How to Choose a Paver Contractor in New Jersey

New Jersey has no shortage of contractors willing to seal, repair, or install pavers — but the quality gap between an experienced specialist and a general landscaper picking up side work is enormous. A bad paver job can mean peeling sealer after one season, sinking slabs after the first hard rain, or a driveway that looks worse than when you started. Here's what to look for when hiring.

First, check licensing and insurance. In New Jersey, home improvement contractors are required to be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs. Ask for the contractor's HIC (Home Improvement Contractor) registration number and verify it at the state's website. Beyond registration, make sure they carry general liability insurance and workers' compensation. Get a certificate — not just a verbal confirmation. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor is uninsured, you can be exposed to liability.

Look for specialization. A contractor who focuses on paver work will almost always do better than a general landscaper who does "a little of everything." Paver installation and restoration require knowledge of base preparation, proper sand depth, joint sand types, drainage grading, and sealer chemistry. Ask how long they've been working specifically with pavers and request examples of similar projects.

Ask about the prep process, not just the end result. Good contractors talk about the work before the cosmetic finish. For sealing, they should describe cleaning, efflorescence treatment, and joint sand replacement if needed — before any sealer goes down. For installation, they should explain the base depth, compaction process, and edge restraint. If a contractor jumps straight to "and then we apply the sealer" without mentioning prep, that's a yellow flag.

Get at least two or three written quotes and be skeptical of extreme outliers. The lowest bid often signals skipped steps — thinner base, no polymeric sand, diluted or lower-quality sealer. The highest bid isn't automatically better quality. A detailed written scope of work protects you: it should specify the sealer brand and product, the base depth for installations, and what prep steps are included.

Finally, check reviews and ask for local references. Online reviews are useful, but a contractor who can give you the name and neighborhood of a recent job similar to yours — and who you can actually call — is showing real confidence in their work. Local reputation matters in a way that out-of-state or transient crews can't match. At NJ Paver Restorations, we've built our business on referrals from homeowners across central and northern New Jersey, and we're happy to connect you with past customers.