EC Paver Solutions assessing a failed paver installation in Longboat Key, Florida

Sarasota County

Paver Repair & Pool Deck Resurfacing in Longboat Key

Hire inexperience once and you pay for the job twice. We fix the cause, not the symptom.

Why paver failures in Longboat Key look the way they do

Longboat Key sits on barrier-island and coastal sand with a high water table. Salt air and tidal groundwater attack an under-built base from below. On the keys, a deck installed without a separation layer loses its fines within a couple of wet seasons and starts to settle at the perimeter first.

A base built for these conditions costs more on day one and holds for decades. A base built to win a bid holds until the second wet season — which is why the repair call almost always comes from the homeowner who took the lower number.

We repair paver installations throughout Longboat Key:

Bay Isles
Longbeach Village
Country Club Shores
Sleepy Lagoon

The cheapest quote is the one you pay for twice

Most paver failures are installation failures

Pavers do not sink because the material was wrong. They sink because the base under them was never built to hold. What you see on the surface — the dip, the lipped edge, the puddle that never drains — is the last step of a problem that started the week the crew skipped a compaction pass.

That is why the low bid is expensive. It is not cheaper work; it is the same work with the invisible half left out. The savings last until the second wet season.

What makes it worse in Longboat Key: Salt air and tidal groundwater attack an under-built base from below. On the keys, a deck installed without a separation layer loses its fines within a couple of wet seasons and starts to settle at the perimeter first.

(941) 250-4635

Free Repair Assessment in Longboat Key

We diagnose the base before quoting. You get a straight answer on whether this is a localized repair or a whole-field problem.

What We See

The two failures we see most in Longboat Key

These are the modes that this soil and water table produce first. Each traces back to a specific shortcut.

Pavers that sink, dip or form puddles after rain

What actually happened: The base was never compacted to the right density, or it was built on unscreened fill. Every rain cycle washes fines out of the sub-base and the surface drops into the void left behind.
What a correct install does: A base compacted in lifts to 95% Proctor over a geotextile separation layer, so the sub-grade and base never mix.
How it gets fixed properly: Lift the field, rebuild and re-compact the base in lifts, correct the sub-grade slope, then relay. Re-sanding the joints alone hides the dip for one season and it comes back.

Joints that wash out, sprout weeds or stain dark

What actually happened: Wrong jointing material, or polymeric sand installed on a wet surface so it never cured. Once joints open, the field loses interlock and units begin to shift independently.
What a correct install does: Correct joint width for the unit, the right jointing product for the application, and installation within its moisture and temperature window.
How it gets fixed properly: Full joint removal and re-fill with the correct product. Topping up over failed sand traps moisture underneath and accelerates the failure.

See all six paver failure modes and how each is corrected →

Our Process

Diagnosis first, quote second

1
We open the field
A surface inspection cannot tell you why a paver sank. We lift units in the affected area and look at the base.
2
We test the base
Depth, material, compaction and drainage path. This is what separates a localized repair from a full rebuild.
3
You get the real scope
If it is one area, we say so. If the whole field was under-built, we say that too — before you spend anything.
4
We rebuild it right
Base compacted in lifts, slope corrected, drainage where it is needed, then relay to Hardscape.com certified spec.

EC Paver Solutions crew sealing a travertine pool deck at a waterfront home

Pool deck resurfacing in Longboat Key

Resurfacing an existing deck is often the right call — porcelain or travertine over a sound concrete slab costs far less than a full tear-out and gives you a surface that is cooler underfoot and rated for wet traffic.

The condition is the word sound. We verify the slab drains, has no active movement, and is structurally intact first. Laying a premium surface over a failing substrate transfers the failure straight through to the new deck, and then you have paid twice for the same problem.

Slab assessed before anything is quoted
Drainage corrected as part of the scope, not as an extra
R11 slip-rated surfaces for wet pool areas
Hardscape.com certified installation standard

Our Work

This is what it looks like when the base is right

Real projects, photographed on site. No stock imagery.

Porcelain paver pool deck on a canal-front property in Florida

Large-format porcelain paver deck inside a screened pool enclosure

Porcelain paver pool deck facing open water at a waterfront home

Travertine pool deck with circular fire pit beside a private boat dock

Travertine pool deck with stacked stone column and raised spa overlooking palms

Travertine pool deck with stone accent wall and waterfront palm landscaping

Paver patio with outdoor dining set at a Mediterranean-style Florida home

Lakefront paver patio with lounge seating framed by palm trees

Questions

Paver repair questions, answered

Can sinking pavers be repaired, or do they need to be replaced?+

In most cases the units themselves are fine — the base under them failed. We lift the affected field, rebuild and re-compact the base, correct the slope, and relay the original pavers. Replacement is only necessary where units cracked from flexing over a void.

Why did my pavers start sinking only a year or two after installation?+

That timing usually points to compaction. A base compacted in one pass instead of in lifts looks solid at handover and then finds its real density under load and rain. The surface follows it down.

Is it cheaper to repair pavers or to have them reinstalled correctly?+

A localized repair costs less up front. But if the original base was under-built across the whole field, repairing one area only moves the problem. We assess the base first and tell you which case you are in before quoting — that answer changes the cost by a wide margin.

Do you resurface existing pool decks in Longboat Key?+

Yes, when the substrate supports it. Porcelain over an existing concrete deck is a common solution, but only after we verify the slab is sound, drains correctly, and has no active movement. Installing over a failing substrate transfers the failure straight to the new surface.

Will a repair match my existing pavers?+

When the original material is still produced, yes. When it is discontinued, an honest match is often impossible and we will say so — blending a visibly different unit into the middle of a field usually looks worse than a planned transition or a full-area solution.

What causes uneven pavers and trip hazards?+

Inconsistent screed depth during installation, or settlement afterwards. Lippage above about 1/8 inch is a trip hazard and it does not resolve on its own. The fix is resetting to a corrected bed, not grinding the high edge, which weakens the unit.

Do it right this time

Hardscape.com Certified Porcelain Paver Installer. We will tell you what actually failed and what it takes to fix it — including when the honest answer is that a repair will not hold.

Get Your Free Assessment (941) 250-4635

Nearby

Paver repair in other areas we serve

All paver repair services →

Google Reviews

What Longboat Key homeowners say

5.0Rated 5.0 out of 5· 22 Google reviews

Anthony
2 weeks ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Highly recommend! EC Paver was able to get me scheduled quickly at a fair price. They did a great job on my pavers and offered to return if we had any issues.
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Eva Pokorny
a year ago
Rated 5 out of 5
I just have installed the "Da Vinci" Italian Porcelain tiles by EC Paver Solutions in my driveway, and I could not be happier with the results. Diego and his team did fantastic job. They finished the project on time we agreed on and they clean after the work was done. Great job done!
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Mike Crosby
3 months ago
Rated 5 out of 5
We found EC Paver Solutions via our porcelain paver manufacturer and hired them to do a repair of our porcelain paver driveway that was installed in July of 2024. It was installed by a crew that I was told were trained in installing this product. They were not. For the better part of 2 years we struggled with several other supposed paver sub-contractors who could never get it right. Today we’ve finally got the driveway we wanted. Thank you Diogo and crew for your expertise, attention to detail and for listening to us. If you’re in need of a unique paver solution aside from the brick pavers almost everyone uses, call Diogo. You will be glad you did!
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Marcio DaCosta
3 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Highly recommend EC Pavers. Diogo is great to work with and his crew is fast and very detailed. They completed a large project around our pool using 3cm ceramic pavers and mosaic tiles wrapping the spa and waterline of the pool. A few months later, they came back to do the driveway also in the same ceramic pavers. The work was done promptly and everything was handled in a professional and efficient manner. Diogo has come back a few times to take care of minor items and is always available to address any concerns. I’m very happy with the work and highly recommend them to anyone.
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Mark Bogart
a year ago
Rated 5 out of 5
EC Pavers has done an exceptional job in all facets of our exterior hardscape. Diogo has a talented, hard-working and conscientiousness team who always delivers a beautiful finished product. We have used EC Pavers multiple times as we have expanded the scope of the hardscape and we always get high praise for the paver walkways, pool, and patio areas. We highly recommend EC Pavers!!
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