Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hired a mason to install brick on a 22 x 4.5 ft patio. Someone had told me that usually one installs a drain mat under the mortar so that rain water that sips through the bricks don't move back up and calcify.
I asked the mason and he said there is no need for a drain mat as he is setting everything at a grade that water will flow to the drains. He said that's how it's usually done on a concrete slab. He also doesn't think the bricks needs to be sealed.
Does it need a drain mat? And should the bricks be sealed?
If you want normal clay brick pavers in the "pit area" and you are in a part of the country that gets freezing conditions you are going to have a BIG problem very soon even with a drain mat...
Frankly, given the configuration of that space I do think that even a "high tech" modified concrete paver with some kind of sub-layer that has drainage grids can be warrantied -- the potential for the snow / freezing rain to cause anything to "heave" out of position with a hard freeze is extreme.
Have considered trying to get the visual effect you want by staining the concrete or using epoxy type coating? There are some very clever "stencil effects" that look like brick -- Residential Decorative Concrete (Exterior)
Hi Chet, thanks for feedback. No, it's not freezing where I live - San Francisco, CA - but there are some rains in winter. I do need to apply some type of pavement as the slab is too low for code. I actually bought the bricks already.
As a general rule- I probably wouldn't spec any additional "underlayment". Especially anything that deals with water- it's not warranted for your region.
However, I might consider an isolation membrane. Not knowing the method of construction of a pre-existing slab I'd want some reassurance that it's going to stay in "one" piece if the patio slab decides to crack and move. Besides, earthquake tremors are practically an everyday occurrence in San Fran.
Using a sealer would help, but it just becomes ANOTHER annual home maintenance project- which is NOT THE IDEA behind a pager/brick patio.
As a general rule- I probably wouldn't spec any additional "underlayment". Especially anything that deals with water- it's not warranted for your region.
However, I might consider an isolation membrane. Not knowing the method of construction of a pre-existing slab I'd want some reassurance that it's going to stay in "one" piece if the patio slab decides to crack and move. Besides, earthquake tremors are practically an everyday occurrence in San Fran.
Using a sealer would help, but it just becomes ANOTHER annual home maintenance project- which is NOT THE IDEA behind a pager/brick patio.
Hi, thanks for feedback. It's a brand new concrete slab.
I do not recommend elevating the height of the deck any more. It looks like you may already have inadequate clearance from the base o the siding to the deck and deck/wood contact under the door threshold. This is an area that needs to drain effectively and aesthetics need to be thought through based on that function... staining the concrete maybe? Keep a nice grille on the drain opening and check the base of the walls when it rains to see how this detail is performing as it is.
Hi, thanks for feedback. It's a brand new concrete slab.
Thanks
Age has nothing to do with it-
As I previously mentioned- "construction method". In otherwords is it just a blob of concrete or does it have reinforcing wire/rebar in it?
I do not recommend elevating the height of the deck any more. It looks like you may already have inadequate clearance from the base o the siding to the deck and deck/wood contact under the door threshold. This is an area that needs to drain effectively and aesthetics need to be thought through based on that function... staining the concrete maybe? Keep a nice grille on the drain opening and check the base of the walls when it rains to see how this detail is performing as it is.
Appreciate the input, but it's required by code. Floor can't be more than 1/2" from interior height. So we will keep at 1/2". It's not about aesthetics.
Age has nothing to do with it-
As I previously mentioned- "construction method". In otherwords is it just a blob of concrete or does it have reinforcing wire/rebar in it?
Sorry I wasn't specific enough. It's all reinforced with rebar, according to SF code. The concrete application method is shotcrete.
Thanks
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
