Wood Paver Installation Guide
ORCA Wood Pavers are crafted from Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), a deciduous hardwood tree native to the Appalachian mountains. Installed end grain facing up, Wood Pavers expose the tight-grain quality of the tree’s heartwood, a decay-resistant material that can last upwards of thirty years.
This step-by-step guide describes how to install pavers for a range of outdoor uses including patios, walkways and driveways.
Note: This guide is intended to be an accessible overview for homeowners, where no special circumstances are present. We always recommend working with a licensed professional especially when intensive site preparation is needed.
Site Preparation
We suggest ensuring the drainage of the site is accounted for to ensure the pavers do not sit on or within water. One way to accomplish this is to get a geotechnical survey for the site to determine water flow and have a water drainage plan. In general the site must enable water to pass through the pavers and underneath the pavers as well.
Ground Up Construction Guidelines
- Level the ground taking into account water flow and drainage
- Based on drainage needed, place 2” to 8” layer of base and subbase material to allow for water flow under the pavers. Subbase material is typically compacted Type II aggregate mixed with fines, and the base is typically ¾” drain rock. The base and subbase material should be compacted and as level as possible. The base preparation can then be covered with landscape filter fabric.
- Place 1-5” to 2” of No. 8 drainage aggregate (sand) on top of landscape fabric for leveling. This sand should be mostly level / gently sloped and correspond with the build up of the wood pavers to match perimeter transitions.
- Place the pavers on top of the sand, ensuring the paver grid is aligned as much as possible.
- Use the preferred filler material between the pavers: we suggest DG or 3/8” pebble infill to help lock the paver in place.
- NOTE: Avoid using silica sand as it traps moisture
- NOTE: Filler material must allow for the wood to expand and contract with moisture changes. If filler material is packed too tight or is not flexible enough it could prevent the wood from expanding
- For large areas wider than 10 feet, we suggest including an expansion gap of ~1” in the layout for every 5 feet of installed length to allow for additional expansion and contraction
- In order to stabilize the edging and ensure the border stays in in place, we suggest perimeter pieces are stabilized with a perimeter steel edging or setting the edge pieces with mortar / construction adhesive to a solid substrate such as concrete