Fix a Wobbly Paver With a Handful of Sand

A paver that rocks underfoot and clicks every time you step on it isn't a failed patio. It's a low spot in the sand bed, and it's a quick fix.

How to do it

1. Pry the paver up with two flat screwdrivers worked in from opposite sides.
2. Scrape the old sand bed level, then spread fresh coarse sand (paver base sand, not play sand) and screed it flat slightly high.
3. Set the paver back, wiggle it down to level with its neighbors, and check with a straight board across the tops.
4. Sweep fine jointing sand into the cracks around it and mist lightly with water.

Tap it level with a rubber mallet, never a hammer. If half the patio rocks, the base has washed out — usually a drainage problem to solve first.