Brick is valued for its natural and earthy appearance. Unfortunately, having a brick pavement can be somewhat problematic. As a start, constructing brick paving can be more susceptible to mistakes. This could happen when inexperienced or impatient installers try to work with it. Also brick is generally less durable than concrete or stone, so it will deteriorate more easily. The repeated freeze-thaw cycle can have rather devastating effects. To compensate this, we should make sure that we have good mortar and the installer should have enough experience. This will allow us to get the most of our money.
There are many things to consider, as an example we should know what brick that we should use. In general, we should choose dense, solid brick with enough thickness. Bricks we choose for the pavement shouldn’t be meant for walls or other vertical application. It is important to ask sellers about proper types of bricks for our requirements. The type of mortar that we should use for the bed should have 1 part cement and 2 or 3 parts of sand. This should provide us with a good bed to support the bricks. There are different types of mortar in the market, as an example, Type S is appropriate for pavement because it could resist cracking and more elastic.
When we check the pavement, we could find that the real cause of damage can be traced by freezing and long-term water exposure. In this case, we should make sure that water won’t be able to penetrate the brick and freeze in there. It means that we should make sure that there shouldn’t be any void inside our pavement. If we are not sure about our skill, it is important to hire competent bricklaying contractors. We should be able to find them by references. We should invite the contractor to our house and as for proper advices on installations. We should make sure that contractors properly inspect our situation.
When the task is performed, we should check their work and we should accept only exceptional installation, because this will ensure long-term longevity. Without proper construction, we would quickly see tell-tale signs of deterioration in a very short time. During the wet season, we should check whether weed and grass start to grow between the joints. If this is the case, then it is possible that some amount of water has penetrated below the brick. Cracks could happen due to slab movements and this could be caused by less solid concrete bed. When maintaining our pavement, we should check mortar joints. They could reach the end of useful life, if they are dark and recessed. Popped brircks and missing joints should be considered as the cause for concerns.
These are essential things to consider if we want to make sure that our brick pavement is strong enough to withstand the elements, especially water exposure and freezing. If we are able to maintain pavement regularly, this shouldn’t be a time-consuming job.
