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The layer of polymeric sand under the pavers plus the polymeric sand that gets swept into the joints between your pavers holds them in place in a few ways. For one, the gritty texture of the sand helps lock the pavers together. Polymeric sand also contains bonding agents that get activated by water. Polymeric sand will take between 24 and 48 hours to fully cure, so do not walk on your paver walkway before this time.

A gravel driveway can be driven on instantly. While pavers don't technically need to cure, you'll typically be told by a contractor to wait at least 24 hours before driving on any stones or bricks after they've been set. While an asphalt driveway does take up to 72 hours to cure, this is far shorter than the week required for concrete driveways.

Pea gravel can be used as a base for a paver patio, but it’s not the preferred choice. Because it is small and round, pea gravel moves much more easily than other base options, like crushed stone, so it won’t keep your pavers in place properly. 

If you do opt for pea gravel, compact it well and use an additional binding agent (like stone dust) to keep everything from shifting.

Overall, a paver driveway is considered the easiest to maintain because homeowners are able to do driveway repair one piece at a time without impacting the rest of the driveway. Unlike paved options, paver driveways contain individual stones that aren't physically connected. By comparison, you may need to reseal or redo a full asphalt driveway if just one portion sustains a significant crack.