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A paver walkway that’s settling, sprouting weeds, or just looking dated doesn’t always need to be torn out and started from scratch. In a lot of cases, the pavers themselves are still in good shape, and the actual problem is what’s underneath, a base that was never built deep enough, or one that’s shifted after years of freeze and thaw cycles. Figuring out which situation you’re actually dealing with is the first real decision in any redo project, since it determines whether you’re looking at a base repair using your existing pavers or a full replacement from the ground up.
At Ridgewell Landscape and Design, we assess walkways that need redoing across the Denver area, including Broomfield, Parker, and the surrounding communities, on a regular basis, and the diagnosis stage matters just as much as the actual construction work that follows. This guide covers how to figure out what’s actually wrong with your walkway, how to decide between reusing existing pavers and full replacement, and how to keep costs reasonable throughout the process.
Dips, low spots, or pavers that rock slightly underfoot are almost always a base problem rather than a paver problem. This typically points to inadequate base depth or compaction from the original installation, or in some cases seasonal ground movement that’s gradually shifted things out of position over several years.
Persistent weed growth in the joints usually means the original joint sand, if it was polymeric sand at all, has broken down or washed out over time, leaving open space for weed seeds to establish. This is a more surface-level issue than settling and often has a more straightforward fix.
Water pooling on the walkway surface after rain points to a drainage slope problem, either the walkway was never built with proper pitch, or grading around it has changed over time, redirecting more water toward the walkway than it was originally designed to handle.
A handful of cracked or chipped pavers scattered across an otherwise stable walkway is often a much smaller problem than widespread settling, frequently solvable by replacing just the damaged units rather than addressing anything structural underneath.
Sometimes a walkway is structurally sound, no settling, no drainage issues, no significant paver damage, but the color, pattern, or paver style just doesn’t match updated landscaping or personal taste anymore. This is a purely aesthetic redo rather than a functional repair, which changes the calculus significantly.
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Typical Fix |
| Settling or dips | Inadequate base depth or compaction | Lift pavers, rebuild base, reset pavers |
| Weeds in joints | Degraded or washed-out joint sand | Re-sand with polymeric sand |
| Standing water | Improper drainage slope | Regrade base, may require lifting pavers |
| A few cracked pavers | Localized damage, not base-related | Replace individual pavers |
| Outdated look only | No structural issue | Full replacement with new material, base often reusable |
If your existing pavers are in good physical condition, no significant cracking, chipping, or wear, and your primary issue is settling, drainage, or joint sand degradation, reusing the existing pavers over a properly rebuilt base is often the more cost-effective path. This approach keeps material costs low while addressing the actual root cause of the problem.
If the walkway’s problems stem primarily from wanting a different look, if the existing pavers show significant wear or damage across a large portion of the walkway, or if the paver product is no longer available and damaged pieces can’t be matched, full replacement often makes more sense than trying to preserve and reuse material that won’t give you the result you’re after anyway.
In some cases, particularly with localized damage, a partial replacement approach, keeping the majority of existing pavers while replacing only damaged sections, offers a reasonable middle ground. This works best when you can source matching replacement pavers, either from a saved surplus from the original installation or a close match from the manufacturer if the product is still available.
Starting from one edge, lift pavers carefully and set them aside in the order and orientation they came out, which makes reinstallation more straightforward, particularly for patterned layouts like herringbone.
Once pavers are removed, assess what’s actually underneath. This tells you definitively whether the problem was inadequate base depth, poor compaction, or a drainage issue, information that’s harder to determine accurately while pavers are still in place.
If the existing base was too shallow, which is a common finding on older or poorly built walkways, excavate deeper to reach proper base depth, generally 4 to 6 inches depending on your soil type. Our guide on how thick paver base should be covers the depth standards worth targeting during this rebuild.
Add crushed gravel in 2 inch layers, compacting thoroughly with a plate compactor after each layer, correcting whatever base deficiency caused the original problem.
If standing water was part of the original issue, use this rebuild as the opportunity to correct drainage slope, generally targeting 1 to 2 percent pitch directing water away from any nearby structures.
Roll fresh landscape fabric over the new base, then add and screed about 1 inch of coarse sand for a level surface.
Lay your saved pavers back into position, following their original pattern and orientation, checking level frequently as you go.
Even when reusing pavers, it’s worth replacing edge restraints entirely, since the original restraints have likely degraded or loosened over the years and are inexpensive relative to the rest of the project.
Sweep in new polymeric sand, even if the pavers themselves are being reused, since old, degraded joint sand is often part of what caused weed growth or joint instability in the first place.
Remove both the old pavers and the base material underneath, since a full replacement generally means starting the base fresh rather than building on top of whatever compaction quality the original installation achieved.
From this point, a full replacement follows the same process as an entirely new walkway, excavation, base, sand, laying pavers in your new chosen material and pattern, and jointing. Our general guide on how to build a paver walkway covers this complete process in detail.
Since you’re rebuilding from scratch anyway, this is a natural point to reconsider paver material, pattern, or even walkway width if your needs or preferences have changed since the original installation.
If your pavers are in good condition, reusing them rather than buying new material is the single biggest cost saver available on a redo project, since material typically represents a significant portion of total project cost.
It’s tempting to do a quick, surface-level fix, adding more joint sand without addressing an underlying base problem, for example, but this often just delays a more expensive repair down the line. Spending the money to properly diagnose and fix the actual cause the first time avoids paying for the same problem twice.
If damage or wear is genuinely localized to a specific section of the walkway, a partial redo addressing just that area, rather than the full length, can meaningfully reduce project cost while still solving the actual problem.
Similar to new construction, scheduling a redo project during a contractor’s slower season, often late fall through winter in the Denver area, sometimes offers more scheduling flexibility and occasionally better pricing than during peak spring and summer demand.
A straightforward joint sand refresh or replacing a handful of individually cracked pavers is a reasonable DIY task. Once the project involves lifting a significant portion of the walkway, rebuilding base, or correcting drainage slope, professional experience becomes more valuable, both for accurately diagnosing the actual root cause and for executing the rebuild in a way that actually resolves it rather than just delaying the same problem.
With over 15 years of diagnosing and redoing paver walkways across a wide range of failure causes in the Denver area, our team at Ridgewell Landscape and Design can help determine whether your walkway needs a base repair, a full rebuild, or something in between. Explore our paver patio services to see examples of both redo and new-build projects.
Yes, if they’re in good physical condition and the underlying problem is base-related rather than paver damage, reusing existing pavers over a properly rebuilt base is often the more cost-effective approach.
Widespread settling, significant paver damage, or wanting a completely different look point toward full replacement. Localized issues like a few cracked pavers, degraded joint sand, or a base problem affecting a stable set of pavers usually point toward a targeted repair instead.
This often means the joint sand used previously was standard sand rather than polymeric sand, or that the underlying base has settled enough to open gaps that plain resanding won’t permanently fix.
Often yes, particularly when existing pavers can be reused, since material costs make up a significant portion of overall project expense.
This is typically due to either an inadequate original drainage slope or changes in surrounding grading that have redirected more water toward the walkway than it was originally built to handle.
Yes, it’s generally worth replacing edge restraints during any redo project, since they’re relatively inexpensive and often degraded from years of exposure, even when the pavers themselves are still in good shape.
Whether your walkway needs a targeted base repair or a full rebuild, correctly diagnosing the actual problem first saves you from paying to fix the same issue twice.
Ridgewell Landscape and Design has been diagnosing and redoing paver walkways across Denver, Broomfield, Parker, and the surrounding communities for over 15 years. If your walkway needs attention, reach out for a free quote and consultation.
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