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If you used regular jointing sand, you can typically walk on the repaired area right away. If you used polymeric sand, wait at least 24 hours before walking on it and 48 to 72 hours before driving over it, depending on the weather. Polymeric sand needs time to fully cure and lock the pavers in place.

It’s technically possible to install your own patio, but we don’t recommend it. Installing a patio is labor- and time-intensive, and getting the end product to look professional demands patience and experience. Not only can mistakes lead to unevenness in your patio and expensive repairs, but not grading the surface properly can cause issues with water management, potentially leading to leaks in your home, foundation damage, and flooding. It’s more expensive to hire a patio company, but it’s usually well worth the investment to avoid costly mistakes.

It depends on whether you’re looking at residential or commercial buildings. For residential buildings, the 2018 International Residential Code asks for a maximum riser (or rise) height of 7 3/4 inches and a minimum tread depth (or run) of 10 inches.

For fixed stairs in commercial buildings, OSHA requires a rise between 6 and 7.5 inches, with a run between 10 and 14 inches. The standards are different for spiral staircases.

In most cases, you’ll want your patio to be 4 inches thick, although you should add reinforcement and increase the thickness up to around 8 inches if you want it to support heavier loads and resist cracking more readily. Although thicker slabs will cost more, you’ll start seeing diminishing returns at around 6 inches.