How to Repair Dips and Bumps in Paving Yourself

Dips and dumps in paving form for a number of reasons, sometimes the ground underneath the paving is not properly compacted when it is installed, organic matter such as roots or stumps may decay and collapse or water may erode the soil away over time. Repairing your paving is not difficult and although it may take a while, it is actually quite a cheap fix.

What You’ll Need

  • Course River Sand
  • Screw Driver
  • Rubber Mallet
  • Wire Brush

How to Fix Your Paving

Firstly you need to remove the paving over the dip or bump. To do this, wedge the screw driver between two of the bricks and and lever out one of the bricks. You may have to do a few smaller movements rather than levering the whole brick out in one go. Now remove all of the paving on top of and a little way around the dip of bump. Brush each brick off with the wire brush as you remove it to remove any excess sand and dirt and stack them neatly to one side.

You now need to level out the area. Either remove or add soil to the area in order to raise or lower it to the same level as the surrounding bricks. A flat pole or piece of wood may help you to read which areas need soil added or removed.

Once the area is level, it needs to be compacted. Compacting can be done by hand with a stamper or with a mechanical tamper. If you have a large area or the area is part of your driveway and sees vehicles driving over it then you should always use a mechanical tamper, these can usually be hired from hardware or tool hire stores.

After compacting the area, you need to lay down a 20mm (1″) bed of river sand to provide good drainage and bedding for the bricks. River sand is also available at your local hardware or building supplies store.

Now begin re-bedding the paving. Use a rubber mallet to lightly tap each brick into place and ensure that it is level with the surrounding bricks. It is important that you have brushed the old sand off of the bricks before re-bedding them otherwise they probably won’t all fit back together.

Once all of the bricks have been laid, brush or sweep a mixture of fine sand and cement over the bricks and into the joints. This will act as a grout and prevent the paving from moving around. When you are done, lightly wet the area so that the cement in the grout is activated. Try to avoid traffic over the area for a day or so to allow the sand to settle and the grout to cure.

Remember for next time, professional pavers will ensure that the ground under your paving is properly level and free from voids. You should also avoid paving over area where trees have been planted as their roots and stumps will eventually erode away and the ground will collapse around them.

While repairing your paving, you may have noticed one or two tiles which have cracked? Here’s how to replace a cracked or damaged tile without damaging the tiles around it.

Have you tried repaving an area in your home? Share your tips and tricks with us in the comments section below.

Cover Image: Pave by Alex & le temps qui passe used under CC BY 2.0
Michael Klements
Michael Klements
Hi, my name is Michael and I started this blog in 2016 to share my DIY journey with you. I love tinkering with electronics, making, fixing, and building - I'm always looking for new projects and exciting DIY ideas. If you do too, grab a cup of coffee and settle in, I'm happy to have you here.

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