Why Interlock Driveways Sink in Dubai, and What Proper Sub-Base Preparation Involves

A paved driveway looks like a surface job. The blocks are what you see, but the blocks are only the top layer of a system. Most driveways that sink, rock or open up at the joints failed underneath, in layers nobody sees once the job is finished.

Why interlock paving fails

•     Poor compaction of the sub-base, so the ground keeps settling under traffic.

•     Sub-base material or thickness that does not match the loads it carries, such as parked SUVs, delivery vans or refuse trucks.

•     No edge restraint, so blocks creep outward and joints open.

•     Water with nowhere to go, which softens the base and washes out the bedding sand.

•     Service trenches backfilled loosely, leaving a sunken line across the surface.

What proper preparation involves

•     Excavate to the correct depth and remove soft or contaminated soil.

•     Compact the formation level before anything is placed on it.

•     Lay and compact the sub-base in layers, checking levels and falls as you go.

•     Screed a consistent bedding layer. Bedding sand is not there to correct levels.

•     Lay the blocks in the chosen pattern with tight joints, with kerbs or edge restraints installed.

•     Compact the surface and brush jointing sand into the joints, then compact again.

Drainage is part of the paving

Falls must direct water to gullies or soakaways away from the building. Paving that drains toward a wall or garage door is a future damp problem, which is why external paving and waterproofing are best planned together.

Repair or relay

Isolated sinking can often be lifted and re-bedded. Widespread settlement, or movement along a trench line, usually means the sub-base needs rebuilding. Re-bedding on top of a failed base only buys time.

Heavy use areas

Car parks, loading areas and compound roads carry far more load than a villa driveway and need to be designed for it. Tell your contractor the real loads before they quote, not after.

If your paving is sinking or opening at the joints, book a free site survey and we will tell you whether it needs re-bedding or a rebuild. Details of our work are on the interlock laying and hardscaping page.