Long Beach · Masonry Services
Pavers
Paver driveways, patios and walkways in block pavers, cobblestone and brick, set on a properly compacted base.
Pavers · Long Beach
What Makes A Paver Installation Last
A paver installation is really a base installation with a decorative surface on top. The stones themselves are rated for decades of vehicle traffic; what fails is the four to twelve inches of compacted aggregate underneath them and the edge restraint holding the field together. We excavate to the depth the use requires, compact the subgrade, lay and compact base in lifts, screed a bedding course, set the pavers, install a rigid edge restraint and then compact and sweep polymeric sand into the joints. That sequence is why our driveways stay flat. We work in block pavers, cobblestone, brick and large-format slabs from the regional yards, and we lay them for driveways, patios, walkways, pool surrounds and borders. Pavers are also the easiest hardscape to live with long-term, because a stained or cracked stone lifts out and a new one drops in. See the rest of our hardscape and masonry construction work, and the concrete page if you are weighing the two.
Why Go With Us For Pavers
Anyone can lay pavers on sand. The reason ours do not develop ruts and low spots is that we do not skip base depth to win a price, and we compact in lifts rather than dumping the whole depth and running a plate over the top of it. Edge restraint is the other thing that gets left off cheap jobs, and without it the outer courses migrate outward every year until the joints open up. Same principle as the base under our concrete and the footing under a retaining wall: the part you cannot see is the part you are actually paying for.
- Base depth matched to use: four to six inches for patios and walkways, eight to twelve for driveways.
- Aggregate compacted in lifts with a plate or roller rather than in one pass over the full depth.
- Rigid edge restraint on every field, spiked into the base, so the perimeter courses cannot creep.
- Polymeric sand swept and set in the joints to lock the field and keep weeds and ants out.
- Cuts made with a wet saw for a clean edge, and the pattern set out so full stones land where they show.
Reasons To Choose Pavers
Pavers cost more per square foot than concrete and repay it over the life of the installation. Where they make sense:
The driveway needs replacing anyway
If you are already tearing out a failed slab, the incremental cost of going to pavers is smaller than people expect, and you end up with a surface that can be repaired one stone at a time instead of sawcut and patched.
The ground moves
Paver joints flex with minor ground movement and settlement without cracking, which is exactly what a monolithic slab cannot do. On the softer ground in parts of Carson and Wilmington that flexibility is worth real money.
You want the yard to drain
A paver field with open or permeable joints lets water through instead of sheeting it toward the house or the street. On a lot with standing-water problems, permeable pavers over a deeper aggregate reservoir can solve the drainage and the surface in one job.
You want a patio with pattern and color
Herringbone, running bond, basketweave and circle kits, with soldier-course borders and a contrasting band. Far more design range than a slab, and the borders are what make a paver patio look designed rather than laid.
A section will need lifting later
Utilities under the driveway, a future gate post, a tree root you know is coming. Pavers lift and reset. Concrete gets cut and never quite matches again.
You want a cobblestone apron or border
Granite and reclaimed cobbles at the entrance, either as a full field or as a band framing a paver body. Extremely hard-wearing, and it is the detail people notice. See stone masonry for the full range.
We will bring paver and cobblestone samples to the yard so you can see the color against your own house. Call: (562) 379-4372
How We Work
Site walk, samples, engineering and permit, then build. One crew chief from excavation to cleanup.
1. Layout, material and levels
We measure the area, set the finished level and the fall for drainage, and lay out the pattern so full stones land at the visible edges. Samples come to site so the color decision gets made in daylight against your house rather than under warehouse lighting.
2. Excavate, base and screed
Excavation to the depth the use requires, subgrade compacted, then aggregate base laid and compacted in lifts. A screeded bedding course goes over that, set to the exact grade the finished surface needs.
3. Set, restrain and sand
Pavers are set to the pattern with cuts made on a wet saw, then edge restraint goes in around the whole field. Finally the surface is compacted, polymeric sand is swept into the joints and activated, and everything gets washed down.
Paver Work We Take On
The paver installations we do most around Long Beach:
Paver driveways
Eight to twelve inches of compacted base under an interlocking field, usually in a herringbone pattern because it resists the twisting load of turning wheels better than any other layout. Rated for vehicles for decades and repairable stone by stone.
Paver patios
Four to six inches of base under the field, laid to a fall that moves water away from the house. Borders, banding and inlays in a contrasting color are what lift a patio from paved to designed.
Block pavers
Standard concrete block pavers in the widest range of colors, shapes and finishes, including tumbled and antiqued profiles. The best value option and the one most driveways end up in.
Cobblestone
Granite and reclaimed cobbles for aprons, borders and full driveway fields. The hardest-wearing surface we lay and the one with the most texture, at the top of the price range.
Brick pavers
Clay brick pavers, new or reclaimed, laid in basketweave, herringbone or running bond. The natural pairing for a Long Beach bungalow, and closely related to the brick patio work on our brick page.
Walkways, steps and pool surrounds
Paths, entry landings, stepped runs on a slope and pool coping. Around a pool we specify a non-slip surface texture and set the coping to shed water away from the deck.
Repair, resetting and sealing
Lifting and resetting sunken sections, replacing stained or broken stones, re-sanding joints and paver sealing to hold the color and keep the surface easy to clean.
What Affects the Cost of Pavers
Paver installation generally runs $15 to $30 per square foot installed. The variables:
- Use and base depth. A patio needs four to six inches of base. A driveway needs eight to twelve, and that extra excavation, aggregate and compaction is the main cost difference.
- Paver type. Standard block pavers are the value option, tumbled and large-format units sit above them, and cobblestone and reclaimed brick are the premium end.
- Pattern and cutting. Running bond is fastest. Herringbone, circle kits, curved borders and diagonal layouts all mean more cuts and more time.
- Demolition. Removing an existing slab and hauling it off is a real line item before any pavers are laid.
- Drainage work. Channel drains, permeable base reservoirs and tying into an existing line are separate scope from the paving itself.
- Access. Narrow side yards mean base and pavers move by wheelbarrow, and that adds labor days on an otherwise ordinary job.
Free estimate and a flat written quote after the site walk, with excavation, base, edge restraint, sand and cleanup inside the number. Where the paving meets a retaining wall or an outdoor kitchen, we quote the whole yard together so the levels work out in one design.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do pavers last?
Twenty-five to fifty years for the units themselves, and clay and concrete pavers both perform in that band. Where you land depends on the base beneath them: aggregate depth, compaction, and proper edge restraint. Because any single unit lifts out, a stain or a damaged corner is a small repair years later rather than a reason to redo the whole area.
Do pavers need to be sealed?
Sealing is optional. Every two to three years it helps resist oil and tannin stains, slows fading under strong sun, and firms up the joint sand so less grows in it. There is no structural benefit. We would not bother on a shaded walkway. On a driveway, a pool deck or an outdoor dining area, where spills actually happen, it earns its cost.
Are pavers better than concrete for a driveway?
For most driveways in this area, pavers are the stronger long-term choice. They sit on a flexible base, so soil movement and root pressure show as a slightly lifted joint instead of a crack across the whole slab, and any section can be taken up and relaid flat. Rain drains through the joints rather than running to the gutter. Concrete stays the cheaper option on day one.
Will weeds grow between pavers?
Far less than people expect when the job is done properly. Polymeric sand sets hard in the joints and blocks most seed germination, and a compacted base leaves nothing for roots to get into. Weeds that do appear are usually growing in windblown debris sitting on the surface rather than up through the field.
Can pavers be laid over an existing concrete slab?
Sometimes. If the slab is structurally sound, drains properly and the finished height still works at doors and thresholds, an overlay is possible. If the slab is cracked, has settled or rocks under load, the movement will telegraph straight through, and tear-out is the right call.
Planning masonry work in Long Beach?
Tell us what you are building or what has failed, and we will come out, walk the site and give you a free estimate in writing.
Or call us now: (562) 379-4372