# How much will pavers settle during plate compaction?



## red92s (Nov 14, 2012)

Building a pathway from the driveway to the front porch over the long weekend. Walkway will be built using Belgard concrete pavers (2-3/8" thick). Planning on a 4" base of compacted crusher run, and a 1" bedding layer of granite sand (pretty typical walkway installation).

Anyways, my biggest question is how much settlement to expect when running the plate compactor over the finished walkway. I want to try and get things nice and even where the path meets up with the driveway. I'm assuming I need to construct the base so that the walkway surface is slightly proud of the driveway edge before running the plate compactor over everything. But how much? 1/4" high before compacting? 3/8"?


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Between 1/4 -3/8"


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

put a piece of plywood over it, compact that.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Fix'n it said:


> put a piece of plywood over it, compact that.


I don't think that's a good idea. Cars parked on the driveway will have a point load. You want to compact the pavers so there are no areas where it will settle. If you walk around and look at older paver jobs, you can see the ones with improper compacting(base and pavers). They have ruts in the driveway where the cars have gone in and out. A properly installed paver driveway will still be flat after 5 years.
Plywood will spread out the load and not compact down enough.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

I do my best not to park my car on the pathway and I doubt the OP does.:smile:


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

SeniorSitizen said:


> I do my best not to park my car on the pathway and I doubt the OP does.:smile:


Got it, pathway to driveway, not driveway. 
Still no plywood.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

I compact the base only. The pavers get smacked with rubber mallet when set. I've never see a compacter run over a finished walk or drive.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Colbyt said:


> I compact the base only. The pavers get smacked with rubber mallet when set. I've never see a compacter run over a finished walk or drive.


Must be a regional thing. Pavers are always compacted around here. Sand is spread out over the pavers and the compaction vibrates the sand between the pavers and sets them.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

I have never understood the reason for running the compacter over the pavers. You are not going to "compact" the pavers, they are stone or concrete. You are trying to compact the sand, stone dust, or crusher run under the pavers, so why put a stone between the compacter and the sand? In a large scale operation like building a road, compaction is typically measured using a nuclear density meter, but of course the average homeowner building a walkway or even a driveway is not going to use such a device to measure density.

The simplest way to get good density is to make four passes, two each direction, with a vibrating plate compacter over moist subgrade, in four inch or less lifts. When you reach proper elevation, you place the stones, whack them in place with a rubber mallet or similar, add the sand or whatever between the stones, broom off, and declare victory. We have built several walkways and patios using this technique, no problems. And you don't have to measure or estimate the settlement, you just keep adding sand and compacting until you reach desired elevation.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Daniel Holzman said:


> I have never understood the reason for running the compacter over the pavers. You are not going to "compact" the pavers, they are stone or concrete. You are trying to compact the sand, stone dust, or crusher run under the pavers, so why put a stone between the compacter and the sand?


The 1" sand layer on top of the base isn't compacted, just screeded level. Only after the pavers are set, is the sand compacted at the same time the pavers are locked in place. I've never seen the sand layer compacted first. Probably because you couldn't get the surface level and being compacted, maybe the pavers would be harder to set level. Then you would need to compact the paver layer again, locking them in place.
Daniel, have you done a paver job both ways to see the difference?


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

Daniel Holzman said:


> I have never understood the reason for running the compacter over the pavers. You are not going to "compact" the pavers, they are stone or concrete. You are trying to compact the sand, stone dust, or crusher run under the pavers, so why put a stone between the compacter and the sand? In a large scale operation like building a road, compaction is typically measured using a nuclear density meter, but of course the average homeowner building a walkway or even a driveway is not going to use such a device to measure density.


It's long been considered "best practice" to compact pavers after setting. Every polymeric sand manufacturer requires it wwith their products, and the Brick Institute confirms as well (page 11)...........

http://www.gobrick.com/portals/25/docs/technical notes/tn14a.pdf


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

in my case. my skreading was not perfect. AND the pavers were not all the same height.
compacting with plywood flatted things out very nicely. and running the compacter over the bare pavers damaged a few.


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