What goes under pavers — compacted base, bedding sand, joint sand, and edge restraint
A paver field is mostly the buried layers: compacted base (4″ patio · 6″ driveway · ~10″ vehicular), a screeded 1″ bedding sand (never deeper — it ruts), pavers, polymeric joint sand, and a spiked edge restraint. Pitch it ~1.5–2% to drain.
What this diagram shows
A section through a sand-set paver field. From the bottom up: compacted subgrade, a compacted aggregate base that is 4 inches deep for a patio, 6 inches for a residential driveway, and about 10 inches for light-vehicular use; a screeded 1-inch bedding-sand layer that must never be made thicker or it ruts; the pavers; polymeric joint sand swept into the joints; and an edge restraint spiked to the base along the perimeter. The whole field is pitched about 1.5 to 2 percent so it drains.
Paver & Patio Calculator
Calculate pavers, base aggregate, bedding sand, polymeric sand, and edging for sand-set, mortar-set, pedestal & PICP installs. ICPI Tech Spec.
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