Brick Paver driveway

[CThomp]

I'm wanting to do my driveway out of brick. Just the red paver bricks. Not the mortar bricks.

My drive way will be 620sqft ish.

How many bricks do I need? I've got a line on about 2000 free bricks.

I know bricks are sold from yards by the sqft. The cheapest price by the sqft. I've found is $1.80. Which tells me those are just the regular type bricks i'm leaning towards.

[concretemasonry]

Red has nothing to do with the properties of the brick.

There are several types of units that can be used for patios and possibly driveways.

1. Clay brick - usually rectangular. They can be used with mortar over a concrete slab. They may also be set in sand. Make sure you are buying the correct type and thicknesses for your application. Follow the manufacturers instructions. Others may posy more details.

2. Interlocking concrete pavers - rectangular or in different shapes/patterns, but roughly "hand sized" (4x8 or 10). The thicknesses are 60 mm, 80 mm or 100 mm. Depending on the area, 80 mm may be most common. They are vibrated into a 1" sand setting bed and not set on concrete unless special construction details and drainage is provided for. You will have to have a compacted gravel base - the thickness will depend on the subsoil and the loads. You should have some sort of edge restraint. Interlocking concrete pavers are by far the most common units for patios, driveways and streets in the U.S.

If your driveway will be holding car traffic, an 80mm paver would probably be appropriate . This would be on a 1" sand setting bed and typically on a 6" to 8" compacted base. If you are holding a 747 or a ocean-going ship straddle loader, you would use a 100mm thick paver over a 1" sand setting bed and 18" to 48" of compacted base.

In Florida, you have a number of quality concrete paver producers because the the very common use as architectural and functional accents. Follow the instructions carefully and do not try to reinvent the wheel/pavers that the Romans established.

The best place to go in-line is the series of Tek notes by the International Concrete Paving Institute (ICPI.org).

The U.S. is finally catching up with the rest of the world on pavers after many years!

A paver driveway will not be as cheap as a concrete driveway unles it is a DIY project that you can build over a period of time.

[CThomp]

The bricks I have a line on are just the solid clay bricks. That's what i'm wanting to use. Kinda like the red brick streets you see in older parts of cities and what not.

I found a calculator that said i'm gonna need like 3400+ bricks for the job. Sounds like alot to me.

Thanks for your help.

[tscarborough]

Standard paver (clay or concrete) bricks are 4.5 units per Square Foot. 620x4.5=2790, plus waste which will vary according to the layout of the driveway (5% for a rectilinear driveway with design flexibility up to 20% for a curved driveway with unmovable constraints).

If you are being priced by the SqFt at 1.80, you are talking about concrete pavers, not clay brick, which will be double or more the price.

[CThomp]

Clay bricks are that much more? Geez. I've got to get those free ones.

Thanks for the info.

[concretemasonry]

CThomp -

Sounds like you should get the other 1400 or so of them if they match and were were made for driveways. If they do not match and are the same size you can blend them together as you lay them.

[CThomp]

Wouldn't a clay brick just be a clay brick? Isn't the thickness plenty for a driveway? Heck cities layed roads with them.

I probably actually need about 800 sqft of them. Wife wants a walkway from the driveway to the front stoop. Which actually isn't very far.

[concretemasonry]

A brick is not a brick(especially with clay). The brick can be different because of the type of clay deposit that is used and the method of firing the clay in that particular plant. They are only about the same size and maybe close enough to develop some interlocking strength once you vibrate the sand in. Your driveway will be more critical than the walkway.

Since you are in Florida, you do not have to worry about freeze-thaw durability and the strength should be O.K if you have a good base.

[CThomp]

I read 6-8" of compacted base rock and 1" of sand. Sound right?

[concretemasonry]

That is the norm for interlocking concrete pavers that are made to have the proper fit to achieve the interlock provided by the sand that is vibrated into the joints. That is where you get the continuity/strength that prevents the rocking and movement of the pavers. Without a good interlock, you might as well lay down the big square stepping stones. - This is the reason to make sure your units are the same size and within the tolerences.

Look at the Interlocking Concrete Paving Institue (ICPI) site at icpi.org to get general information on concrete paver driveways. There may also be information from the Brick Institute of America (BIA) on clay pavers.

[tscarborough]

Try laying used common brick for pavers and you will understand why they should be mortared. The tolerance for new paving bricks is barely adequate to maintain bond, and with used commons it is almost impossible to achieve the desired tight joints. For walkways and patios it is not an issue, but for a driveway, you must accept having wavy-gravy joint lines or variable width joints that will cause eventual failure of the pavement.