In short

  • Three causes: water, a base that wasn't compacted or leveled well at the start, and a downspout that empties onto or beside the pavers.
  • Find the cause before you repair. If the water isn't dealt with, the dip may come back.
  • A small low spot gets fixed during a restoration: wash, new sand, then sealer. A job that's mainly leveling isn't one we take.

Pavers that settle in places always have a reason. Start by finding the cause.

The three causes we see most

Water

Water is one of the main causes of sinking.

A base that wasn't compacted or leveled well

Under the pavers there's a base. If it wasn't compacted or leveled properly at the start, the pavers settle in places. It's an installation flaw.

Downspouts

A downspout is the pipe that carries water from the roof down to the ground. When it empties onto the pavers or right beside them, it's a source of water.

Find the cause before you repair

Look at where the dip is. At the foot of a downspout, it's water, and the water has to be dealt with. Otherwise the dip may come back.

If water isn't the problem, the base is the next suspect, and that's a flaw from day one.

What we do

We start with the cause: we check where the water drains and look for an eroded base or poor drainage. A small low spot gets fixed during a restoration: wash, new sand, then sealer on a separate visit.

A job that's mainly leveling isn't one we take, and we'd rather tell you that plainly. If the water comes from somewhere else on your property, say a downspout, we'll tell you at the visit: the water has to be dealt with first.

A dip in your pavers?

We come look at your pavers and give you a price on the spot. Free, no commitment.

Free quote Call 819 328-2129

Questions we get a lot

During a restoration. We start projects from May to the end of September, and June, July and August are the main months.
Because a downspout that empties onto or beside the pavers is a source of water. The water has to be dealt with.
If the cause isn't dealt with, probably. That's why we look for it before repairing.
Yes. They are the same concrete paver with two names. Everything written here applies to both.

For the restoration, see our interlock repair and interlock cleaning pages. The joints are covered in how to redo the joints. For a written price, we can come and look at your pavers.

Émile and Beckett, Duo Vert

Who writes these

We're Émile and Beckett, the two guys behind Duo Vert. We restore interlock in Gatineau and Ottawa, with our own team and no subcontractors. What's written here is what we see on real jobs.