BRICK FOR A GARDEN
we want to brick over the hideous concrete in our garden. the concrete is smooth and flat. do we need to pull it up? or can it be bricked over? also, does anyone know of someone good and reasonably priced to do this sort of job? thank you.
we want to brick over the hideous concrete in our garden. the concrete is smooth and flat. do we need to pull it up? or can it be bricked over?
also, does anyone know of someone good and reasonably priced to do this sort of job?
thank you.
If the concrete is in good shape, and it is sloped away from the house (do you have drainage problems now?) you can go over it. I would not use sand, but I would use rock dust. You want something to level out small imperfections both in the slab as well as the brick. I know that with todays manufacturing techniques, bricks are much more uniform, but I have still seen slight differences, so if one brick is 1/8 of an inch small and one is 1/8 large, if they are side by side, you have a 1/4 inch difference, which will be a problem. Same things with minor bumps, high spots, low spots, etc. on the slab. Placing the pavers/bricks in a bedding material will keep them from rocking, being uneven, etc. Use rock dust instead of sand because it is a much less friendly environment for ants to build their homes in.
The things that I would make sure I was clear on, no matter who was doing the project would be;
1.What type of bricks are going to be laid (you want a severe weather rated brick. You’ll need about 3.8 bricks per square foot)
2. What is the bedding material going to be? (I would insist upon rock dust)
3. What is the edging going to be/look like? Why go through all that trouble only to end up with some funky edge on the whole thing, and yes, you will need some kind of an edge in order to keep things from slipping or shifting.
4. Is the new surface going to interfere with anything else, like gates, doors etc. You’ll be raising the existing patio by about 4″ when all is said and done. You don’t want to go through all that trouble only to find out you can’t open your door.
Personally, I think it’s a pretty good DIY project, but it’s that kind of thinking that has resulted in my living in a house with 8 million unfinished projects. Good luck, and let us know what happens.
The concrete makes a great base for new pavers. You will be installing the new patio blocks in sand. Will last forever!
If you want a estimate to purchase and install patio block, call me. We will be any price you get.
Don Perrone
Perrone Maintenance & Construction Corp
1-800-761-7847
http://www.PerroneMaintenance.com
Highly recommend breaking up the concrete and laying pavers/bricks over bed of sand, it will drain water much better, and if alleviate basement flooding. Slope away from building if you make this change
Jim’s been terrific with every job here. He’s moved up from masonry contracting to GC work and I’d have no reluctance to use him for that as well. His subs are also the best — all old school craftsmen.
I think SenatorStreet was commenting on laying sand over the existing concrete. I have to agree that that wouldn’t be a good idea and it doesn’t really buy you anything.
Sand works well over compacted dirt (or, ideally, compacted crushed stone over dirt) because water only has to perc down through a couple of inches of sand in order to drain away. Over concrete however, where’s the water going to go? What will probably happen is that over time the sand will float up through the gaps between the bricks, wash away and the bricks will start becoming uneven.
This is what I’ve observed with my own pavers-over-mortar installation but it’s no big deal because the bricks are laying on mortar. The sand just brings everything flush. Every spring I pressure wash the brick and sweep in a few more pounds of fresh sand to fill in the stuff that’s washed away.
Steve is right. Jim Lally is outstanding. Can’t recommend him enough.
I used precision consulting in new hyde park, LI for my patio they did a nice job. 888-399-9645
Don’t listed to SenatorStreet. There’s no difference between firmly compacted dirt and your concrete pad. Rain runs off the bricks/pavers.
ALL paving stones are set in sand or crushed gravel… sand made of rocks.
Of course water is absorbed in the 1/8 inch space between the pavers. What’s wrong with that? The sand or crushed gravel actually allows the water to move. Soil doesn’t. Think about a rock in your yard – underneath it’s wet with worms and bugs. Then a big rock on the beach… it’s dry underneath.
Not so sure you want to do this. If you place sand between the bricks and both the sand and the bricks over concrete, what’s going to happen in a heavy rain? With the concrete alone the rain can runoff to a drain, but with all that sand, and no place to absorb beneth, I’m afraid that it will be a soggy mess attracting moss and mushrooms even if in the sun.