Planning is, by far, the most important part of any paver installation. From the right set of pavers, to proper slope and bedding, all steps are crucial to a successful paver installation. A factor often overlooked by people are the right weather conditions. So can you install pavers in the winter?

Most people know that you cannot perform an installation on rainy days, as the sand in the bedding needs to be perfectly dry underneath the pavers. But what about other factors like temperature. Is there a problem installing pavers during extremely cold weather conditions? The answer is no.

Installation of Pavers in the Winter

Cold is not a problem as long as the ground is not completely frozen.

The installation of pavers involves digging, and digging frozen soil is a recipe for disaster. Not only will your job be harder, the soil can be brittle, which affects the precision of your work.

Also, depending on your type of soil, digging it might be borderline impossible during winter. There are basically three types of soil: silty, sandy and clay.

Silty and sandy soils are composed of big particles with low amounts of water, so they won’t be affected as much by the cold.

Clay soils however can be greatly affected by the cold, since they have high amounts of water and are already one of the hardest soils to work with.

It really depends on how cold we are talking about. If in your region temperatures can go below 0°, then you might have a problem during the winter. Otherwise, you’re good to go, as anything above 0° won’t be enough to for freezing the ground.

Also, just as rain is a problem, snow can also be. So keep that in mind.

Paver Maintenance in Cold Weather

Install pavers in the winter is only part of the problem. What about the maintenance?

Same thing as before. If your region reaches below 0° temperatures, you might have a problem, otherwise you won’t have to worry that much.

The biggest problem in extreme weather regions are the freeze-thaw cycles. The cycles consist in the constant freezing and melting of the ground.

This causes a series of expansions and contractions in the soil and, when not properly installed, pavers can be greatly affected by it. In some cases the ground can even rupture, a process that is called frost heave.

Both the freeze-thaw cycles and the frost heave are things that cannot be prevented. So the best way to be protected against them is to perform the best installation possible, with a stable bedding that can withstand these effects.

In this case, hiring the help of a qualified hardscape professional is your best course of action. You don’t want to take any chances.

A hardscape professional can help you with the installation, making sure it won’t be affected by those aforementioned effects. They will also make sure you have proper drainage on your installation and can help you with the sealing that comes afterwards.

That is also a big factor when it comes to paver maintenance. Sealing can be a huge help against the freeze-thaw cycles, protecting the pavers against water absorption.

Hiring Professional Help

And since we mentioned professional help, here is a secret that many people don’t know about: you can actually cut costs when hiring professionals during the winter.

Since there’s a common misconception amongst people that hardscape projects should not be performed during the winter, that time of the year is a great moment to find the best deals around.

It is easier to find available contractors with very good promotional prices, so it can actually be a good idea to start your project during the winter.

Our area of activity here at Eagle Pavers are the Sarasota e Manatee counties, in Florida. So extreme cold is not really a problem here. Still, we have met many people that thought they couldn’t make paver installation during the winter and convinced them that yes, you can install pavers during the winter.

Get in contact with professionals in your area and start your project right away. If you’re not on ground froze regions, you have nothing to fear.

And if you happen to be around our area of activity, why not give us a call to help you?

You can contact us anytime at +1 941-210-4192 or email us at sales@eaglepavers.us. We would be happy to hear from you and help you with any paver need you might have.