed. If the preparation is defective in any of the above aspects, the paved surface will collapse and will have to be taken up and relayed. For this reason alone CBP is best left to the professionals.
As KwikPave says
“Paving is expensive. Bad paving is VERY expensive”
