Unpopular opinion: those cheap concrete pavers from big box stores are a scam

I was at Lowes last weekend pricing out a 200 square foot patio and realized the cheap $1.50 pavers are actually thinner than what they were 5 years ago. Quick Google search showed me they changed the specs from 2.5 inches to 2 inches without changing the price. Has anyone else noticed their old pavers cracking way faster than they used to?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarah_hart25d ago

You must be installing them wrong then because I've got a 6 year old patio made from those same pavers and zero cracks. Maybe your base preparation is the real issue here.

wells.karen24d ago

My buddy Mike put in a 150 square foot patio from the same big box store pavers two years ago. Last spring he noticed a few of them had hairline cracks running through the middle, not even from heavy use just from normal walking and rain. He pulled one up to check and it literally snapped in half like a graham cracker. The base was fine, he dug it all out again to double check, same crushed stone and sand everyone uses. He ended up replacing the whole thing with the thicker ones from a masonry supply place and hasn't had a problem since.