These are very mottled looking bricks. What did they look like originally. Were they originally deep red bricks? (I doubt it) or some other kind of paver? What is between the bricks?

We have a 40+ yr old red brick patio. The brick surface is a bit pitted, but not the mottled look of yours. In the spring, we fully sweep, then pressure wash to remove moss (patio gets lots of shade) and grass/weeds in the seams and we cut away grass growing over the edges. A VERY messy job, but the result is worth it. We then sweep in new gray filler (very inexpensive and available at any home store) between the bricks, and lightly wet it in. A lot of gray dust remains, but after a few days of rain, it all settles in, and looks like new. Like new at very little expense, but a whole lot of labor!

Other than the grass/weeds, etc, your walk doesn’t look too bad. It looks a bit wavy in at least one edge area, which is due to grass weeds in the seam pushing the bricks out. One thing you can do is pull up one of the bricks on the edge and see what the underside looks like - how it looked originally. If you do feel you need to repave, one option may be to use all your existing brick/pavers - just turned over. May be worth having a pro or two look at it and get their recommendations. …especially if you’re not a “do-it-yourselfer”.

One other question… is it that just waving I see? Or is it “humping up” in some areas. If it is “bumpy” and no longer level, then you have a bigger problem. It could be from frost heaving, or the underlying base was just not done properly the first time. If not level, you will need to have a pro look at it. Still, you might be able to reuse the bricks/pavers by turning them over.

I would have it redone. Probably freeze/thaw affected the level. Get rid of all the lights. Your front porch/entry light should brighten enough to assist with getting up the sidewalk at night. You can get one that is set on dim and has a motion detector that will brighten it. If you regularly use the walkway in the dark, a lamppost at the beginning will look better than the small solar lights.

Just discolored from dirt and/or algae - there are cleaners/ brighteners for masonry, even masonry dyes and stains but IMHO the natural look is quite attractive. Youd have to clean them in order to stain, so why not just start with that. The "mottled" is just the aggregate stone used to make the brick -- perfectly fine IMHO. Are you doing DIY - maybe only portions of it need to be redone?

You can have them pressure washed and new grout sand used. There is a version that gets misted 3 times and seals. Call a local paver supply company for recommendations.

I'm a + 1 on lights. The path looks fine to me but I lean in the direction of informal and rustic when it comes to my home. IMO the waves could be said to add character and only any place presenting a hazard would need leveling.

Post a photo from away from walkway - can’t tell how bad the movement has been.

Waste of time and money to pick up existing bricks and reuse. You'll have to pay for a crew to carefully lift them and stack them neatly. And then clean them before setting. I'll bet some are no good to reuse and then you'll be short on material. There's no matching it either.

I'd say the 26 years you got is pretty good.

There are so many new paver styles available.

Try alternating 1 light per 5-10ft depending on preference…. No need for doubling up a pair on both sides 😊

Agreed^

You certainly do not need to hire a "crew" to lift and stack or even clean the bricks - this is a totally DIY'able project! As is re-laying the bricks, provided you understand the process and do it correctly.

Personally I would repurpose the bricks! And agree with gardengal, if you have the time/labor to DIY, it is doable.

That being said, prep is key!

If you do reuse the bricks, you could lay them back down in a different pattern, maybe subway, basketweave or herringbone with edging to create more interlocking. The base would need to be redone in spots.

Thank you all! I've been gathering quotes this week, and it seems reusing the current bricks will cost around $3500, while opting for new pavers will come to $5500, making a $2000 difference. I'm curious about the longevity of the existing pavers if I decide to reuse them.

That's a question for your masonry contractor to answer after he examines them -))

Pressure wash and lose half of the solar lights... then evaluate.

If you are looking at new pavers, you may want to choose something different and upgrade. Look around at different stone types as well as concrete. There are some beautiful options out there.

Those pavers are at the end of their serviceable life. That's why you're seeing all that aggregate.

"End of their serviceable life?" I dont think so! OP is really best judge though - can you just pull one out and whack it with a hammer - if they dont break easily, if theyve lasted 20 yrs without breaking then they're strong enough to last another 20 yrs. The aggregate is visible because they were made that way - I actually have some new that are just like that. It's kind of ironic that people throw away perfectly good old bricks while so much of what you see at the brickyard is new bricks that were put in a tumbler to wear them and dyed to make them look old! At least put em on Next Door so other people can remove them for you and reuse!

I installed those sort of 4x8 pavers back in the 90s. That's not what they looked like back then, but that is what pavers from the 90s look like now because the manufacturing processes weren't as good as they are now and the aggregate becomes exposed from wear and environmental factors. But hey, I've only been doing this for 30+ years so I guess I don't know jack.

So as I suggested in my first post above… pull up one of the bricks on the edge and turn it over to see what it originally looked like!