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About Concrete Paving
Concrete paving is interlocking concrete paving blocks laid over a prepared, compacted base to carry foot and vehicle traffic on driveways, parking areas, walkways and patios. Unlike a poured concrete slab, individual pavers can be lifted and relaid if a service line needs to go in underneath, and a section damaged by a delivery vehicle or subsidence can be replaced without breaking up the whole surface. The blocks are the part everybody looks at, but the base underneath is what decides whether the surface stays flat — we prepare and compact that base ourselves before a single paver goes down, and set the falls so stormwater runs off to where you want it, not against your walls or back toward the house. We lay concrete paving for driveways, parking areas, walkways and patios across Germiston, the East Rand and Johannesburg.
What's Included
- Excavation removes organic material and soft spots
- Crusher-run or G5 sub-base compacted in layers
- Bedded on screeded coarse river sand, set to falls
- Herringbone, stretcher bond or basketweave patterns
- Choice of paver thickness, finish and colour
- Concrete or steel edge restraint on every exposed edge
- Joints swept full with kiln-dried sand and compacted
- Falls set so water drains from walls, foundations
Our Process
- 1
Prepare and Compact the Base
We excavate to the correct depth, remove organic material and soft spots, and build up a compacted sub-base of crusher-run or G5 material in layers to carry the traffic the surface will actually see. This stage is invisible once the pavers are laid, but it's the single biggest reason one paving job lasts and another starts sinking within a year.
- 2
Bed and Lay Pavers
Pavers are laid on a screeded bed of coarse river sand at a consistent depth, set to line and to the falls worked out during preparation, in the pattern you choose — herringbone, stretcher bond or basketweave. We recommend paver thickness and finish based on what the surface needs to carry, from standard residential units to thicker, higher-strength pavers for vehicle and heavy traffic areas.
- 3
Install Edge Restraint and Jointing
Concrete or steel edge restraint goes in along every exposed boundary before the joint sand, with proper concrete kerbing laid where a project calls for it. Joints are swept full with kiln-dried sand and compacted, which is what keeps the surface interlocked under load instead of shifting paver by paver.
- 4
Set Drainage and Falls
We set falls across every paved area during design and preparation so water runs off toward a drain, channel or permeable edge rather than pooling against a wall, garage door or foundation. Where there's nowhere for water to go on site, we can build a channel or connect into existing drainage as part of the same job.
Project Gallery
Concrete Paving FAQ
What is concrete paving?
Concrete paving is a driveway, walkway or parking surface built from individual precast concrete paving blocks laid over a compacted base and bedding sand, rather than a single poured concrete slab. The blocks interlock once the joints are filled and compacted, which gives the surface strength while still allowing individual pavers to be lifted for repairs or for services to be run underneath. It's a common choice for driveways, patios, walkways and parking areas because it combines a hard-wearing surface with the ability to fix a section without breaking up the whole area.
What's the difference between concrete paving and brick paving?
Both are unit paving laid over a compacted base and bedding sand, and both can be lifted and relaid. The difference is mainly the material: concrete pavers are precast from cement, aggregate and pigment, while clay brick pavers are fired. Concrete pavers generally handle heavier vehicle loads and come in a wider range of thicknesses, sizes and colours, while clay brick pavers hold their colour longer since it runs through the fired material rather than sitting as a surface pigment. We lay both, and recommend whichever suits your traffic, budget and finish rather than defaulting to one.
How long does concrete paving last?
Concrete paving laid over a properly compacted base should last for decades with only routine maintenance, joint sand top-ups and the occasional relevelling of a section that has settled. The paving blocks themselves are durable; it's almost always the base or the bedding sand that fails first if a surface starts sinking or rocking early, not the concrete pavers. That's why we spend more time on base preparation than on the laying itself.
How thick should concrete paving be for a driveway?
The right thickness depends on what the surface will carry. A pedestrian walkway or patio can use a thinner paver, while a driveway carrying vehicles needs a thicker, higher-strength unit, and a parking area used by delivery vehicles or heavier traffic needs thicker pavers again over a correspondingly deeper compacted base. We specify paver thickness and base depth based on the actual traffic the surface will see, not a single default across every job.
Can concrete paving be repaired instead of replaced?
Yes, in most cases. Because concrete paving is made up of individual units rather than a poured slab, a sunken, cracked or rocking section can usually be lifted, the base underneath corrected, and the same pavers relaid without disturbing the rest of the surface. Full replacement is only needed where the pavers themselves are badly worn or damaged across a large area. We assess the base before recommending which route makes sense for your driveway or parking area.
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