Curious if anyone’s had issues with weeds popping up between pavers after a season or two... that’s my main hesitation.
- Oh man, the weeds are relentless. I swear they wait until you’re not looking and then—bam—jungle between the pavers.
- Tried gravel under mine, but it just made the ants happy. Drainage was better though.
- Flagstones with river rock look awesome, but my neighbor’s shifted after one winter. Not sure if that’s normal or just his luck.
- Still hunting for something that doesn’t turn into a weed farm by July...
- Weeds between pavers are the bane of my existence too. I tried polymeric sand last year and it helped a bit, but not a miracle fix.
- Ants love gravel, you’re right about that. I ended up with little ant hills popping up everywhere—kind of impressive, honestly.
- Flagstone shifting is pretty common if the base isn’t compacted enough or if there’s a lot of freeze/thaw. My old patio did the same after a rough winter.
- Has anyone tried those weed barrier fabrics under their pavers? Curious if that actually works long-term or just delays the inevitable...
Weed barrier fabric under pavers is kind of a mixed bag in my experience. I put it down under a brick walkway a few years back, thinking it’d be a game changer, but honestly, weeds still found their way through the joints. It slowed them down for a bit, but after a couple seasons, they were back. Plus, the fabric can sometimes trap moisture and make things slippery or even encourage ants to tunnel underneath. I’m starting to think regular maintenance is just part of the deal with pavers... anyone else notice that the fabric just shifts the problem around?
Yeah, I hear you on the weed barrier fabric. I tried it under my patio pavers a while back and honestly, it felt like a temporary fix at best. Like you said:
I’m starting to think regular maintenance is just part of the deal with pavers... anyone else notice that the fabric just shifts the problem around?
That’s been my experience too. The weeds always seem to find a way, especially through the joints where the sand settles or washes out. Plus, once the fabric starts to break down, it’s a pain if you ever want to redo anything. I’ve even noticed more ants tunneling under the fabric than when I just had compacted gravel and sand.
At this point, I just accept that pulling a few weeds every month is part of having pavers. Power washing and topping up the joint sand helps more than any fabric ever did for me. It’s not glamorous, but it keeps things looking decent without all the hassle of dealing with soggy, shifting fabric underneath. Sometimes the “easy” solution just creates new headaches...
Yeah, I’ve been down the weed barrier rabbit hole too—total pain. I actually ripped mine out last year after it started turning into a soggy mess under the pavers. As for draining the pool, I ran into a similar headache with water pooling near my patio. Ended up rigging a long hose to direct the water out to the street gutter instead of letting it flood the yard. Not perfect, but way less hassle than dealing with swampy grass or shifting pavers. Sometimes low-tech just works better, you know?
