Pavers in grass means setting a paving system into a grassy area so the surface can be walked, driven, or parked on while still looking green. This can mean reinforcement pavers that hold turf together under traffic, or it can mean the broader idea of combining hard support with living grass. Either way, the goal is a green surface that performs like pavement — which is exactly what grass pavers deliver.

NDS EZ Roll grass pavers set into a grassy surface.

What does putting pavers in grass involve?

Putting pavers in grass (or pavers for grass) usually means installing a reinforcement grid beneath the turf. The grid sits over a compacted base and is filled with soil and grass, so the visible surface is lawn — but underneath, the structure carries the loads that would otherwise compact and destroy the grass. The pavers are in the grass, doing the structural work invisibly.

How the grid carries load

The reinforcing grid is installed over a compacted, free-draining base. It carries vehicle and foot loads and transfers that weight to the base, so the fill inside the cells — soil and grass, or gravel — is protected from compaction and rutting. Water infiltrates through the surface into the base and soil below, making the system both load-bearing and permeable.

Why reinforce grass with pavers

• No bare ruts: traffic on unreinforced grass compacts the soil and leaves ruts and mud; the grid prevents that.
• Green surface that works: you keep the look of lawn while gaining the function of pavement.
• Permeable: water still soaks into the soil, so you do not create runoff.
• Healthy grass: protected soil keeps roots alive under traffic.

NDS Tufftrack rigid pavers set into grass for higher loads.

The NDS paver systems

• EZ Roll Grass Pavers: a flexible honeycomb mat in 4 by 150 and 4 by 24 foot rolls; vehicle weight transfers to the base while grass grows through the cells.
• Tufftrack Grass Pavers: rigid 2 by 2 foot interlocking pavers, 1-1/2 inch thick, for higher-load uses like fire lanes, golf cart paths, and parking.
• EZ Roll Gravel Pavers: the roll-out honeycomb filled with gravel, made from 100 percent recycled material to reduce erosion and runoff.
• EZ Marker: a clip-in delineator that snaps into the cells to mark lanes, stalls, and fire lanes.

Where pavers in grass make sense

This approach suits green driveways, overflow and event parking, fire lanes that must stay clear but green, golf cart paths, and pedestrian areas that occasionally take a vehicle. The roll system covers broad lawn areas quickly; the rigid pavers handle spots with heavier or more frequent traffic.

Setting pavers into grass

Excavate the area, build and compact a free-draining base, lay the paver grid (unroll EZ Roll and pin it, or set Tufftrack pavers), then fill the cells with soil and seed or sod. As the grass roots into the cells, the pavers disappear into the lawn while continuing to carry the load. Good base preparation is essential to long-term performance.

Installation: base prep and steps

NDS EZ Roll Grass Pavers are designed to be placed on an engineer-specified compacted base. The base is what carries the vehicle load, so base preparation is the most important part of the job. A typical sequence:

1. Excavate. Remove unsuitable soil and excavate deep enough for the aggregate base plus the paver and soil. Longview's product guidance calls for a 4 to 6 inch aggregate base directly below the pavers; without that base a "cookie cutter" effect occurs as the pavers punch into soft ground.
2. Place the base course. Use a free-draining aggregate (NDS suggests AASHTO #57 stone or a local equivalent), placed over the prepared subgrade in lifts not exceeding 6 inches.
3. Compact each lift. Compact every lift separately to a minimum of 95 percent Modified Proctor density, so the base is firm and uniform before the pavers go down.
4. Optional sandy loam layer. An engineer may add about 2 inches of sandy loam between the paver and the gravel base; if so, place a non-woven geotextile filter fabric between the sandy loam and the base to keep fines from migrating into the stone.
5. Roll out and connect the pavers. Unroll the mat over the prepared base; the top-down locking tabs snap together with no tools, and each 2 by 2 foot section has 72 honeycomb cells.
6. Stake the pavers. Anchor with the supplied stakes (each roll ships with 40 stakes, 12 inch by 3/8 inch galvanized, NDS part GPSTAKE), following the recommended staking pattern. Use edge restraints at borders to prevent creep.
7. Fill with soil and plant. Fill the cells to the top surface with sandy loam or loam soil (sand is not acceptable), leaving a minimum of 1-1/2 inches for grass pavers and soil. Seed, sod, or hydroseed, and plant within 30 days of installing the pavers.
8. Establish before traffic. Keep vehicles off until the grass is sufficiently established to handle traffic.

The rigid Tufftrack pavers follow the same base logic — a compacted, free-draining aggregate base placed in lifts and compacted, then a lightly compacted planting base, with the 2 by 2 foot units laid and interlocked over the top and filled with soil and grass. Because Tufftrack is 1-1/2 inch thick and rigid, it suits the heavier or more frequent loads where you want extra stiffness underfoot.

Load and durability specs

For context on why the base matters, the EZ Roll pavers have an unfilled compressive strength in the range of about 53,683 to 57,890 psf and are rated to support H-20 and H-25 vehicle loads, with a life expectancy around 25 years when well maintained. Each paver weighs about 2.31 pounds and is made of HDPE with UV inhibitors. Those load ratings assume a properly prepared and compacted base, which is why the base-prep steps above are not optional.

For complete installation specifications, download the official NDS EZ Roll Grass Pavers Installation Guide (PDF).

Frequently Asked Questions