I need to fix a brick walkway that was laid in a bed of mortar on top of a sidewalk. Many of the bricks along the edge have broken off and large cracks have formed in several other areas. I am considering the task of removing the whole thing from the sidewalk and re-laying it over the cement in a thin bed of sand with a wooden border. I may even try to clean and re-use the bricks which are in fine shape aside from the mortar. Is there a better or easier way to solve the problem? Also, is there a more historically appropriate way to treat the border other than a piece of wood?
thanks
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Your fix is what I did, see attached. I plan on planting either side of the path, this will grow over covering the wood. The center board was just for dragging the screed? to level the sand, removed before bricks went in.
Edited 2/23/2009 1:43 pm ET by dockelly
I am also interested in this topic,as i have a front walkway I would like to replace this year myself( potentially a driveway as well) trying to source a book on hardscaping in general
Stephen
Thanks. How much sand did you use over top the concrete?
Didn't put any concrete down. I have heard this done, but decided not to. If my path sinks a little in places, it will fit the overall look of the house. I wanted the brick to sit slightly above the bottom of the first rise on the steps. This way it would settle some in time to where I wanted them. Put down enough sand to arrive at this final height. I ran masons line from the curb to 1/4" above bottom of rise and drove stakes along the line. Then attached PT 2x to the stakes with the top of board at the mason's line.
That's the whole problem, really. The concrete is already there because the original walkway was mortared in over a sidewalk. Rather than tear up the whole sidewalk (over 400 sq/ft) I'd like to figure a way of using it.
friend of mine who does this for a living always puts down a thin concrete base first. Cover that with stone dust or sand, level it off, and tamp it down. Place bricks and pour sand on bricks, brush into cracks.
Relatively new product out there, polymeric sand, which hardens in place once it's been wet. Has cement in it I think. This way your not replaceing sand that's washed away.
A friend of mine who does paver installations quite often uses that polymeric sand. He won't use regular sand anymore; the new stuff is so much better.
Only downside I see is if you want someting to grow between bricks or stones.
Probably not historic, but I would use that heavy gauge metal edging that landscapers use on commercial property. I don't like wood in the dirt.
I'm a block from the ocean on an island, metal rusts pretty quick, aluminum, if it's available, or SS?
There is an aluminum edging, though it does not have the strength of the steel stuff. SS would be expensive, if you can find it.Go to some office buildings or shopping centers that have landscaping and see what they use.
My front sidewalk is brick, originally installed in 1913. There was a concrete base underneath, with the bricks mortared on top of it, but that concrete eventually deteriorated and the walk got all cracked and lumpy.
Finally, two years ago I pulled it all up, dug out the old concrete and cleaned up the bricks (fortunately I had enough matching extras to replace the broken ones) and relaid them. We first put in a compacted base of class 5, with a 1" or so bed of sand on top of that. The bricks were laid with gaps between them to match the old pattern, a compactor was run over the top to set them in place, and finally the gaps were filled with polymeric sand and it was watered down to set the polymeric sand. So far, the sidewalk is holding up great - it's staying nice and flat and the bricks aren't moving around, and the polymeric sand keeps weeds from growing up in the cracks.
We used that triangular plastic edging that gets spiked into the ground to hold the edges straight. The grass covers it up so you can't see it.
I'm just curious, banjo, when you say 'historic', do you mean as in a 'historical society' project or maybe a 'State Historical Marker?'
I only ask because maybe there are outside groups that want or need to be involved. It might be a 'historical preservation' job.
It's just a thought.