The Paving Blog

A plate compactor is a vibratory machine whose heavy build and rapid shaking serve to compact soils and materials beneath where it runs. I can think of zero paver and paving contractors who do not own one, it is literally that necessary. For heavier projects requiring thickness of base material over 6-8″, these relatively little units might not be called for. Larger projects require the services of the “big brothers” of compaction equipment: rollers, jumping jacks and the like. But plate compactors are excellent for 6 inch and under compactions such as your typical driveway or patio.

Indeed, compacting the material underneath smaller areas like patios and sidewalks literally insures perfection for a much longer period of time. Taking out soils subject to heaving and sinking like clays or those containing a lot of organic material and replacing that with a compactable inorganic gravel mix is the height of wisdom. As proven over time, the “base materials” form the bottom of all hard surfaces we know of, from houses to roads and are considered necessary and professional to the max. Compacted, then covered with whatever surface, the surface applied to this compacted base stands the best chance of enduring even decades of usage.

Plate compactors are just the thing for all this. On our paver installations, we use it as well to compact the finished brick-laying, operating over a skim of sand and shaking the sand into the grout cracks between the pavers. As well, it embeds the pavers into the base and further compacts things to a finished gradient. A perfect machine, frankly.