How can I install pavers in my home?
When you are finishing a construction project, usually you start to place finishes. Among them we find the installation of windows, locks and floors. Each of these is divided into specialized different types depending on the material and its functionality. The installation of a product in front of the other depends on the need and aesthetics of the buyer.
For contractors that is why it is very important to know the different types of floors that exist for the various affairs and functionalities so that they can provide more services and expand their businesses.
Today the pavers have become the alternative for excellence when it comes to reshaping and to provide them with a unique look to any space in the home outdoors. In addition to be durable, these look attractive in terms of design, thanks to the variety of patterns, combinations, sizes, textures and colors that you can find.
Best of all is that a paving contractor can install them without a flaw as it requires special tools and a good eye not to overlook minor details that may be visible from various angles. You obviously need the proper materials and the correct installation process to complete the project with immaculate details. For this, the paver contractor expert typically teaches you step by step how to install the pavers.
Tools and class materials, your patio paving contractor will need during the installation process:
- Tape Measure
- Rubber Hammer, Rake
- Mason Line, Marker, Marking Paint
- Wheelbarrow
- Plate Compactor
- Trowel, Shovel
- Cube, Spade
- Safety Glasses
- Rubber trowel to apply grout
- sponge to remove grout
- Level and Paver Leveling Sand
- Pencil to mark paver when you need to chop
- Masonry Saw
- Drill to paste
- Edging Stones
- Landscape Nails
Below you can see the process required to carry out your project:
How To Mount The New Pavers
Identify if you need to remove the existing pavers or if you can mount the new pavers on top. The pavers can be installed directly on concrete floors.
You can refer to many videos which you can find on YouTube where are shown several ways to identify if you have to remove the existing slab or not. On the other hand you can rely on an experienced paving contractor to do the installation for you. If the slab is hollow, then it should be removed as you run the risk that the subfloor will collapse with the weight on the new pavers. If it doesn’t sound hollow and this last, the expert paver contractor will recommend you to install the paver on the slab.
Method Your Paving Contractor Uses to Install the New Pavers
If your contractor decides that the existing slab is good enough, and you do not have to remove it, great! Now you must apply on the slab a product which is like a painting (a sort of “first” of synthetic resin). 
Apply over a layer on the floor with this product to create a rough surface, which will give the slab the texture of sandpaper. It is important to apply this product, since the new paver needs a rough surface to adhere to and avoid over time or with a tremor. “You are into something exciting!”.
If you had to remove the existing slab you will need to install a new one as a foundation where to lay the new paver. Rent or buy a “chipping hammer” in order to remove the entire slab. Make sure you use gloves, safety goggles and earplugs as safety should be your first priority. Or you could hire a professional paver contractor to remove and replace the slab as he would know what to do exactly.
If you remove the existing slab, it is imperative to know in what condition the floor or “topping” is. If you don’t have any other choice but to remove it, know that the project costs will most likely rise dramatically, specifically if the home has terrazzo pavers.
To have terrazzo, we recommend that you install the slab first, as this will be the surface to which the paver will adhere to, this is referred to as the “topping”, instead of bonding with pasted as the slabs. If you removed the terrazzo, the “topping” once and the surface would be full of craters.
Recommended Paver Spacers
Select the appropriate pavers and spacers for the whole project. At the time of purchasing the pavers, choose the spacers that will leave between the pavers and buy the spacers. This will depend on the type of tile you choose, so let the seller chose them for you and guide you in this regard.
Materials Needed to Install the Paver
You must already have these materials: pavers, epoxy paste, separators and grout. Watch out as not all the downsides are the same, there are different ones for each type of paver (stone, marble, glass, porcelain, mosaic, walls or floor). Make sure you buy the epoxy paste for the type of paver that is to be installed. This investment is important in the long term because it will last longer.
Preparing the Surface
Clean the surface (you may not have dirt, oil, grease, garbage, etc.), but the surface needs to be free of foreign particles that would not allow the paver to have a good grip on the slab surface.
The First Step to Install the Pavers
Installing the pavers will identify the pattern with which you want to install the slab? This step is the square or the distribution of the pavers. In front of the entrance doors of the house, a paver contractor would recommend that you have a consistent whole paver type for aesthetics. Make sure that when you click the square, you ended up at the door with a whole paver line. It is imperative that the balance begins in the hallway. Start by installing a row of paver tiles along the corridor and that’s going to be what we call the “teacher”, the point where you are going to start (the corridor is what connects all the house walls to the place which directly connects to your paver path, from there it continues toward the other structures within the property area where you are going to be installing the pavers.
Beginning with the Installation of the Pavers
Ready to install! Prepare the epoxy paste and apply it according to the instructions.
What Is the Next Step After Installing the Pavers?
Pavers… and to the other day when dry, apply the grout and then remove the excess with sponge. If the next day you notice that there is a grout residue, you can clean it with vinegar or some specialized product up to the surface.
Decorative stone work and paver tiles are the most resistant and durable. They tend to be used for patios, terraces and balconies. They are also used for kitchens and bathrooms. It is not easy to install them and can become exponentially costly. Often cut to the measure. In the market you can find in standardized plates and smaller blocks, in different aspects ranging from the rustic mate up to the polished paver.
Make sure you hire a competent paver contractor as they will finish the job for you flawlessly and your floor will last for many years to come.
Feel at ease to contact us for an estimate free from obligations. We may give you great ideas how you can combine the various kinds of pavers for your particular situation.
