I am planning to install concrete pavers around a new pool and I’m getting conflicting suggestions for the base. Some want to install the pavers on a cement base, others suggest a compacted RCA blend. What gives the best looking, longest lasting, and easiest to remove in case of a broken pool pipe?
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I gotta ask, What is a RCA blend? Regional names for products are confusing.
Or, how about a blend of Motorala,Panasonic ,or Zenith materials?
I prefer the Sony blend, but that's just me.
But tell us, what do you think would be easier to gain access, ceement or sand?
Methinks the boys suggesting ceement are planning on going over the top of your existing or looking to pad their bill. To me, they are eliminating themselves from consideration.
First off, welcome to BT.
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Now, you say "pavers around a pool." Do you mean abutting the pool cap, or abutting the apron around the pool? Most of the pool people here will require an apron, except with free-form pools. The issue is one of water getting in behind the pool shell, which the paving surface has to address. Usually.
If you mean "dry stack" pavers, then, yes, 6 to 12" of compacted base is considered a bit typical for a professional installation. And that base defines the future of the pavers, too.
Tell us about the conditions, if you could, too. Fixed planters, retaining walls, fences, or similar, to complicate this? Are the pavers running from pool apron back to the house? That sort of thing.