Paver base is the layer of compacted crushed stone installed beneath a paver patio or walkway to support the pavers and let water drain away instead of pooling under the surface.
Paver base is typically a graded crushed aggregate, compacted in lifts with a plate compactor rather than dumped and leveled loose, because loose stone settles unevenly under load and telegraphs that unevenness right up through the pavers. Thickness depends on what the surface carries: a foot-traffic patio needs less depth than a driveway or a surface that will support a fire pit or outdoor kitchen. The base does two jobs at once, it spreads weight evenly so pavers don't rock or sink, and it drains water down and away instead of letting it sit against the underside of the pavers.
This is the single most important layer for how long a patio lasts in the Blue Ridge foothills. If water sits in an undercompacted base and then freezes, it expands and shoves pavers out of place, which is frost heave working from underneath rather than from the surface. A base built to the right depth and drainage for local clay soils is what keeps that from happening year after year, long after the pavers themselves have been walked on thousands of times.
More masonry vocabulary from the glossary.
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Chelo's Brick & Stone serves Hillsville, Galax, Wytheville, Fancy Gap, and Independence, VA. Call for a straight answer and a free on-site estimate.
