# Forum Home Renovation Paving  How much do pavers bed down?

## tony2096

Hi, 
I've laid 40mm cement pavers over 50mm sand over 100mm roadbase. Now I need to add haunching (pavers on end bedded into concrete) and mortar pavers onto the steps. 
I used a 60kg whacker on the roadbase and also after the pavers had been laid and gap sand brushed in. 
My question is: will the pavers settle any more? ie should I position the haunches and step pavers in anticipation that the final level will be lower? I could leave the job for while (eg until we get a decent bit of rain) if that would be an advantage... 
Tony

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## Planned LScape

Usually you use about 30mm of washed sand to lay pavers on, as you want enough to cushion the paver from the hard roadbase but also to provide stability for it. Washed sand doesnt have clay content so it will not expand nor contract. The more important thing is that the sand bed is of consistent depth, otherwise you get settling more so at some areas more than others. I usually lay 30mm screed rails on the base and use the screed bar to level off the sand over that and tap sand down as I go to compact, then when all laid run the whacker over it with carpet underneath. I set the screed bars 10mm higher than the finished height as it will compact that amount after using the whacker. 
Having said that, I haven't done any paving on sand for nearly 2 years. Concrete base, and all pavers laid on mortar and grouted in beteween will ensure there is no settling whatsoever. It's more cost, and work, but you have no issues with movement, drainage, or weeds coming through.

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## Bleedin Thumb

Once you have wacked them they won't settle unless your subgrade does. consider it as your final finished level. 
I use 5 - 7mm as the settlement created when compacting the pavers, maybe the paving sand I use is not as fluffy as Planned Landscapes in Vic?

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## tony2096

Thanks BT - I'll consider the current level as my final finished level. 
I used ANL's roadbase and their "paving blend" sand so I assume they have all the right properties. My 50mm sand was uncompressed thickness - it compacted a similar amount to yours (5-8mm I reckon) and I think I followed all the recommended steps (getting sub-base level and sloping away from the house) but we'll see how it goes in the future! 
Being a novice, I wasn't confident enough doing the edging first so I wanted to compact the main area before adding the edging at the right height.

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## rrobor

I would disagree, then again Im a cantankerous sort of a guy. My pavers have been down for several years and they keep falling due to volcanic action. Walk around and you see those mini volcanoes all over the place where the sand has errupted and created all these mini mountains with holes in the middle which ants seem to delight in climbing for some reason. Then in winter after a good rain I have to pick a few up to level it off before her indoors breaks a leg sprinting to the clothes line at the sight of rain. So my advice with pavers is treat them like everything else, there's maintanance.

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## Planned LScape

> Once you have wacked them they won't settle unless your subgrade does. consider it as your final finished level. 
> I use 5 - 7mm as the settlement created when compacting the pavers, maybe the paving sand I use is not as fluffy as Planned Landscapes in Vic?

  Some garden yards have a more grittier washed sand (more like coarse river sand like I think Sydney has) which doesn't compact much at all, the stuff my local has is course but nowhere near as that of river sand.

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## Bleedin Thumb

Yeah we use the course washed river sand here which has crusher (basalt) fines added - the ANL mix that Tony mentioned.  
You can get a finer sand but I don't like using it as the more your paver compacts the more the problems IMO. 
In Qld I think they still use straight crusher dust - which I find too hard to work - but its probably what you get used to.

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