How to Install Pavers on Concrete Slabs
- 1). Clean the slab thoroughly using a pH-neutral cleanser. Mop the slab with the cleanser, removing any dirt or debris, and then rinse the slab clear of any cleanser residue with clean water. Remove any oil from the slab with a concrete degreaser, and rinse the slab a second time with the water. Wait for the concrete to dry before continuing.
- 2). Mix a batch of thinset mortar in a large bucket using an electric drill with a paddle bit attachment. Add water to the mortar mix until you have the consistency of peanut butter.
- 3). Spread the thinset onto the slab beginning at an edge or against the wall and covering a 4-foot square area. Leave a ¼-inch gap between the mortar and any walls to allow for expansion of the paved surface during temperature changes. Use the flat of a notched trowel to spread the mortar. Then turn the trowel to a 45-degree angle and go over the mortar with the notches to raise small ridges in the mortar surface.
- 4). Place the pavers into the mortar along the edge of the slab, butting the pavers tightly together. Use a slight twisting motion when setting the pavers into the final position in order to spread the mortar evenly across the paver bottom. Continue placing the pavers onto the slab, following the 4-foot square pattern to ensure that the mortar does not set before the pavers are in place. Cut the pavers when necessary for placement along the edge of the slab by measuring the needed paver size, marking the size along the top of the paver using the edge of a chisel, and then cutting the pavers on a wet saw.
- 5). Check the level of the pavers every three to four feet using a carpenter's level laid across the paver tops. Adjust the paver height by lifting low pavers free of the slab and adding more mortar to gain height, or by tapping high pavers further into the mortar layer with a rubber-headed mallet. Remove any mortar that splashes onto the top of the pavers immediately using a damp rag, to prevent the mortar drying in place.
- 6). Place a line of edge restraints along the edge of the paved surface to keep the pavers in place. Butt the edge restraint tightly against the paver edge and then anchor the restraint to the ground using steel pins hammered through the holes at the base of the restraints.
- 7). Cover the surface of the pavers with plastic sheeting. Secure the sheeting in place along the edges by placing loose pavers onto the sheeting edge against the ground. Leave the sheeting in place for three weeks to allow the mortar holding the pavers in place to dry.
- 8). Fill the small joints between the pavers with sand. Brush the sand across the paver surface, into the joints, using a push broom. Wet the sand down with a water hose to compact it in place, and then push more sand into the joints to fill them completely. Sweep away any excess sand from the paver surface.
- 9). Spray two coats of concrete sealant over the pavers and sand to protect them from staining.
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