Paver Issue - Belgard Urbana

[blittle]

The subcontractor for our new pool just installed our deck surface which is Belgard Urbana pavers. Tonight I walked on it with bare feet for the first time and it's miserable. Almost all of the pavers have at least one edge that is sharp and raised so it jabs into my foot with each step. I am not a happy camper. Has anyone else had this issue?

Also, it appears that they used polymeric sand in the joints but didn't finish with a finer sand so I can also feel the polymeric sand, which is very rough, with almost ever step. It also seems that some of the polymeric has stuck onto the top surface of some pavers making the problem worse.

Any suggestions?

 

[knightsraven]

Hello,

Funny thing is I almost went with the same Belgard Urbana Pavers. I went with Cal-Stone instead. I used some of Cal-Stones recommended grout cleaners with some success. However I just feel that time will help with the extra sand stuck on top of the pavers.

This happens when sand is not properly cleaned off the surface of the pavers prior to activating the sand. Even the method of activating the sand is critical. My contractor's hired help/staff didn't activate the sand in the prescribed manner by misting. Instead they went with dousing/washing which got sand almost everywhere.

I used grout residue remover to remove the heavily sandy areas. If I were you, I'd test the product first, they offer small samples, before using/buying gallon jugs.

http://www.aldonchem.com/pr-grout-residue-remover.htm

Good luck.

 

[steveg_nh]

Did you ever get this resolved? Urbana Stone is one option we are seriously considering, along with Rinox Palazzo Modulo.

 

[bzeller]

I have Begard Lafit and polymeric sand. None of the issues you're describing. Sounds as though your installer didn't have very good quality control!

 

[patioperson]

I just had Belgard Catalina pavers installed on my backyard patio and have the same issue. Almost all of the joints have little vertical steps across the joints,usually in the range of 1 mm to 3mm high. I don't often walk barefoot on the patio, so that's not the problem. My complaint is the visual appearance. The Catalina pavers are flat with beveled edges much like kitchen and bathroom tile. The joints are their most prominent features. The joints of my installed pavers appear nonuniform and irregular because of the shadows cast by the steps at the edges when the sun is shinning brightly. I complained to a Belgard representative that the workmanship was poor. He visited the patio and said it was fine. His e-mail summary stated "I even intentionally tried to catch the toe of my shoe across the top of pavers in several areas, and never caught an edge. " After that I read the ICPI Spec 2 installation procedure that Belgard recommends to their Authorized Contractors. It includes a step designed to level the paver. They run a lawn-mower like compacting machine across the paver surface which hammers the pavers into the sand until they are level. This step was not done properly by my contractor, and Belgard has so far not been able to convince my contractor to correct the error. Correcting the error requires removing and re-installing the pavers because after the joint sand is added, the compaction step will no longer level the pavers. Leveling must be done before the joints are filled with sand. Small claims court may be my only way to get the contractor to reinstall the pavers properly. Good luck getting your pavers leveled.