Can You Put Pavers Over a Concrete Patio? (The Pros and Cons)

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When it comes to patios, concrete is one of the most common materials people use. It’s easy to install and has limitless design potential.

However, after a while of using your patio, you may notice that the concrete is starting to crack. In that case, you’ll need to freshen it up.

There are many ways to do this, but one of the most popular is using stone. So, can you put pavers over a concrete patio?

If that’s what you’re wondering, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about spicing up your patio.

Is It Possible to Place Pavers Over a Concrete Patio?

People have been using pavers to cover up concrete patios for years.

Concrete is one of the easiest materials to use when installing a patio. All you have to do is pour the cement over the surface and wait for it to dry.

Although, over time, you’ll begin to see cracks that are almost impossible to repair. Luckily, there’s a simple solution to this issue.

You can put pavers on top of the concrete to freshen up your patio. This process has a few benefits and drawbacks.

Benefits of Pavers on Top of Concrete Patios

There are quite a few reasons people use pavers to cover up a patio. First up, the stone is much more durable than concrete.

This means that it’s less prone to cracking, and can handle a lot more weight. Because of that, you’ll be free to add as much furniture to the deck as you like.

Moving on, while you need to invest a bit of money to renovate the patio, it’s worth it. Installing pavers can increase the value of your home.

Other than that, they’re incredibly easy to repair. So, on the off chance that the surface cracks, you can repair the missing sections in a flash.

That should make maintenance and cleaning a breeze.

To top it all off, paving stones come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. You can even create a pattern with different designs.

Not only does this make customizing your patio easy, but also fun and exciting!

Drawbacks of Pavers on Top of Concrete Patios

While there are many benefits to installing pavers, there are also a few drawbacks.

The first of which has to do with the thickness of the patio. When you lay stone over concrete, you’ll increase the depth of your deck by a couple of inches.

This may seem like a minor change, but it’ll have a substantial effect. It can be a tripping hazard, which may be dangerous if you have small children running around.

Besides that, installing pavers can take a long time. It takes an experienced crew anywhere from three to five days to complete the project.

Then, you’ll need to wait an additional two or three days for the pavers to cure and set in place.

As you can imagine, if you’re DIYing the project, it’ll take even longer.

Finally, with pavers, you risk weeds growing out of the joints. That means you’ll have to spend a few afternoons weeding.

How to Install Pavers on Top of Concrete Patios

With the pros and cons of pavers and concrete out of the way, we can take a look at the installation process. Here’s what you’ll need to know.

Pavers Over Concrete Patio Considerations

Before you start paving, there are a few considerations you should think about.

For starters, you need to take drainage into account. It’s crucial that you ensure water doesn’t collect on the concrete surface.

Otherwise, the moisture may lead to a shaky foundation and possible mold growth. So, you have to figure out a way to drain the water.

This brings us to the second consideration, which is the slope. To help the liquid slide right off, your patio should have a slight incline.

That’s much easier to achieve before you put in the pavers.

Gathering Your Materials

With the considerations out of the way, we can jump into the materials you need for the process.

There’s nothing worse than starting a project and having to make a quick trip to the store halfway through. So, it’s best to gather everything you need before you start paving.

• Pavers
• Concrete cleaner
• Landscape fabric
• Polyurethane construction adhesive
• Sand
• Caulk gun
• Plate compactor
• Tape measure
• Shovel
• Brush
• Gloves

You should be able to find all of these materials at your local hardware store.

Installing Pavers Over Concrete Patios

The first step of the process involves cleaning the surface of the concrete. A quick way to do that is to use a pressure washer.

As the powerful water jets hit the patio, they’ll remove any dust or debris in their way. Then, you can break out the concrete cleaner and get to scrubbing.

Once that’s done, wait a few hours for the surface to fully dry.

Next, it’s time to lay down your stone borders. Using the construction adhesive, place pavers all around the outskirts of your patio.

This will create an enclosed space that we’ll fill up with sand. Doing so will help with drainage and make it easier for water to slide off the pavers.

Yet before doing that, remember to lay down the landscape fabric over the concrete.

After you fill the area with sand, take some time to ensure that the surface is level. It’s also a good idea to maintain the original slope of the patio during this step.

Moving on, grab your pavers and lay them over the sand. Following this step, break out the plate compactor and go over the entire patio surface.

Finally, sweep sand over the pavers to fill in the joints.

Is a Concrete Patio Better Than Pavers?

The answer to this question will depend on your specific needs. For example, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, then concrete is the way to go.

However, when durability is what you’re after, pavers will perform much better.

Other than that, you have to take the weather into account. As the climate gets warmer, concrete will expand. Then, it’ll shrink as the weather turns chilly.

This constant change in size will cause cracking. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue with pavers.

Can You Tile Over a Concrete Patio?

Yes, you can absolutely place tile over concrete. The process is similar to adding pavers to the surface, but with a few tweaks.

Besides that, tiles are usually more expensive and time-consuming to install.

Final Thoughts

Can you put pavers over a concrete patio? The simple answer to this question is yes, but you’ll need to make a couple of considerations.

Make sure that your patio has the proper drainage and slope.

Once that’s done, gather your materials and you’re ready to start. The process can take anywhere from three to five days, so be sure to free up enough time to complete the project.

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