Block paving driveways: materials, patterns and build-up
Part of our driveways guides
Block paving is the most common driveway surface in South East London because it spreads vehicle load well, can be lifted and relaid in sections, and gives you a wide choice of colour and pattern. What it will not do is fix a bad base — almost every failed block drive we are called to has a base problem, not a block problem.
This guide covers what goes under the blocks, how the blocks themselves differ, and the decisions worth making before you accept a quote.
The build-up under the blocks
A driveway is a layered structure. Each layer has a job, and skipping one shows up within a couple of winters as rutting where the wheels sit, or a dip at the edge where the paving has spread sideways.
- Excavation deep enough for the sub-base, laying course and block thickness on the ground you actually have
- A graded sub-base compacted in layers — a single deep pass never compacts fully
- Haunched edge restraints on every open edge so the blocks cannot creep
- A screeded sharp sand laying course, kept even rather than used to hide level problems
- Blocks laid, cut in, vibrated down and jointed with kiln-dried sand or a jointing compound
Concrete blocks, clay pavers and setts
Concrete blocks are the standard: the widest range of sizes and colours, the lowest cost, and easy to source for future repairs. Their pigment does fade over years of UV exposure, most noticeably on strong reds and charcoals.
Clay pavers are fired rather than pigmented, so the colour is the material and stays close to what you saw on the sample. They cost more and cut harder, but on a Victorian or Edwardian frontage they usually look right where concrete does not.
Granite setts are hardest wearing of all and are often used as a border, apron or feature band rather than a whole driveway, both for cost and because the surface is less comfortable to walk on in heels or with a pushchair.
Patterns and why they matter
Herringbone at 45 or 90 degrees interlocks the blocks against braking and turning forces, which is why it is the standard for trafficked areas. Stretcher bond looks calmer and suits paths and low-traffic parking, but has less interlock. Basketweave is decorative and best kept to small areas or borders.
Cutting matters more than pattern. Small slivers at the edges are weak points; a good setting-out plan pushes the cuts into the border course where they can be full, solid pieces.
What makes one driveway outlast another
Assuming the base is right, longevity comes down to the edges, the jointing and the water. Restraints must be haunched in concrete, joints must stay full, and surface water must have somewhere to go inside your boundary. Get those three right and a block drive is a decades-long surface with only occasional resanding.
Frequently asked
Can new block paving be laid over an existing concrete driveway?
Sometimes, if the concrete is sound, drains properly and there is enough height left below the damp proof course. It is quicker and cheaper, but it raises the finished level and it hides whatever is happening underneath. Where the concrete is cracked or the level is tight, breaking it out is the better job.
Should block paving be sealed?
Sealing is optional. It can slow staining and help hold jointing sand, but it changes the finish, needs redoing every few years and must be applied to clean, dry, fully cured paving. An unsealed drive that is swept and resanded will last just as long.