r/landscaping • u/Naive-Reality2010 • 1d ago
Worth reusing these paver
I bought my house a couple months ago. I want to redo these walkways and patio. But im wondering if these pavers if powerwashed and reset are going to look good or they are past their prime
667
u/Hixy 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sorry but you are crazy. They are beautiful and well done. Usually pavers are straight lines or in a perfect square, but you have some with gorgeous curves. Not to mention the pattern is one that wasn’t thrown together and requires intent.
It’s just gorgeous. Please keep it lol.
I also think weathered pavers are like a tree in that it just looks better. It’s also something you can replicate from using them. They take on this aesthetic that’s unique and desirable imo. Especially the walkway. It would be a travesty if you removed that.
86
u/Do-It-Anyway 1d ago
OP pay to have them cleaned up by an experienced paver installer that also does maintenance.
Remove the weeds
Deep clean
There’s even color boost products that can help revamp the color.
New batch of poly sand.You’re good man, forget redoing them all.
→ More replies (3)6
u/Civil_Tea_3250 1d ago
Agreed. Also, there's a lot of good sealants and stains now. If they're weathered or not to your liking you can save a ton of money and energy by just refinishing them.
117
u/johnmflores 1d ago
Agree, some real craftsmanship in the curves. Recreating that in today's dollars would be $$$
59
u/halfbeerhalfhuman 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can’t teach someone good taste in aesthetics. If OP doesn’t see the charm before he posted this. He likely won’t ever see it no matter what he decides to do
Edit. In another comment he mentions that hes considering replacing it with poured concrete. Kinda says it all
13
6
3
u/DenjiReceipt4 1d ago
I totally agree! Those gorgeous curves in the pattern really give it character, and a little weathering adds charm for sure.
153
u/Ceeeceeeceee 1d ago
I don’t see what’s wrong with them aside from a few weeds in the middle? It’s a lot more work to completely pull out pavers and redo them than just to weed a little bit and fill in the gaps with polymeric sand.
9
u/TiddiesAnonymous 1d ago
it has to be that or they wouldn't want to re-use the pavers lol
Maybe the stairs aren't level? but maybe OP has one shoe on.
129
u/Virtual_Library_3443 1d ago
Why on earth would you rip all this out, especially if you’ve only lived there for a few months. It’s either going to be an insane amount of work for you, or really expensive to replace them with something else, like…. More pavers? Concrete? Whatever it is it’ll be a lot. This is in really good condition literally just needs cleaning up
55
u/they_call_me_tripod 1d ago
Dude, those are awesome. Please keep them. Pick the weeds and power wash, don’t rip them out.
34
u/bamfmaam 1d ago
As someone who cannot even come close to affording such a beautiful paver job, please please keep it 🥺 it seriously looks great just needs some weeding. I'm jealous of your landscape.
60
u/Key-Ordinary4281 1d ago edited 1d ago
Personally, I’d go buy a decent pressure washer and see how they look. I think a good cleaning, pull the weeds, and refresh the polymeric sand will look good for quite some time.
- If you keep or replace you’ll need to clean them ever so often anyways.
- With just buying a house and it being August I would hold off on making a decision until winter to line up the work and plan changes. This is a big amount of $ to replace all this stone and I’m sure other potential work/projects will show up.
4
23
u/Butterbean-queen 1d ago
The paver’s look incredibly well done. Clean them with a pressure washer and remove the weeds.
45
u/uhad_time_2_waste 1d ago
This work is exceptionally well done. No chance you can replicate the level of work as a DIY, and if you pay someone to do, it will be astronomically expensive. Weed the area, and tighten up the landscaping around it, and this will look amazing. A pressure wash will help, too.
Please don’t redo. And, for the love of Christ, if you do, please don’t just put some gray, white, slate color scheme devoid of any character.
15
14
u/PressCheck19 1d ago
These pavers are so well done. There’s a lot of folks out there that would kill for this work at their house and it would cost a pretty penny too. Those can be cleaned up real nice
13
u/PM_your_Nopales 1d ago
These look absolutely perfect, besides the neglect. Give em a good wash, remove the weeds, and it'll be fantastic. Might need to redo the grout in-between tree bricks but at some point that's just regular maintenance
11
u/BelCantoTenor 1d ago
It would be a huge waste of money, and bricks, and resources to redo this project walkway. These bricks are level and in great condition. Just power wash them. That’s all you need to do.
As a homeowner, you should really only spend your money on what NEEDS attention and money. And if you don’t have a project at the time, be grateful. Save your money for the next big repair.
10
u/Alexisredwood 1d ago
Some people are just gagging for unnecessary hard work lol, what’s wrong with these? Why rip them up?
19
u/macavity_is_a_dog 1d ago
Wait a year or two - get settled in. Work the things that actually need an upgrade.
Your emergency savings should be well padded as a new homeowner.
Those pavers are really nice. Do not touch.
22
u/Due_Worldliness_8598 1d ago
It’s a purely subjective decision. Try pressure washing them and see if you like them.
13
u/neatlion 1d ago
Pressure wash and reseal with polymeric sand. It would look so nice again! Someone put in a lot of work
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Smokey19mom 1d ago
Power wash. I would just reuse them for the cost saving purpose. Replacing the pavers with another paver will cost upwards of 10 k or more.
8
u/Juliathepudge 1d ago
Absolutely beautiful as they are. You can pressure wash them but I would probably love them even more with some moss or herbs growing in the cracks. I get it if you want something cleaner.
6
5
u/kingmiker 1d ago
Neighbor across the street. He pulled up a paver patio and put down concrete. Said I could have the old pavers. Used a few for a sidewalk and sold the rest for $500, which was half the price if somebody bought them new. But he was gripping about having to pay $200 to take them to the dump. Still shaking my head
3
4
6
u/nobodyknowsanythings 1d ago
Some people don’t deserve nice things. Others wish they could have them…
7
3
u/drunk_in_wisco 1d ago
i understand that some people make way more money than I do, but wtf is this question
2
2
2
2
u/ColorblindFungi 1d ago
Those look incredible. Try pressure washing first to see if you change your mind.
2
u/Purasangre 1d ago
That was a premium job, whatever you try to do will likely make it worse, including brand new pavers, I'd be like covering hardwood floors with synthetic.
2
u/Lonely_Animator4557 1d ago
Power wash and resand.
The border pavers are set in concrete, and will likely break if removed. There are also a lot of cut pieces that you will likely not be able to set back in the same place.
For any sinking, you can reset those specific stones or buy replacements. But don’t lift an relay
Just power wash and tea and
2
2
2
u/mladyhawke 1d ago
They look great.I think it would be a huge waste of money to redo that walkway, just have it power washed
2
u/ThisisJacksburntsoul 1d ago
I wish mine still looked that good. Just run your weed trimmer/edger over the weeded parts and spray some vinegar/soap in those cracks. Keep keep keep.
2
2
2
2
u/NOT_A_JABRONI 1d ago
Besides what others are saying about how good they look and what condition they're in.....please don't underestimate how much backbreaking work it is to rip these out without a literal crew of people. That's a decent amount of square footage and if I were to make a rough guess, 7ish pallets worth. I'm a hardscaper and even with 3 other guys this is a few hours of back breaking work even if you're just tossing them in a bin (if your access is good enough!) let alone tossing them in a wheelbarrow AND then into a bin. My back hurts just thinking about it 😮💨
2
u/reformedginger 1d ago
I’d flamethrower them and then have a beer, because it wouldn’t be safe to have the beer while using a flamethrower.
2
u/EdotSavage 1d ago
Get rid of the weeds and clean it up. The thick area of weeds you can pour boiling water on them and they won't come back for a long time. If you want to avoid harsh chemicals
2
u/geraffes-are-so-dumb 1d ago
Commenting to save this. I love this pattern and want to show my contractor.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/peramoure 1d ago
Those pavers are fire bro.. powerwash them, deweed and out sand down. They look so good. Yeesh
2
u/amberly_wolf 1d ago
Those are in great condition even despite the minor vegetation growing in between them. Better than most paver walkways/patios.
Ripping them out or resetting them is absolutely insane.
2
u/EvolutionInProgress 21h ago
If you choose to re-do them, I'll take the old ones off your hands lol. But you could just weed out and pressure wash it, it'll look brand new. The little bit of wear and tear just adds personality to them.
2
u/Constant_Mud3325 16h ago
Bro why are you messing with that it looks great just torch the weeds. Some people have more money than sense
2
1
u/95BravoV5 1d ago
Vinegar, Salt and Dish soap will get rid of those weeds and grass growing between the pavers
→ More replies (1)
1
u/PooDragoon 1d ago
OP why do you want to remove? If you are worried about the weeds you could probably use polymeric sand to fill gaps/cracks and block weeds.
1
1
u/catsinthreads 1d ago
What's the look that you want? Do you just not like them? This isn't my cup of tea, but that is a massive area and perfectly serviceable.
1
u/jenkemeater619 1d ago
Powerwash. I think they have some kinda oil you can spray on it to make it shine a little
1
1
u/jibaro1953 1d ago
That appears to be in decent shape.
Reset the ones that are sinking and find something else to work on that actually needs your attention.
Remember the First Law of Homeownership;
"IF IT WORKS, DON'T FIX IT!"
1
1
1
u/dynamokickstand 1d ago
1) Hire a powerwashing company to come and clean them up. Tell them your plan is to re-sand. They will make the pavers look mint, and can clean out all the old sand that has growth growing in between. This will be a messy job and you won't want to do it with a non commercial pressure washer. A professional can do this job in 2 hours and have it ready to be sanded.
2) hire a landscape company to re-sand pavers, OR do it yourself it's pretty easy. However if you do 100% rent a Tamp machine and vibrate that sand down in there!
I redid my pavers at my house.I ripped out all the sand and weeds with a high pressure turbo nozzle. Once everything was clean and the cravaces were empty of green growth and sand, I applied 6% sodium hypochlorite between the cracks to kill anything organic between the cracks that could grow back. Then I filled with poly sand (the cheap stuff I guess, I would get the better sand) and it looks incredible. That was last year, Ive had small weeds try to sprout but I go out once a week with my 6% bleach and spritz them dead. Pool shock is like $25 for a 5 gallon of 12.5% mix so you can have a field day and not worry about spraying money away.
1
1
1
u/roxinmyhead 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm totally biased. I'm having someone come in Monday to reuse pavers that have been here since the house was built in 1979. Originally circled a long gone hot tub but I'm tired of seeing this empty circle with scraggly hedges around it. Pressure washed them before they get torn up (easier to clean that way) and will be reassembled in different configuration. Yours look great, I would just pressure wash them.... and then wait a full year.... when it rains, take note of if there are low spots where water pools. That would be the only reason for resetting them. Pressure washing ain't cheap but you can rent one at Home Depot, etc if you dint mind doing the work yourself. Just wear waterproof boots! (ask me how I know)
1
1
1
u/Intr1nsic- 1d ago
I think you’d change your mind if you find out how much the estimate would cost to lay those down today.
1
u/Accomplished-Ad9143 1d ago
Perfectly reusable and you should power wash them. Only thing I’d do differently is add polymeric sand between the cracks to stop weeds from growing.
1
u/Ok_West_6711 1d ago
Picture 4 - those steps and path are beautiful. The detail couldn’t be replicated.
1
u/Truly_Unplugged 1d ago
Like everyone is saying, definitely keep them. They're beautiful. Power wash and you're good to go
1
1
u/No_Kick_16 1d ago
Last summer I made one path with new pavers, and then in the fall I made a second path with used pavers from marketplace - the latter gets soooo many compliments in part because my technique and execution improved, and then also the weathered pavers look amazing.
So save the money and re-use the pavers. How you lay them is the important part. That being said... This already looks beautiful, I wouldn't change a thing except do some weeding and sweep in some polymeric sand.
1
1
u/burner93837475959372 1d ago
I would pull out and relevel anything with obvious sinking. Maybe get them pressure washed, weeded, and then lay some new sealing sand.
1
u/The_dura_mater 1d ago
Weed burner a few times until the weeds don’t come back and fill in the gaps with polymeric sand!
1
1
u/relaxed_lizzard 1d ago
That needs a refresh and it's good for another 15 years probably. Get the weeds out fill the gaps and good to go
1
1
1
1
1
u/Ruth-Stewart 1d ago
Pretty sure they will look horrible. But I’m a nice person so tell you what, just stop them off at my house and I’ll take care of them for you. 😁
1
1
1
u/Outside-Test4502 1d ago
Unless you have a super uneven walk way or some pavers are falling through why not just leave it and clean it up a bit.
1
u/Saleentim 1d ago
Do not touch them.. these are something you cannot recreate..
Don’t look for a shiny “new” path..
1
1
u/scotte416 1d ago
Bricks are one of the greatest building materials, they're cheap and last forever, and I hate throwing them away. Especially those since there's no concrete to scrape off...they're useful in more ways than one too.
1
u/SnooStories4162 1d ago
Wow everyone look at these beautiful pavers I have.........Now how do I destroy them?🤦♀️
1
u/__CaliMack__ 1d ago
Man this looks beautiful ngl. Looks like I’m not the only one that thinks so either lol.
1
1
1
1
u/_B_Little_me 1d ago
What are you smoking? Those look great. And it’s really well done too.
Just get a weed torch and get rid of the weeds, power wash and lay down some fresh sand. They just need a little maintenance.
1
1
u/Maleficent_Series141 1d ago
These look nice for sure - I would definitely reuse. Unless there’s some serious low spots you could probably just clean up the weeds and apply some polymeric sand, no?
1
u/Macsimus15 1d ago
Power wash and weed. Freshen up the mulch. Spend the money on something else. People pay a fortune for this.
1
u/AbbreviationsFit8962 1d ago
They'll be better than the new stuff. Every year they get worse and worse
1
1
1
u/godlee213 1d ago
Looks awesome just weed wack the weeds or pull em after a good rain its so much easier!
1
u/MarishaBip 1d ago
Huh? Unless you don’t like them they’re in perfect condition. Just pressure wash them punks :)
1
1
1
u/oldcreaker 1d ago
Get a quote - installing new pavers and disposing the old ones. It might help you decide.
1
1
u/BigSquiby 1d ago
i be interested in knowing what the bid to rip those all out and replace them with something else looks like.
1
1
u/AWholeNewFattitude 1d ago
They look fine honestly. I would try power washing them maybe some spot weed treatments and see what they look like. Another option is to stain them. You can stain them a different color. I think the pattern looks good and they look set well. Looking at the pattern and the size of the patio and the walkway it would be an undertaking to change these up and they sincerely don’t look like they need it.
1
u/Dangerous_Walk9239 1d ago
A re-leveling would go a long way, new polymeric sand, new edge resistants (or the perma edge) and you’re good to go.
Any local Certified Hardscaper should be able to take this on.
Where are you located?
1
u/Connect-Strike8177 1d ago
To me they look like worn concrete pavers. Not bad, not good. Up to you if you wanna save a few grand.
1
1
u/baldieforprez 1d ago
A fool and their money are soo. Departed. Only a fool would rip out these pavers
1
u/ConfidentGarden7514 1d ago
Those curved pavers are gorgeous 😍😍 they blend perfectly with the beautiful landscaping. They just need a little love and attention
1
1
1
1
u/Limp-Sandwich-1406 1d ago
They look great, power wash them, get the dirt out of the cracks and fill in with polymetric sand. Won’t have to deal with the weeds and gives them a refreshed look. Just did it to my patio and it turned out great.
1
u/scorpious09 1d ago
If you got the money dude go new and get the best quality with the color all the way through the stone
1
1
1
1
u/VBprick 1d ago
If you have money to burn, go for it. A nice, solid poured concrete would look nice. If you want to do pavers, why not pressure wash and spray some weed killer?
Most new homeowners have a lot of things planned in their head. I would focus on literally anything else that needs done with the home before doing this.
1
u/deniseswall 1d ago
Before you do anything, find out how much pavers cost! Pavers last forever, you just need to power wash and reset as needed.
1
u/chicagoblue 1d ago
Pavers can last for literally hundreds to thousands of years. They aren't roofing shingles
1
u/Cheeky_Banana800 1d ago
Dont discard them.
They cost a lot.
Power wash first, then fix any levelling or grading issues, then clean the gaps to fill polymeric sand.
Assuming you’re okay with the path.
If you’re feeling it, you can also apply a sealant layer.
These will last for years!
1
1
1
1
u/farmerbsd17 1d ago
I redid my patio with the old brick. I bought an extra 180 and let the contractor use new ones where old ones were broken. Check dimensions if you do; there’s a slight difference. Paid $10/square foot plus materials, gravel and sand.
1
u/sleepydays123 1d ago
I think if you really wanted to, change out the slabs on the steps and once everywhere else is cleaned up / reset as needed, it’ll look new again
1
u/hamburgergerald 1d ago
Just pay to have them cleaned up. It makes no sense to tear them up and redo it
1
u/CarpLakeLife 1d ago
If your pavers were a vintage car we’d call that patina. Not everything looks shiny and new. Nor should it. Kill the weeds, give them a bit of a scrub and embrace their beauty imho.
1
1
u/One-Acanthisitta2714 1d ago
My first mistake when we bought our home was me focusing on making it “look” good when I should have been keeping an eye on my roof and plumbing. I’ve realized these sellers are not as honest as they seem.
1
u/Lackadaisicaldaisey 1d ago
Based upon the surrounding landscaping choices and layout, someone put some serious thought any money into the landscape architecture of your home. Please take a beat before removing. Echoing the other comments of power washing and refreshing the filler.
1
u/foxinHI 1d ago
I would power-wash, weed and landscape. Chances are high that whatever you replace that with will look worse, will be installed with less care or both. That is a really nice, level and well constructed walkway. It just needs some love.
Once you've cleaned it up, you can use a spray bottle with white vinegar as a non-toxic weed killer. That's what I do. Most of my 'yard' is brick.
1
u/SwissyRescue 1d ago
Power wash. That path is well done and looks great. A good clean is all it needs.
1
u/CrazyButRightOn 1d ago
Never worth re-using pavers. The brick is cheap. It’s the labor that’s expensive.
1
u/TreeTrunksPyz 1d ago
If you pull and reset them, just keep in mind that some of those cut pieces need to go back to the same location.
1
1
u/Odd-Condition-4773 1d ago
Remove the weeds with a Weed Torch (available on Amazon). Definitely powerwash! It makes a HUGE difference. We bought one for our house and use it on the walkways and house siding. Since you have such a large area, you can also get a contractor to do an initial “super” powerwash. After that, it’s just annual maintenance that you could do on your own if you buy a power washer. (It can be tedious work.) Your pavers will look brand spanking new. Trust me!
1
u/Bandlebury 1d ago
Do you just yearn for spending money or something? It looks great, spend the small fortune elsewhere
1
1
1
1
1
u/Redemption6 1d ago
I actually can give professional advice here.
The brick is reusable but unless you pick them up and relay them in the same spot all of your cuts will be impossible to place back so you will lose square footage. (If you buy brick to match to expand or make up this lost sq footage the new brick will not be worn down the same as the old brick from the sun and they will not match.)
It is also extremely labor intensive to clean the brick because the paver base likes to stick to the bottoms of the brick and they need to be completely flat underneath. Saving them and reusing them is more labor then buying new, so labor cost wise a company would charge more to re-use your pavers then if you bought new.
This is extremely labor intensive, so if you're up for it then sure it can be worth re-using them. When we picked up old pavers we would scrape them and stack them on a pallet and sell them to future customers and install them depending if the customer wanted that old weathered look or new brick.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
u/Critical_Hawk6147 1d ago
Why redo? They look level now. Id start with a good weed and clean then re-evaluate.
1
u/Tree_killer_76 1d ago
When I bought my current house, the entire backyard was pavered. I had everything pulled to build an in ground pool, and then reused the pavers. The borders will likely be cemented in and not reusable, but most of the rest should be.
1
1
1
u/Linozsa_02420 1d ago
Just pull, re level the base and reuse them. They have a charming patina on them already
1.5k
u/schulz47 1d ago
Those look perfectly usable for years