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Wellborn Driveway & Pavers: The Sacramento Owner’s Guide
Wellborn driveway and paver parts are not a catalog item you can grab off a shelf at a big-box store. What we stock and install in Sacramento are the paver units, edge restraints, base materials, and joint compounds that match Wellborn’s paver specifications so a repair or replacement ties into the existing driveway without a visible patch line. Installed paver repair in Sacramento typically runs $700 – $4,500 depending on how many units failed and whether the base is still sound. A full paver driveway replacement runs $7,000 – $18,000. Most owners discover the problem the same way: a paver sinks after a winter of wet clay soil, or an edge course starts drifting into the lawn after a few seasons of Sacramento heat breaking down the plastic edging.
We’re an independent Sacramento contractor, not affiliated with Wellborn. We work with their paver specs and Belgard-compatible units because the dimensions have to match, and we’ll tell you straight when a paver can be pulled and reset versus when the base underneath has to come out too. Curtis Lane built Bradford Remodeling around one idea: give the client a scope they can read, a price that holds, and a finished product that passes inspection without a callback.
Which Wellborn Models This Applies To
Wellborn’s paver line splits into two families: the Wellborn Plank series (rectangular units, typically 6″ x 9″ or 6″ x 13″, with a chamfered top edge) and the Wellborn Square/Cobble series (8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ units, often mixed in a 3-piece pattern). If you have the original paperwork, look for a packing slip or invoice that names the series and color lot. If you don’t, measure the paver itself: plank lengths vary by an inch and a half between series, and swapping the wrong length creates joint stagger that jumps out at you every time you back out of the garage.
The compatibility gotcha in Sacramento is color lot drift. Wellborn units run in dye lots, and a paver bought new today will not match a paver installed five years ago. UV exposure and foot traffic fade the surface unevenly. When we repair a section, we pull replacement units from an unexposed corner – a paver that lived under a planter or behind the trash bins – and backfill that hidden spot with the new units. It’s slower, and it’s the only way to keep a repair invisible.
For OEM versus aftermarket: Wellborn stopped manufacturing pavers in several line extensions, which means the exact OEM unit may simply not exist anymore. In those cases we source Belgard and Unilock equivalents with matching face dimensions and a compatible joint width. You should know the difference, because a “close enough” paver with a different thickness will sit proud or low against the existing field, and every trip over it reminds you the repair was cheap instead of right.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Wellborn Driveway & Pavers Is Failing
- Low spots that hold water after a rain. Sacramento’s clay soil expands and contracts through wet-dry cycles. When the compacted base under a paver section settles unevenly, water ponds in the low area. That standing water works its way into the joints and softens the base further. Left alone, the low spot widens every winter.
- Edges drifting outward into the lawn or flower beds. The plastic edge restraint that holds the outside course in place breaks down in Sacramento heat. Once the restraint loses its grip, the edge pavers walk outward a quarter inch at a time. You’ll see a widening gap between the driveway and the curb or planter bed.
- Sunken pavers near the garage apron or driveway entrance. The first few feet of driveway take the most load: cars turning, delivery trucks, the garbage bin. If the base was never compacted to the right density – or if water has washed the fines out of the aggregate – the pavers sink exactly where the tires cross most often.
- Joint sand washing out after every rain. Polymeric sand hardens after installation and locks the joints. When it fails – usually because the wrong product was used for Sacramento’s wet-winter/dry-summer cycle – the joints soften, then wash. Weeds take hold, and the pavers start shifting against each other.
- Hairline cracks running across multiple pavers in a straight line. That line usually tracks a weak point in the base, not the paver itself: a utility trench that wasn’t backfilled and compacted properly, or a tree root that’s now thick enough to press up from below. The pavers fail because the ground under them is moving.
See the difference
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After
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
Here’s what we quote in Sacramento, in writing, before any work starts:
- Single paver reset or replacement (1 – 4 units): $150 – $400
- Localized repair, up to 50 square feet (pull, re-grade base, reset, new joint sand): $700 – $2,500
- Edge restraint replacement on one side of the driveway: $350 – $900
- Full paver driveway replacement: $7,000 – $18,000
The range comes down to three things: how many square feet are involved, whether the existing base material can be re-compacted or has to be excavated and replaced, and whether your existing pavers can be reused or have spalled too badly to reset. Every quote includes the pavers or matching equivalents, base stone, joint sand, edge restraint, haul-away of debris, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the repair fails inside the warranty window, we come back and correct it at no charge. The price we write down is the price you pay – no change orders, no numbers that move at the door.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things yourself. Look at whether the paver wobbles under foot or sits low relative to its neighbors. Pull the joint sand out of a single joint with a flathead screwdriver and check whether the sand is dry powder or still bonded. Note where water sits after the next rain, and whether the edge restraint is still pinned. That information helps us quote accurately over the phone.
Where DIY goes wrong is the base. Prying out a sunken paver, tossing a shovel of sand under it, and tapping it back down feels like a fix and lasts about six weeks. Pavers sit on a compacted aggregate base that distributes the load of a 4,000-pound vehicle across a wide area. If that base has washed out or settled, the problem is beneath the paver, not in it. Digging into it without the right compaction equipment and moisture control creates a bigger repair than you started with. Call (279) 226-1509 for a free estimate and we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s a one-hour reset or a base job.
FAQs
Properly installed, expect 25 to 40 years from the paver units themselves. The weak points are the edge restraints and joint sand, which typically need attention every 8 to 15 years in Sacramento’s heat-and-rain cycle. The pavers rarely fail first. Call (279) 226-1509 if you’re seeing edge drift or washed joints – we’ll tell you what’s worth fixing now.
Yes, in most cases. Sunken pavers with an intact base can be pulled, the base re-graded and re-compacted, and the units reset with new joint sand. If the base itself has failed – usually from water erosion or improper original compaction – excavation and rebuild are required. The fix often costs substantially less than a full replacement. Call us at (279) 226-1509 for a written assessment.
Single-paver resets run 1 to 2 hours from start to clean site. Localized repairs up to 50 square feet typically take a half-day to a full day, including base work and new joint sand. Full driveway replacements in Sacramento run 5 to 10 working days depending on square footage, access, and whether the old base has to be hauled out. We’ll put the timeline in the written scope before you sign anything.
We stock common Belgard and Unilock units that match Wellborn’s plank and square dimensions, and we source original-lot Wellborn units for repair work where they still exist. We also work with the other cabinet and surface brands we install – KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone – alongside our hardscape work, but driveway and paver repair runs on the matching hardscape units. Tell us the measurements and color of your existing pavers, and we’ll let you know what’s available before you spend anything.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co Sacramento at Bradford Remodeling Co Sacramento, serving Sacramento and nearby areas.
