Brick Unit Paving
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alt="" Brick Paver InstallationBrick unit paving offers an aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional concrete and asphalt materials, when moderate traffic loads allow its use. In the most common brick unit paving construction method, individual bricks are abutted on a bed of compacted sand over a granular base course. These layers (or courses) are constructed upon prepared foundational soils known as the subgrade, and are contained within a framework of edge restraints.
As with any paving material, the integrity of the overall system depends on and begins with the condition and preparation of the subgrade soils. The subgrade soils should be free of standing water, their surface should be compacted and level, and they should not contain any organic matter that could decompose over time and create void space.
A system of edge restraint is required to contain the granular base course, sand, and brick pavers. Cast-in-place concrete curbs and wood timbers are commonly used for this purpose, and will frame the area and depth for pavement placement. Some manufacturers offer “L” shaped metal brackets, attached to posts or spikes, which can be set in the ground to serve as edge restraints.
Several inches (4-6”) of granular base layer (crushed stone or gravel base) are then placed, spread, and compacted to a high density on top of the prepared subgrade, within the edge restraints. Just over an inch of sand is spread and smoothed out above the granular base layer. The sand is not compacted at this stage, but it will be after brick placement, which is the next step.
Bricks are then placed individually, edge to edge, on top of the sand. The process begins at a corner of the edge constraints to ensure the tightest placement. A string-line is set above the project, at the elevation of the top face of the bricks, to provide consistent height control. Odd-shaped and short pieces can be cut to fit from whole bricks at the job site, using a wet saw designed for this purpose. Sometimes corner pieces and partial brick units will be offered by the manufacturer.
When all the bricks are placed in a tight matrix on the sand layer, additional sand is broomed over the entire surface of the pavement. A hand operated vibrating compacter is then passed over the surface of the entire pavement area. The compacter will settle each brick paver unit into the sand course, locking them in place at a consistent final elevation.
The final step is to broom away excess sand, and rinse off the finished surface of the pavement, which is then ready for use.
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