Paving maintanance

Paving maintanance

If you have grass growing on your paving the chances are that you have been negligent regarding the care of your paving. Every item we buy today needs some maintenance, this includes paving. Grass not only spoils the look of the paving but it can also destroy your paving in a short space of time.

In most cases but not all, a simple medium to soft spray from a garden hose and a house broom can be all that is needed to maintain the new rich luster that your bricks had when they were first laid. But, as I said earlier, it is not always the owner’s non-care that degrades the paving, it could also be bad workmanship. The Master builders association and those paving companies that are registered with the Master builders association have a strict method of installing paving. This is no guarantee that things can still not go wrong, but it does give peace of mind knowing that the company is still going to be around to repair anything that might have gone wrong. Price is always a factor but long term satisfaction can always trump price.

3 size flagstone pavers

Richard Arthur has been in the paving industry and sales for most of his 38 year working life and suggests that you should test your salesman to see if he has your project at heart. Most salespeople are only focused on their commission from your job but seasoned salesmen think of the referrals that a good installation always brings. A real professional will want to spend some time with you to ensure that your purchase is not only exactly what you would like, but is the right product for the job as well.

Drain in front of a garage.

Do a little research of your own concerning the different brick types either online or at your local brick yard, suggest a brick type as a possible selection to the salesman and see if he/she runs only with that selection or if they offer something different. They should then give reasons why your selection is or is not the right selection for your needs and offer alternatives which they feel could be better for the job. You will soon get the feeling whether the salesman is there for just your order, or if they are being professional and will turn your order into an investment.

Now obviously is always better if you are on hand to watch the way the contractor is going about doing your paving, but often we buy a house and the paving is already done. I suggest that now that you know a bit about paving, that one of the areas that you take a look at before purchasing that new house is the paving. If you can identify the fact that the paving is busy disintegrating you could get a nice discount on the property as you can point out that the paving will have to be redone. Paving today is not a cheap installation and you could be looking at R20000 or more for renewing the paving. So, take paving a bit more serious and you could be having your next holiday on the money that your paving knowledge has just saved you.

Grass growing on your paving

How do I stop grass growing on my paving?

The thing to understand about grass or weeds that grow on any paving is that most times (almost always) it starts to grow on top of the paving and not from underneath. Where 2 bricks meet each other is where sediment collects, micro seeds fall into the sediment and lay waiting for any form of moisture to germinate. The moisture can be in any form including dew, frost, garden spray or rain.

Nothing can basically grow from under the paving as it is (or should be) pitch dark and plants need sunlight to grow. The only time plants grow from under the paving is normally from bad workmanship and bad installation. Using a company that belongs to the Master Builders Association (MBA) does not guarantee your paving to be flawless but it does guarantee you repairs if your paving needs any. Often the price difference between a MBA member and a non MBA member is so minimal that it is silly not to opt for the MBA installation.

Edgebeam redone

The cure to stop or rather prevent grass and weeds from getting a hold on your paving is to rinse your paving off with water from a hose pipe and swept at the same time to ensure that all sediment and seeds are not left on your paving. Aztec Paving suggests once a month for a paving clean and sweep. If any plant starts to grow between your clean and sweep periods you should pull it out before it gets a hold under your paving. The roots of any plant will find a weak spot to drop down and once it gets into the soil under the paving, it becomes difficult to remove, you will need weed killer to stop its growth.

Occasionally when you want to really spring clean your paving, a little detergent or dish washing liquid can be used in addition to the water and broom. Your investment will be kept nice and clean for that time when you decide to put your house on the market. Everything we buy today requires a little maintenance and that includes your paving. Driveway paving is normally the first item a potential buyer sees when they pull up outside your house, make sure it entices them to come in and not scare them away.

Driveways for sports cars.

Paving for a Posche

Most sports cars are very low and often the driveway needs to be leveled with filling and compaction to accommodate the sports car. We have just had this problem with a client in Rivonia where the underside of his Porsche and his wife’s BWM was catching the cement edging of the street and so consequently they had to leave their cars outside at night.

Drain grid in front of the garage

The existing driveway had an acute downward angle to the garages which had to be adjusted as well as the entrance from the street. Using 15m3 of filling and uplifting the entire driveway Aztec paving proceeded to recreate the entire driveway. To enhance the entrance we also built a retaining wall against the boundary wall to create a flower box all down the driveway.

Steep driveway done with clay paving.

Once the old paving was out, we at Aztec paving pulled fish lines at the angle that was best suited to accommodate the lowness of the 2 sports cars. Then on a gradual basis we started to add the filling and using a Bomag compactor we proceeded to rebuild the driveway slope towards the garages. The total area measured 165m2 which should indicate why we needed so much filling.

Driveway in clay paving

We then cleaned the old bricks, which were re-used. We only needed 400 new bricks to replace the edgebeam and replace the bricks that got broken during the uplifting. (Not bad considering that the driveway consists of more than 7000 bricks.) Once the slope and entrance were compacted with the correct angles we proceeded to repack the old bricks to maintain the previous look that the driveway had. The cost was in the region of only half what it would have cost using new bricks. The client did not bother calling for other quotes as he had previously seen the quality of the work we put out at Aztec paving, plus, he also knew that we do not over charge our clients and those are the main reasons for the referrals we get on a weekly basis.

Driveway paving in Cederberg

Often a driveway just needs a spring cleaning to shine once again and the re-use of old bricks can often not only be cheaper but also maintain the original appearance that was created when the house was built.

Don’t snub cheap paving

One thing about some cheap paving is, it is stronger and longer lasting when compared to a lot of the more expensive alternatives. The cheap paving that I am referring to here is what is often called “Broken brick cobble.”

Broken brick cobble driveway

I often tell people that before they spend their hard earned money on paving they should do a little research. My favourite one is to tell my clients to take a drive around an older more established area and pay attention to the various types of paving that was laid.

Flagstones and clay combined

You will often find many houses with this type of paving and if you ask the owner of the house to tell the age of the paving you will often find out that it has been down for more than 20 – 25 years. Then you will find paving much younger (sometimes less than 5 years) that has been laid with a more expensive brick and is ready to be replaced.

Clay broken brick cobble

I am not saying that this is the only paving brick or style to consider, rather, I am saying that you should do a little homework and test your paving salesman to see if his interest is with you or if he is more concerned about getting your order and his commission. My first choice always is clay pavers as they last and last with very little wear being shown.

Paving under the Lapa

Entertain under a thatch Lapa

One of the biggest entertaining areas built in South Africa is the outside lapa or also known as the outside entertainment room with a thatch roof. This room is outside with wide apertures for entry from many directions and yet still allows a person to feel as though they are in a room with their buddies and friends.

Lapa entertainment with flagstone paving

The beauty of a lapa is also the ease in which a person can either move under the lapa for shade from the sun and rain, or move outside the lapa to bake and tan in the sun while still being in communication with those under or outside of the lapa.

3 size flagstone pavers

Paving under the lapa is a choice that should be considered carefully. A lot of people like to go with a natural rocky look and select paving which will give that look and often the salesman will simply take your order and install what you requested and everyone is happy. Then one day you have a braai under your lapa and as normal a piece of boerewors squirts out a stream of fat all over your paving.

ground prep for paving under the lapa

After your friends leave and you are cleaning up, you realize that there is no way of getting that mark out your paving. Cement/concrete paving is very unfriendly when it comes to oils and fats and seldom if ever allows you to clean a spill satisfactory. Clay paving on the other hand just requires a little detergent and a moist cloth to take all the oil/fat off the paving. This example above is proof that paving is not just paving and different types of paving qualify for different areas. Get some advice before simply going ahead with any paving investment.