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Unilock Driveway & Pavers: The Jacksonville Owner’s Guide
If your Unilock driveway or paver surface in Jacksonville is failing, we stock and install Unilock-compatible pavers, edge restraints, bedding sand, and joint compounds. A typical paver driveway installation in Jacksonville runs $7,000 to $18,000 depending on square footage, access, and how much of the existing base can be salvaged. Most owners discover a problem the same way: a paver starts rocking underfoot, a low spot holds water after rain, or the edge row starts drifting outward into the lawn.
What starts as one loose paver is usually a base failure underneath, not a bad stone. In Jacksonville’s sandy soil and summer rain cycles, the crusher-run base washes out slowly through a failed edge restraint, and then everything above it shifts. By the time you notice the paver wobbling, the real issue has been developing for months.
Which Unilock Models This Applies To
Unilock makes its pavers in standardized thicknesses and modular dimensions, which means identification is easier than most homeowners expect. The three product families we see most often on Jacksonville driveways are the Thornbury (tumbled, old-brick look with pronounced color variation), Courtstone (smooth-faced, modular, used heavily for both driveways and pool decks), and Richcliff (contemporary plank-style, 60mm and 80mm options, typically specified when architects want a modern horizontal layout).
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most people learn too late: Unilock sells a 50mm paver for foot-traffic patios and a 60mm or 80mm paver rated for vehicular loads. A 50mm Thornbury on a driveway will crack under repeated vehicle weight, full stop. If you’re replacing a failed driveway section, confirm the original paver thickness before you order anything. Flip a pulled paver over and look for the dimensional marking cast into the bottom, or measure the edge with a tape. We also keep documentation on the most common Unilock running-bond and herringbone patterns used across Jacksonville, so when we match a repair section, the coursing lines up with what’s already installed.
On OEM versus aftermarket: Unilock’s color blends are proprietary and UV-stable, and there is no true aftermarket equivalent that matches factory color batches. For structural components like edge restraints and geogrid, we do keep quality aftermarket equivalents from the same manufacturers Unilock specifies in their installation manuals. Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville is an independent service provider and is not affiliated with Unilock. Full transparency on that, because it matters when you’re comparing quotes.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Unilock Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Rocking or shifting pavers underfoot. One paver that moves means the bedding sand layer underneath has migrated or washed out. In Jacksonville, this is most common along driveway edges where gutter downspouts discharge directly onto the paver surface.
- Standing water or a persistent wet spot after rain. Pavers are permeable at the joints, but a low spot that holds a puddle for hours indicates the base underneath has settled unevenly. Correcting it means pulling the section, re-compacting, and re-laying, not just adding sand on top.
- Edge rows separating from the main field. The outside row of pavers carries the most lateral load from vehicles turning in and out. When the plastic or aluminum edge restraint lets go, the entire perimeter starts migrating outward. This is the number one repair we perform on Jacksonville driveways.
- Wide or empty joints between pavers. Joint sand does not last forever, especially under Florida sun and afternoon downpours. If you can see aggregate stone below the sand line, the joints have been washing out and the pavers are losing interlock. Re-sanding with the correct polymeric product stops it, but only if the base underneath is still intact.
- Cracked or chipped pavers, often in a vehicle turning path. A hairline crack across multiple pavers in a curved pattern almost always traces back to an insufficient base depth for the load. Unilock’s spec sheets call for a minimum base of 6 to 8 inches of compacted crusher run under driveway traffic in our soil conditions. Shortcuts on base depth show up as cracked pavers within two to three years.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full paver driveway installation in Jacksonville, plan on $7,000 to $18,000. A repair section, like replacing a failed edge row or re-compacting a settled lane, typically runs from $1,500 to $4,500 depending on how much of the existing stone and base can be salvaged. Here’s the line-item breakdown, because you should know exactly what you’re paying for:
- Excavation and base prep: $2,000 – $5,000 depending on depth and disposal
- Unilock pavers (material only): $8 – $14 per square foot depending on the series
- Bedding sand, edge restraints, and joint compound: $0.75 – $1.50 per square foot
- Installation labor and compaction: $3 – $6 per square foot
- Permit and inspection (if required by Duval County): $200 – $600
Every quote from Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville is a written, line-item price before any work starts. No numbers move at the door. The workmanship on your paver installation is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair or install fails inside that window, we return and correct it at no charge. That’s in writing, not a handshake.
DIY or Call Us?
Some checks are safe for a homeowner: confirming paver thickness with a tape measure, checking whether edge restraints are still connected, and noting which sections hold water after rain. That information helps us price the job accurately over the phone.
What’s not safe for DIY is pulling up a failed section and thinking sand is the fix. Improper compaction or the wrong base material will put you right back in the same spot inside a year, except you’ve spent a weekend doing it and the paver edges are now chipped from prying. We’ve been called out to more than a few Jacksonville driveways where a well-intentioned homeowner re-sanded a surface over a dead base and made the diagnosis harder, not easier. If you’re seeing movement, water collection, or edge separation, call us at (904) 337-5929 for a free estimate. Curtis Lane runs a scope-first crew. Scope it right the first time. The job goes a lot smoother when nobody’s surprised.
FAQs
A properly installed Unilock paver driveway with an 8-inch compacted base and locked edges will last 25 to 30 years in Jacksonville before the surface needs resurfacing. The pavers themselves are rated for the UV and water conditions we get here, but the base and edge restraints underneath have a lifespan of roughly 15 to 20 years before they typically need attention. Call (904) 337-5929 if your installation is under ten years old and already showing movement, because that points to a base failure, not paver wear.
Yes, individual sections can be pulled, the base re-compacted, and the original Unilock pavers re-laid if the stone itself is not cracked. The deciding factor is whether the original base depth and material were done to spec, not just how the surface looks. We’ll tell you straight what can be saved and what needs to go, and the estimate is free.
A typical edge-row repair or settled-section correction takes one to two working days. A full driveway tear-out and reinstallation in Jacksonville runs five to nine days, depending on access, weather, and whether the base material needs full replacement. You’ll have a written timeline in the quote, not a vague promise.
We keep a working inventory of the most common Unilock series we install in Jacksonville, including Thornbury, Courtstone, and Richcliff in standard color blends, along with edge restraints, polymeric joint sand, and base materials on our trucks. For less common colors or special-order series, we source directly from Unilock’s regional distributor. Call (904) 337-5929 and have your paver thickness and original pattern ready. We’ll match it before we quote it.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville at Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville, serving Jacksonville and nearby areas.
