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.

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. — Source: CMHA / ICPI Tech Spec 2 (base depths) & Tech Spec 3 (edge restraint)

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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.

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    <img src="https://remodelcalculators.com/api/figure-embed/paver-base-cross-section" alt="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." width="800" height="500" style="width:100%;height:auto;border:0" loading="lazy">
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    Diagram: <a href="https://remodelcalculators.com/construction-diagrams/paver-base-cross-section" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What goes under pavers — compacted base, bedding sand, joint sand, and edge restraint</a> — courtesy of <a href="https://remodelcalculators.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RemodelCalculators.com</a>
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