Why Use Dense Graded Base for Pavers and Walls

[@megansmith1382]

Love this. I am a woman and I can't get enough of it. I wish I could follow you around for a week and watch you work. I find it so amazing and the end product is always exquisite 👌 🎉❤ Thank you for the upload per usual 😊 See you next time.

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you!

[@susancruz729]

Thank you for the details. Soooooo helpful.

[@iamahardscaper]

glad it helps!

[@sunlin894]

Excellent lessons - thank you

[@iamahardscaper]

👍👍 glad it helps

[@Dbeststuff]

Very informative. Do you have any videos on installing patio pavers on top of a good existing concrete patio slab??

[@iamahardscaper]

Yup! If you go to our channel, in the search bar just search concrete

[@Dbeststuff]

@@iamahardscaper okay thank you sir. Is it a bad idea to glue the pavers onto clean ed concrete?

[@iamahardscaper]

I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea, I just don’t think it is necessary. We do typically glue our border stones though which is usually a cap that is thicker than the field pavers. That allows us to get a non woven geotextile and concrete sand under the field pavers to allow for drainage.

[@Al-xk7wl]

So, if using dense graded base for a walkway along the house, will that not hold water like lime screeding, and be affected by frost heaves? I thought open graded base would be preferred especially if it is sloped away from the home. Great videos!

[@iamahardscaper]

Thank you! Dense graded base will hold water longer than open graded, but it does drain. Lime screening is too fine to allow water through it. I have done open graded along a foundation and haven’t had problems but I ensure a woven geotextile goes up that foundation and along the base. As well you need to make sure that subsoil is sloped away from the foundation. Still I prefer a synthetic base along a foundation first.

[@lisajarvis131]

Thank you for your very informative videos. I am an older woman trying to figure out how to replace sunken pavers on a walkway leading up to front door. It is my understanding that you say to use cement sand only as a base if the joints are very small between pavers and not use HPB bedding layer underneath. Is that right? I live in Ottawa and cannot find cement sand anywhere except to get a truck load delivered and I don't need that much. Does cement sand go by any other names? I just want to get a few bags. I bought a few bags of HPB stones at big box store and many stones are round which I have learned from your videos is not what I want.

[@iamahardscaper]

It’s actually called concrete sand. It is just a coarser sand than masonry sand. If it is just a walkway you can use HPB. It is more for vehicular applications and small joints that we would use concrete sand.

[@shuaiwang4125]

This is very interesting and informative as well. Winters go below -40c in my area, and 1/4 to 3/4 down limestone are widely used for paving base. I’m currently working on a project to extend the width of a driveway on a very well sloped surrounding grade, what kind of base should I use to prevent the base being washed away along the surrounding grade.

[@iamahardscaper]

Whenever I do a project that butts up to another base, I usually just match the base material. More than likely the base for your driveway is dense graded, so I would just match it with more dense graded material and not open.

[@tomvanderleest672]

Great videos! Very informative. I've always used more traditional methods due to not being able to find appropriate aggregates in my area. Just recently, a local gravel pit started making clear washed gravel so I finally got to use it. It was a small project 10x10 and regular Holland paver. I found that I used much more polymeric sand because it would vibrate into the 3/8 clear stone. Have you had this? Eventually I just stopped compacting and finished as per usual. BTW I'm in a small northern B.C town. Cheers!

[@iamahardscaper]

I find we use about 10% more poly sand. You used a 1/4” bedding stone on top of the 3/8 though too right?

[@tomvanderleest672]

3/8 is the smallest I can get other than sand. I would consider it a mix of 3/8 and 1/4 though. And I put on washed 3/4-1/2 ish. Those are the only clear gravels that I can get.

[@tomvanderleest672]

Maybe next time I'll use what we call 3/4 road crush as the base and then use the 3/8 clear as my bedding layer. I very much like the idea of not using sand. I just finished a paver job that was on hold for a couple weeks. It hadn't rain for a few weeks and I lifted a few of the pavers and it was still wet under them. So I can understand why poly sand would degrade rapidly when it's always moist under the pavers. Cheers!

[@iamahardscaper]

👍👍👍

[@panda8868]

Thats a great video and answers a lot of my questions. I have another question, can i use compacted G A stone to reduce the slope in my backyard a bit (like an inch or two) without using retaining walls? Does compacted G A need to be contained? In other words, can i simply compact a thicker G A stone at the lower end of the slope (which will probably be above the ground and not enclosed) to raise the base a bit then use synthetic base?

[@iamahardscaper]

Yes you can do that if I can picture what you are saying correctly. You still want to topsoil to contain the base though

[@panda8868]

@@iamahardscaper got it! Thank you very much for your response!

[@blackacreage4868]

Will you use traditional base on a patio that butts up against the foundation *as a rule*? I heard you say you would use traditional base ‘at least for a little bit’ so if you’re building a patio along a house that runs out 14’ from the foundation is that to say you might split it up, with the few feet closest to the foundation being traditional base and then switching to open graded base?

[@iamahardscaper]

Yes I would do the first few feet in traditional and then open graded but they need to be separated with geotextile. That being said, I have never had to do this because I would use synthetic base if the patio is being built following the existing grade and open graded base if it is a raised patio.

[@ivans613]

@@iamahardscaper Could you use dense grade base right next to a foundation wall to act as the subsoil? I have dug a foot next to the foundation and have yet to hit clay which is what the sub soil a few feet from the foundation happens to be at about 10 inch depth. Wondering on how to bridge this gap and make my sub soil slope away from the house. I hope this makes sense. Thanks a lot!

[@tigerbear3038]

If I want to put a shed on a paver base, should I have a two percent grade slope? Will the shed slide off the slope over time ?

[@iamahardscaper]

I would build it level because now you have a structure that will shed off water rather than relying on the pavement surface to do so

[@tigerbear3038]

@@iamahardscaper thanks for your response. If the pavement surface is also level, how will water drain away ?

[@iamahardscaper]

With a shed on top, there shouldn’t be a way for water to get onto the pavement surface. Like the floors in your house are level. You could if you want put less than a 1/8” slope per foot

[@Wemissthegreatmovieride]

Hi can I use pea-gravel for my base if I was laying a 6ft x 6ft floor with 12x8x4 quarry rock?

[@iamahardscaper]

No, nothing with rounds

[@lorneschroeder3412]

What is compaction rate of HPB? Trying to take any compaction into account vs 3/8 inch compaction on concrete sand for final height of pavers. Anybody?

[@iamahardscaper]

At 1” depth, it’s barely anything. Maybe about 1/16” no more than 1/8”

[@lorneschroeder3412]

@@iamahardscaper Thank you! I currently have a compacted crusher run base to a height expecting to use 1 inch of concrete sand. Local shop talked me into the HPB type base. My techo bloc pavers have fairly large joints (blue 60mm) but are 2 3/8 thick and was expecting to get enough compaction to get pavers to match up with tread heights. Should I go with 3/4 inch of HPB or just use the concrete sand as originally planned? thanks a lot!

[@iamahardscaper]

I personally like HPB more than Concrete Sand. I would use that, but it is all up to you at that point.

[@gabrielocampo2265]

Can I use 3/4" concrete roadbase to extend a portion of my driveway? I have a bunch of pavers to cover the area. It snows here in Layton Utah would it work?

[@iamahardscaper]

If that is 3/4" down to fines, it is what we are typically building our base for driveways out of

[@enchantedseasonslawncare8559]

It's called AB3 in Kansas city

[@iamahardscaper]

That’s one I have not heard yet, thank you!

[@limbhacks3961]

"Item 4" in the Hudson Valley

[@iamahardscaper]

Another one I have yet to hear.

[@Peculiar_Hodag]

I was just gonna ask if that was the same thing. Thank you!! Getting ready to start my patio this week.

[@tomjensen618]

Now if you don't do any of this and just compact 5/8 minus, you'll be just fine!

[@iamahardscaper]

Use the best base material for the application 👍

[@tomjensen618]

Making simple hard ,indeed?

[@iamahardscaper]

Ah I would disagree. I think you can make things easier on yourself on the job site with just a little forethought. For example, choosing to use a synthetic base over a dense graded base if the application is suitable will greatly reduce your labor. Especially where I am it is now super difficult to get rid of excavated soil because of new legislation. However, not saying sticking with your one size fits all base method is wrong. But I do love my open graded base over 5/8 minus.

[@tomjensen618]

@@iamahardscaper Just giving the do it yourselfer a little hope.

[@iamahardscaper]

They need it 👍