Top 5 Mistakes Homeowners & Unqualified Landscapers Make with Paving Stones in Saskatoon

Paving stones are one of the best ways to upgrade a driveway, patio, or walkway — but only if they’re installed properly. In Saskatoon’s freeze-thaw climate, even small mistakes can lead to uneven stones, poor drainage, and costly repairs.

At M TEK Home Solutions, we’ve seen too many projects fail because of shortcuts or unqualified installers. Here are the top 5 paving stone mistakes we see all the time — and how you can avoid them.

1. Skipping Proper Base Preparation

A paving stone surface is only as good as the foundation under it. Too often, stones get laid on soil, sand, or bases that are way too thin. The result? Settling, washouts, and heaving within just a few seasons.

Proper depths matter:

• Patios & Walkways: 6–8 inches of compacted base minimum

• Driveways: 12–18 inches of compacted base minimum

The material matters too. Many unqualified landscapers still use bedding sand or crusher dust with fines. In Saskatoon’s climate, this traps water and leads to frost heave.

✅ The Right Way: Excavate deep enough, install open-base clean crushed rock with crusher chips (no fines) as the bedding, and compact in lifts. This system allows drainage, prevents settling, and creates a foundation that lasts decades.

2. Poor Drainage Planning

Water is the #1 enemy of paving stone projects. Without proper drainage, water pools, freezes, and pushes stones out of place. We’ve seen patios with no slope and driveways with nowhere for water to escape.

✅ The Right Way: Always grade surfaces slightly away from the house. Our rule of thumb is to slope the surface 1/8 inch per foot so water flows naturally.

But what if the ground is too flat?That’s where modern solutions come in:

• Permeable Paver Systems → Water flows through the joints into a clean crushed-stone base, then distributes underground.

• Crate Drains & Drain Tile → Installed to catch and redirect water into underground drain tile, preventing flooding and protecting your surface.

These solutions are ideal for Saskatoon yards that are flat or have drainage challenges.

3. Laying Pavers Over Concrete

It might look like a shortcut, but laying paving stones directly over concrete is a mistake. Without a flexible base, Saskatoon’s freeze-thaw cycle causes cracking and shifting.

✅ The Right Way: Remove the old concrete and rebuild the base properly. At M TEK, we use open-base clean crushed rock with crusher chips (no fines) as the bedding layer — never sand. This ensures proper drainage, flexibility, and long-term durability.

4. No Proper Edge Restraints

Without edging, paving stones slowly spread apart and lose their crisp lines. This is one of the most common failures we’re called to fix.

Plastic or metal edging with spikes can work when installed properly, but it isn’t always the best choice in Saskatoon’s climate. Poured concrete curbs often fail because they crack and can’t move with freeze-thaw cycles.

✅ The Right Way: At M TEK, we recommend concrete edging that’s designed to expand and contract. This locks pavers in place, keeps lines sharp, and holds up for decades.

5. Ignoring Joint Sand & Sealing

The final steps matter. Skipping polymeric sand or sealing allows weeds to grow, ants to move in, and stones to shift.

✅ The Right Way: Sweep polymeric sand into the joints and, when needed, seal the surface. This keeps everything locked together, protects against the elements, and helps your project look brand new for years.

Final Thoughts

The biggest problem isn’t the pavers — it’s the installation by unqualified landscapers or rushed DIY work. Done wrong, paving stones fail fast. Done right, they last for decades and add serious value to your home.

That’s why more Saskatoon homeowners trust M TEK Home Solutions. With 15+ years of masonry and landscaping experience, we know how to build patios, walkways, and driveways that stand the test of time.

👉 Book your free estimate today — and protect your investment from costly mistakes.