Is Your Paving Falling Apart? Here's Why — and What to Do
Paving that was installed properly should last 20 to 30 years with minimal intervention. If your paving is failing sooner than that — sinking, cracking, coming loose or growing weeds — there's a reason. Understanding why it's failing determines whether you need a repair or a full relay.
Common Signs of Failing Paving
Sinking or Uneven Surface
This is usually a sub-base problem. Either the ground wasn't adequately compacted before the sand bed was laid, or water has eroded or saturated the sub-base over time. Isolated sinking in one area can sometimes be fixed by lifting the bricks, addressing the base and relaying. If sinking is widespread, the whole base may need to be redone.
Bricks Coming Loose
If individual bricks rock, lift or come out easily, the most common cause is edge failure. When edge restraints (concrete haunching) aren't present or have deteriorated, bricks at the perimeter begin to migrate outward. This creates looseness that progresses inward over time. It can also result from inadequate jointing sand in the joints.
Cracking
Paving bricks themselves rarely crack — when they do, it's usually due to something heavy being dropped on them or a vehicle going somewhere it shouldn't. More often, what looks like cracking is the joints opening up, which indicates movement in the base. Tree root intrusion is another common cause of localised lifting and cracking.
Weeds and Grass
Some weed growth in older paving joints is normal. When it becomes severe, it's often a sign that joints have widened over time (indicating movement) or that the paving is at an age where the base has degraded enough to allow root establishment.
Drainage Problems
If water pools on your paving after rain, either the gradient has changed (due to settling) or the drainage outlets are blocked. Standing water accelerates base degradation and becomes a slipping hazard.
Repair vs. Full Relay: How to Decide
A repair makes sense when:
- Failure is isolated to a specific area
- The underlying cause is identifiable and fixable (a tree root, a drain issue)
- The majority of the paving is still sound
- The bricks are still in good condition (can be relaid)
A full relay is usually necessary when:
- Sinking or unevenness is widespread
- The original installation was poor quality throughout
- The paving is very old and the base has simply reached the end of its life
- You want to change the layout or material
We can assess your paving and give you an honest recommendation. Sometimes a partial relay addresses the problem at a fraction of the cost of doing everything. We won't recommend a full relay if a targeted repair will do the job.
See also our articles on fixing a bad paving situation and our paving repairs service.