Grouting Pavers - Advantages/Disadvantantages
All wet cast concrete pavers have an angled side to aid tipping out of the paver
from the mould. Pavers butted up have a gap at the top of some 6-8mm. This narrow
gap is sufficient for dirt, leaves and plant seed build up over time, allowing the
rapid growth of unsightly weeds. The addition of a grouting medium to fill this
gap will minimize this happening. Pavers placed on an aggregate base will shift
over time as the base settles, swells and contracts with thermal heat or water availability
through the seasons. Dricon Pavelock can be used as a pliable, cheap alternative
that can be quickly applied by sweeping in-between narrow gaps and then re-applied
again easily at a later date should any jointing sections fail and require remedial
attention. Note: Avoid using Pavelock to fill gaps wider than 8mm as the grouting
tends to fail over time and fall out.
Laying Pavers over a permanent mortar or concrete base allows the use of a cementious
grout to be applied to the paver joints - as the stable base is less likely to move
and cause major cracking. Note: To apply the grout a gap of at least 10-12mm needs
to be left to enable enough volume of cementious grouting material to be applied
to the gap - so as to minimize shrinkage when setting or drying. Excess or quick
drying will cause the grout to pull away from the sides of the pavers, leaving unsightly
gaps and room for dirt. Although more expensive and time consuming to install, this
form of grouting is favoured and recommended as being permanent, requiring little
maintenance and is less likely to grow moss and weeds.
The first photo below shows the ‘ worst case scenario ’ of a well applied Pavelock
application, left in a damp area, un-swept and unclean for the year. Note the unsightly
build up of moss growth amongst the semi porous grouting. To avoid this - periodically
hose down and sweep ALL paving. The second ‘ worst case ‘ photo shows cementious
grout cracking - this can occur as the grout shrinks and dries out at the time of
setting, or over time as the pavers move through daily thermal heat cycles or slight
sub base movement. Although cracked this jointing should require no remedial work.
Regular hosing down and sweeping will keep this grouting clean and tidy for many
more years to come.
Please ensure that all paveloc and Cementious Grouting is thoroughly cleaned up
AS the grouting is being done, NOT at the end of the day. As can be seen in the
third photo, any grout left on the surface of the paving slab will harden and be
almost impossible to remove without permanently damaging the paver surface. This
residue leaves behind an unsightly mesh when compared to the clean paver surfaces
in the previous shots.
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Cementious Grout Crack |
Paveloc Worst Case |
Improper Grout Cleaning |
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