[engine7design]

I used 2" of pea gravel as the base for my paver patio and about .5" level sand on top. I haven't found anyone else using pea gravel on this site. Have I made a deadly error?

[Lanelle]

Possibly......
The base material needs to be compactable and pea gravel isn't.
That is why most use crushed stone that is 3/4"-. (Stones from 3/4" to dust in size.)
The varied sizes and angular, irregular shape of the particles make it ideal for creating a tight, firm base after it has been compacted with a plate tamper.

[Stonehenge]

Funny though - I read a Better Homes and Gardens article about how to build a paver patio, and it included an 18" depth of pea gravel as a base. The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I sent a letter to the editor blasting them. Never heard back. Hm. Wonder why.

@e7d - probably not deadly, in that nobody will die. I don't think. But pea gravel is like using marbles as a base material - it'll always be shifting around on you. Best thing to do is pull it up and use a stone as Lanelle recommends.

[engine7design]

Good grief. I already have half the pavers and sand down too. When I used the plate compactor, it seemed pretty tight but as I, and our dogs scurry around on it it does get a little loose. Dang. Well there's no way I'll be pulling it all back up, but I'll pencil in "hire some patio guys in the spring" on my calendar should the whole thing go bad.

[engine7design]

Oh and thanks for the advice.

[engine7design]

How about if I add an inch of 3/4 on top of my gravel then sand and pavers?

[Lanelle]

The voids between the stones needs to be filled -all the way down to the bottom of your base. If you have the time and a large, very powerful tamper, you may be able to spread an inch of stone dust on top and vibrate it into the pea gravel and repeat the process until no more goes down into the gravel.
Not saying that if will be successful for the long term but it should help.

[GLAN]

Some 15 years ago when I did a few patios in So Cal.....all I could get was pea gravel.

I tamped that......sand over the top and tamped that......That in it's self was solid.

I agree that a curshed aggregate should / should have been used for the obvious reasons

[Pelican]

Over time, the grade of your patio will eventually change as the sand migrates to fill the voids in the stone unless you've put a textile layer between them. The patio itself may hold for a while, but over time I think you'll see it develop dips here and there as the stone shifts.

Your base should have been 3/4 minus as mentioned (we call it item 4 here) and it should have been a minimum of 5" thick, compacted in lifts of 3" maximum.

[engine7design]

So GLAN, how did those pea stone patios hold up? I live in the northeast which is of course drastically different from SoCal. My pavers will be somewhat snug inside a surrounding stone wall so hopefully that'll keep em in line. And if they sink or tip a little, I'll just touch em up. Of course I may be doing that every weekend.

[GLAN]

For the 5 years my sister was in that house......All was fine.........even after a few events of ground shaking.

I went back one more winter.....which was 2 years after hers and a year later than doing the neighbors.......I saw nothing wrong.....about a year or so after that they had experience some rather large earth tremors......I was told nothing happened to my patios......Where as local contractors work had extensive damage.

I guess they were fine for some time after that......I don't know.......and I don't know what the long term effects would have been.

All during my career I had always done natural rustic type flat work.....it's more forgiving and over time the small degree of settling variation is part of the character.....but all my work has stood up well over time.

I am not advocating that a properly prepared base based on sound engineering is not necessary......mind you.......those paver jobs in So Cal were done with proper base as instructed by the supplier, using the materials available.

Now that crushed aggregate is more readily available......it only makes sense using crushed base

[engine7design]

Thanks, everyone else gave me great advice as well, but it was nice hearing that pea gravel base will "do" since I'm so far in the project and reaching the patio site required 2 donkeys and a sherpa. Next time I promise, proper base.

[Raj Venugopal]

If the patio isn't totally laid yet, I wonder whether you could stiffen up your base by tilling in some dry concrete mix, tamp it, and hit it with a mist spray before screeding?