Schluter Driveway & Pavers Nationwide

Schluter Driveway & Pavers: The Redwood City Owner’s Guide

Schluter driveway and paver systems in Redwood City typically run $7,000-$18,000 installed for paver driveway work, and we stock Schluter-compatible edge profiles, drainage assemblies, and membrane components for same-day replacement when failure strikes. Most Redwood City owners discover a problem when water starts pooling against the garage slab in the Stambaugh-Heller neighborhood’s clay-heavy soil, or when the aluminum or brass edge trim lifts from freeze-thaw cycles that hit harder than people expect on the Peninsula.

Call (650) 560-7228

Which Schluter Models This Applies To

Schluter’s driveway and hardscape line centers on the SCHIENE, RONDEC, and DILEX series for edge protection and expansion joints, plus the KERDI-DRAIN family for permeable paver drainage. The SCHIENE comes in aluminum, brass, and stainless steel; RONDEC is the rounded-edge profile you see on exposed paver borders; DILEX handles the movement joints that separate concrete slabs from paver fields.

To identify your part, look for the stamped profile number on the visible leg of the edge trim, or check the original spec sheet for the membrane type - KERDI, DITRA, or the lesser-used TROBA for drainage screeds. The gotcha in Redwood City’s older craftsman renovations: Schluter changed the SCHIENE leg height from 3/8″ to 1/2″ in 2019, and mismatched replacement stock leaves a visible lip that catches shovels and splits the profile. We carry both leg heights on the truck because we’ve learned to measure before we quote.

OEM Schluter parts are what we default to - the anodized finish on aluminum profiles is consistent batch to batch, and the brass weathers to a predictable patina. Aftermarket equivalents exist for common profiles, but we’ve seen the aluminum alloy vary enough that the color match fails within two seasons. For drainage assemblies, we don’t substitute; the KERDI-DRAIN flange geometry is proprietary and a near-match leaks.

Signs Your Schluter Driveway & Pavers Is Failing

• Edge trim lifting or “popping” above the paver surface. The anchoring leg has corroded or the bedding mortar has eroded, usually from deicer salts tracked from the street or from irrigation overspray against the profile. In Redwood City’s mild winters, this is more often a drainage issue than freeze damage.
• Water pooling against the garage foundation or walkway edge. The KERDI-DRAIN grate is clogged with fine sediment from Edgewood Park’s decomposed granite soil, or the membrane bond has failed at the clamping ring. The substrate stays wet, the bedding course migrates, and the pavers settle unevenly.
• Cracking or spalling at the expansion joint. The DILEX profile has compressed past its working range, usually because the joint was undersized for the slab’s thermal movement. Redwood City’s diurnal temperature swing in summer - 30°F some days - exceeds what many original installers planned for.
• White efflorescence blooming on paver faces near the edge. Water is migrating through a failed membrane detail and carrying calcium hydroxide to the surface. The Schluter membrane itself may be intact, but the seam tape or collar has degraded at a penetration.
• Grate rattling or visible gap around the drain frame. The KERDI-DRAIN bonding flange has delaminated from the waterproofing layer, or the adjustable top assembly has unscrewed from vibration. This is the failure that turns a paver patio into a sub-slab rot problem.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range depends on three things: how much paver we lift to access the detail, whether the substrate is sound or needs re-compaction, and whether the original installer left us a membrane overlap to tie into. Under Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, you get the written price before we touch a paver. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the workmanship; OEM Schluter parts carry their own material warranty. No change to the scope happens without a signed change order, which is how we’ve kept projects within a few percent of the agreed number since 2007.

DIY or Call Us?

What you can safely check: lift the drain grate and look for sediment buildup, or run a hose at the edge profile and watch where water goes. Document what you find - photos, measurements of any lifted trim.

Where DIY goes wrong: cutting Schluter profiles to length requires a miter saw with a non-ferrous blade; hand snips deform the leg and it won’t seat. Membrane work demands a substrate that reads dry on a moisture meter, and the fleece-to-fleece overlap needs the manufacturer’s mortar consistency - too wet, it slides; too dry, it doesn’t bond. We’ve been called to Redwood City jobs where the homeowner’s repair held six weeks, then the whole detail failed because the seam wasn’t rolled with the proper pressure.

We carry SCHIENE, RONDEC, DILEX-AS, and KERDI-DRAIN components on the truck. Call (650) 560-7228 to schedule your free estimate. We’ll measure, photograph the condition, and give you a written price before any work starts.

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