Walkway paving
The one surface every visitor actually walks on
Walkways look like the easy job and they are the one people notice most. Nobody studies the middle of a patio, but everybody feels a path that rocks under their heel or a paver sitting a quarter inch proud of the one beside it. Front entries, side yard runs, paths down to a gate and routes out to a shed all get judged with every step.
The build is a pedestrian one: four to six inches of compacted aggregate base, geotextile fabric over soft clay, then an inch of washed coarse sand pulled flat with screed rails. Narrow paths are actually harder to screed than wide ones, because there is nowhere to hide a high spot, so we set the rails tight and check the surface as the field goes down rather than at the end.
We only work in interlocking pavers and natural stone, to ICPI specification, with a 20 year warranty on the installation. A lot of our path work is in the older streets of Redwood City, where the original front path has lifted and gone uneven.
How do you build a path that does not rock underfoot?
Every rocking paver traces back to the same thing: the unit was set on something that was not uniform. Usually that is sand that was raked to fill a low spot instead of the low spot being fixed in the base. Uncompacted sand settles under foot traffic, the paver drops on one corner, and it rocks from then on. It is the most common fault we are called out to put right across the whole of our working area.
So the base gets compacted flat first, in layers, and any dip gets filled with base rock and compacted again. Then one inch of sand, screeded, never more and never used as a leveler. The pavers are laid off the screeded bed without walking on it, cut in at the edges, then the whole path gets a plate compactor run over it with a protective mat so every unit seats into the sand together. That last pass is the same method we use on every paver surface.
Which laying pattern suits a walkway?
Paths have the luxury of choice, because there are no tires pushing the field sideways. Running bond, where each course is offset by half a unit, reads clean and runs the eye along the path. Basketweave and stack bond suit brick and older homes. Herringbone still works and is the strongest option, and we use it where a path has to take a garden cart or a wheelbarrow regularly.
Whichever pattern goes in the field, we finish the sides with a soldier course: a single row of pavers set end to end along each edge. It frames the path, it gives the cuts somewhere tidy to land, and it braces the field against the edge restraint behind it. Brick paths from McNear suit the older streets around here, and Belgard and Calstone units cover most of the modern work. The pattern rules come out of the ICPI specification our installers are certified to.
Free estimate on your paver walkway
Even underfoot, edge restrained and built to ICPI specification. Backed by a 20 year warranty.
Call (650) 705-0628What about slopes, steps and wheelchair access?
A lot of Peninsula lots are not flat, and a path that climbs has to be handled deliberately. Where the ground rises gently we run the path as a ramp at a steady, gentle grade with no sudden changes, which is what makes it usable with a wheelchair, a walker or a stroller. Where it rises fast a ramp stops being safe, and the answer is paver steps built into the slope rather than sat on top of it.
Either way, the joints between path, step and landing are where people trip, so we keep the transitions flush and the risers even the whole way up. Cross fall matters too: a path needs a slight tilt to one side so rain runs off instead of sitting on it and going slick with algae through the winter. The same level changes show up again around a deck at the side of a pool, where wet feet make an even surface matter even more.
Why choose Exterior Designs for your walkway?
Because the details that make a path good are small, and small details only get done by a crew that is paid to care about them. We are family owned and operated out of San Carlos. Our owner is an ICPI Certified Paver Installer and a Belgard Master Craftsman, and we lay Belgard, Calstone and McNear.
Every walkway is built to ICPI specification and carries a 20 year warranty. We are rated 5.0 on Google, estimates are free, and we are members of the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce. Call (650) 705-0628 or request a free estimate.
Ask a paver installer
Straight answers about paver installation on the Peninsula
How wide should a front walkway be?
Four feet lets two people walk side by side and is what we suggest for most front entries. Three feet works for a side yard run. For a wheelchair or a stroller, keep four feet with no pinch points.
How long does a walkway take to install?
Most front paths are a two to three day job. Digging out and base compaction is day one, then the screeded sand and the pavers, then cutting, edge restraint, joint sand and the final compaction pass.
Will a paver path get slippery in the rain?
Pavers have a textured face and open joints, so they drain fast and grip well. What makes any path slick here is algae on a surface that stays damp in the shade. A slight cross fall keeps it clear.
Can you replace a cracked and lifted old path?
Yes, and it is one of our most common jobs. We break out the old surface, then work out what lifted it, usually tree roots or soil that has moved. We deal with that first, then build a proper base.
Can lighting go into the walkway?
Yes, and the time to do it is while the path is open. We run the low voltage sleeves under the base before a single paver goes down, so the cable is protected and nothing has to be cut later.
Do you build walkways outside San Carlos?
Yes. Belmont, Redwood City, San Mateo, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Menlo Park and Atherton are our regular working area on the Peninsula, and we have laid paths in Foster City, Los Altos, Pacifica and Fremont too.