Concrete Pavers Guide

Occasionally I am asked the question: are brick pavers permeable? Presumably it is asked by some homeowner who has had issues with water drainage around his or her home in the past, and they want to make sure they won’t have issues in the future.

To this I answer – yes, to a certain extent! Given the proper instruction and the proper materials, brick pavers are more permeable than many other hardscape options, including asphalt and concrete, but less permeable than yet others.

So why does this matter, anyway?

Why Brick Pavers Are Permeable

First, why are brick pavers permeable? The brick itself won’t let water drain through it with any amount of speed, but it is not the brick itself that is permeable. It’s the joints! The joints that lie between each and every paver are (generally) made out of sand, bluestone screenings, or other materials. This material, though tightly compacted, can allow water to drain. This means that the surface of your pavers will allow some water to drain through the surface.

That is why it’s important that brick pavers be installed correctly. The joint material needs to be porous so that it can allow any collected water on top to drain through. If you use mortar or some other solid material that will get too hard, it will not allow water to drain, and you may have flooding issues. That’s why I suggest using sand or polymeric sand to make sure that you maintain the porous nature of your installation!

So Brick Pavers Are Permeable – Why Does This Matter?

Permeability is not just important for preserving your home and landscape. It’s also important for the environment and for proper draining of water in municipal sewers. If all the water that rains down runs off into the sewers, you may have issues with blockups and floods anyway! So making sure that some of that water does find its way back into the ground is  a great relief for many homeowners and residents.

One Final Remark on This Issue

It should be noted that brick pavers are as permeable as other options such as loose stone installations or true “permeable pavers,” also known as grass pavers. But at least you know that you will have some ways to drain water off the top of your project. Still, you’ll want to make sure that the application is installed correctly so that the grading sends water to the directions you want to send it – i.e. into a drain or other place where water won’t do any damage. If the project is pitched towards sensitive areas – such as your home! – you may still have issues with water damage, especially during heavy rain.

As you might have noticed, we are effecting a redesign of this website. We are reducing some of the clutter and making sure that our content is the first thing that you see when you reach our site, and the first thing that draws your eye. We are dedicated to becoming the premiere concrete paver information site on the internet. That means great articles but also a great user experience – we want you to come back to this site often, link to it, share on it, and contribute to it!

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Furthermore, we hope to set up, in the next few days, weeks, and months, a concrete paver/hardscape contractor directory. We will do this by state so that you can look up your relevant state and see what contractors are available to do the work you need to get done. We will be contacting contractors soon, but if you are a contractor that is reading this and want early access to the directory, just contact us by using the contact button above.

We also will be adding new content to this site soon on a variety of paver topics. Some will be short articles answering very specific questions about concrete pavers. Others will be longer articles such as those you are used to on this site. Whatever the length, we are dedicated to getting you the best information possible on this topic. We also are considering adding new CPG videos on Youtube that will illustrate some of the topics we discuss here.

If you have any other suggestions or ideas or requests that you want to see us pursue, please feel free to contact us! You can reach us on Facebook or Twitter, or you can contact us through the website in the contact link above!

Winter is coming – that means the holidays are here, and fun times will certainly be had by all. But is your pavers installation ready? Of course, we know that concrete pavers are incredibly durable, especially to freezing and snow and sleet and ice, but you should still keep your eye out on the projects during these potentially harsh months.

For instance, if you live in an area with snowfall, will your pavers be ready to be shoveled or plowed? This is especially important with driveways that will be plowed – if they have any uneven spots, the plow could potentially do serious damage to the installation.

You also have to be ready to know how your pavers will react to deicing salts if you use this material to deal with salt that forms on your walkways, driveways, and patios. Some paver brands deal fine with this salt, others will not – it’s all up to the brand that you’ve got installed. Either call the manufacturer if you know the brand and are unsure of the damage potential; if you don’t know the brand, call the contractor who did the work for you to find out more.

After the season is over, you should check to see if there are any spots that have settled in the winter. If so, all you have to do is pull up the offending bricks, reset the base, and then put the bricks back down. This will make the area as good as new!

Getting Ready for the Next Season Too!

In addition, it’s not just about having your already existing installations ready for the winter – you also have to start thinking about if you want more work done coming in the spring! It’s good to call contractors before or during the winter if you’d like some work done on your house – this will ensure that you’ll get the project done according to your schedule. If you wait til the spring or summer, you may find that your favorite contractor won’t be able to help you until later in the season. Or worse, he may be all booked up, and he won’t be able to help you at all!

It’s even better if it’s relatively warm where you live – your contractor will still be able to do work around your yard, and they will be relatively slow during the winter. This usually means that you can get a great deal on your paver installation if you get it done at this time as opposed to during the peak spring and summer months.

Your Other Projects

You’ll also want to watch the other projects around your house that aren’t made from concrete pavers. For instance, if you have concrete patios or asphalt driveways, you will want to watch them during the cold months to keep your eye out for cracks and fissures due to freezing water beneath the project. Of course, there’s very little you can do to stop it once it starts, but you can at least be on the lookout if you’re considering replacing these projects with more durable paving stones that won’t have these kinds of issues.