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HomeBuildHow Do You Lay A Paver Patio

How Do You Lay A Paver Patio

Build Patio Ledger Frame Before Laying Pavers

How to Lay a Paver Patio (Like a Pro!)

Build the ledger frame for the patio using wood stakes and bender board. The ledgers will help keep the pavers in place. Use a measuring tape to make sure the area is framed out evenly. If its not even, the pavers wont line up correctly.

9. Use measuring tape to make sure the area is framed out evenly. If its not even, the pavers wont line up correctly.

10. Run a string from end to end on the framework using stakes to hold up the string. Run one string for the outside edge to keep your pavers straight and one string to rest right on top of the pavers for the height.

11. As you lay pavers down, make sure you set them straight down, vertically. If pavers are shifted from side to side you will get sand in between the pavers and they will not sit evenly. If needed, simply pick up the pavers and use a trowel to level the sand for that square.


12. Repeat the process until area is complete.

13. When all pavers are down, use the tamper again on top of the pavers to settle them down.

14. Remove the bender board and stakes.

Can You Use Gravel As A Sub

Gravel patio benefits

Easy to lay gravel is an easy material to lay due to its size compared with alternative patio surfaces such as decking or concrete paving. Economical gravel patios are more affordable than other patio surfacing solutions and do not require the help of a landscaping professional to create.


Create A Custom Paver Patio

One of the best things about DIY projects is that you can let your creativity go wild. Room For Tuesday shares how to install a custom paver patio, and you can simply adjust the instructions to fit the size and design of your garden. One of their top tips is to try this project in cooler temperatures or in the evening. Otherwise, youll find this project to be a lot more challenging and unenjoyable. Remember, though, you can save yourself thousands of dollars by tackling this project yourself, so its certainly worth the hard work.

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Install The Patio Pavers

Now the fun really begins! Lay the pavers directly on the Brock PaverBase panels. You can slide the pavers into place. If you are trying to do a straight line, and the line gets crooked, hammer the row back in place using a rubber mallet. Do not use the edges of the panels or the pattern on the panels to try to line up your pavers. Use a string line to ensure straightness.

INSTALL EDGE RESTRAINT.

Once you patio is complete and the pavers are tightly together you will want to hold the perimeter in place to keep it from moving. To do this simply lay pieces of edge restraint directly on top of the Brock panels. Then hammer 8-10 landscape spikes through the Brock PaverBase panel making sure to keep the edge restraint tight against the pavers.

A Curved Paver Patio For A More Organic Shape

Ask The Builder: Paving a patio is job most do

If you want your patio to look natural and to have a more organic shape, it would be nice to make it curve and give it a less geometric shape. That of course presents a challenge on its own and means youll need to add a border around your patio. Check out this tutorial to learn how to prep the area and make your patio look amazing with curves and a border.


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Learn How To Hardscape

We understand that no matter how beautiful hardscape is to look at, its intimidating to install. Thats why we publish DIY tips, tricks, and step-by-step tutorials at DIYwithWI.com and host a live DIY seminar every month during the summer at one of our manufacturing or distribution facilities.

If you have any questions, please visit our Paving Stone Display at our Manufacturing Facility in Rickreall, OR. Or, give our team of hardscape experts a call at 503-623-9084.

Draw Your Overall Design And Pattern

It is usually essential to first sit down and prepare adequately for a project you are about to undertake. This is because, the success of a project lies in the kind of preparation you are going to make.

Preparing for laying of patio pavers on dirt involves deciding where you plan to build your patio. It is also at this stage that you design and draw the layout of your patio, to scale, on a piece of paper so that you will transfer it to the actual patio, later.


Even if you do not have a problem in deciding the location of your patio, it is always best to consult your family because they might enlighten you on something that you might be missing. After all, you will be reading from the same page.

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Create Patio Pavers Using A Mold And Concrete Mix

Have you ever seen paver patios or garden paths that look like perfectly matching puzzle pieces? Its no coincidence that the pieces complement each other so well. The pavers or flagstones have either been chosen very carefully or theyve been created to fit a particular pattern right from the start. Some patio pavers and stepping stones are actually quite deceiving in this sense as theyre actually created using a mold and concrete mix. Curious how that works? Check out this mold from luxberra.

Level The Top Layer Of The Concrete Paver Patio Base

Build With Roman – How To Lay a Paver Patio

Use the square nose shovel to scoop the paver dust and spread it onto the base layer. Do this in a sifting type of motion to get it even.

Dont tamp the sand before laying the pavers. The screeding will basically have already compacted the sand for you.


I recommend only screeding one section at a time, for two reasons. One is that if it rains before you have placed your pavers, you will need to add more sand and relevel with the screed.

The other is that since you can walk on the pavers as you place them, it will be much easier to get around the patio. Youll be forced to work outside the patio the whole time if you level the entire space at once. Youll also benefit by getting a second set of hands for this.

To screed the sand for leveling, start at one end and place the screed on top of the pipes.

Hold the screed tight to the pipes and push it across the pipes. Keep the pressure even as you move along.

You may need to slide the screed back and forth to help even the sand out.


If you get to the end and you meet a wall, like the foundation of your house, use a mason float to scoop out the additional sand.

You can also use the float if there are any spots that you accidentally pulled a piece of gravel through and it made a divot, or your hand hit.

Read Also: Leveling Patio Pavers

How To Design And Install A Paver Patio

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Patios are a valuable asset to any home’s property. Nothing can be better than enjoying the fresh air and a beautifully landscaped yard in the company of family and guests or simply finding quiet time to yourself with a book and a glass of wine.

But you need a good, hardscaped place for all of this magic to happen. Dirt and grass are a poor surface for chairs and tables. Landscaping rock and pea gravel are economical and simple to install, but they tend to scatter. Concrete slabs are labor-intensive and expensive. But there is a compromise: patio pavers installed in conjunction with a remarkably handy product called polymeric sand.


Excavate The Patio Paver Area

  • Remove grass or other vegetation and skim off 2 to 4 inches of soil.
  • Pro tip: You can speed up sod removal by renting a sod cutter.
  • Pro tip: You also must remove soil evenly and leave a flat surface, as theres no thick layer of gravel to make up for uneven ground. After digging and grading, there shouldnt be more than about 1/2-inch variation in flatness over the area.
  • Use a plate compactor to tamp down the soil.
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    Level The Ground With Fill Dirt

    To make sure that all of your patio pavers line up perfectly, you need to be placing them on top of level land. To level your land, you are going to want to use clean fill dirt. The words Clean and Dirt sound like they should not go together, but in this case, it is very important that they do. Clean Virginia fill dirt is dirt that does not contain toxins, organic matter, or large debris. Fill dirt is primarily used for construction purposes such as building foundations or projects that require land grading. If topsoil is used for foundations or land leveling, the project will not be successful because topsoil contains organic matter that breaks down over time. This will result in the volume of the topsoil changing, which could then potentially cause any foundations on top to shift. This is also a problem when it comes to leveling land because if you are trying to fill a low point, the low point may be initially filled to be level with the rest of the land, but over time the changing volume of the topsoil will result in the low point returning. Low points will lead to your patio pavers sitting unevenly.

    What About A Free Estimate

    Easier Paver Patio Base That Will Save Your Back

    Do you want to upgrade your patio and lay pavers over concrete, but have no idea how much is gonna cost? What about a free estimate? If you live in Sarasota, Manatee, or any of our surrounding counties contact us, we will be glad to assist you!

    S& S Pavers has over 10 years of experience serving the counties of Manatee and Sarasota.

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    Add Sand Between Pavers

    Finally, you need to fill in the gaps between your patio stones. Simply pour a pile of polymeric sand onto your pavers and sweep it into the cracks. You may not know how much sand youll need to fill in all the cracks, so add small piles of sand as you go to prevent a big cleanup afterward. Unless you have a lot of leftover sand, you can simply sweep the remainder onto your lawn.

    How To Install Patio Pavers

    This article was co-authored by Scott Johnson. Scott Johnson is the Owner and Lead Design Consultant for Concrete Creations, Inc., an award-winning landscape and design company based in the San Diego, California metro area. He has over 30 years of experience in the pool and landscape construction industry and specializes in large estate outdoor environment construction projects. His work has been featured in San Diego Home & Garden Magazine and on Pool Kings TV Show. He earned a BS degree in Construction Management with an emphasis in Architecture and CAD design from Northern Arizona University.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 12 testimonials and 94% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 532,592 times.

    Installing a patio in your yard can transform an ordinary outdoor space into a wonderful gathering area. Using pavers to create your patio is economical and allows you to build an endless variety of shapes, sizes and colors. It will take work on your part to install a patio made of pavers, but you can easily do it yourself from start to finish.

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    Mixing Mortar In A Cement Mixer

    Pour about a quarter of a bucket of water into the mixer. Add half the sand, then the cement. Run the mixer, then add the rest of the sand and more water if necessary. Mix it thoroughly until you have a soft consistency.

    Dont allow mortar to dry on your tools. Clean them with a stiff brush from time to time. If using a mixer, wash the drum thoroughly after use.

    Two: Dig Out The Area Of The Patio

    How to Install a Paver Patio like a Pro

    To determine how deep you need to dig, take the height of your pavers , and add 1-2 inches for sand PLUS about 3 inches of paver base.

    Heres a quick note: depending on the area you live in and how much use your patio will get, you may be able to skip the paver base. I absolutely do not recommend this if youre doing a full paver patio, if you live in an area that gets hard freezes regularly, or if this will be the main patio in your yard and therefore see a ton of traffic. BUT, since our area almost never freezes, our soil drains really well, and this patio will only see light use, we felt good about doing the sand only. My dad has done a ton of landscaping projects like this over the years, and he gave me the advice to skip it, so Ill just blame him if it falls apart.

    Im kidding. Mostly.

    The digging is definitely the most back-breaking part of the entire process, and youll want to quit at least a hundred times. Just put on a good podcast, tune out the world, and keep on digging.

    You may notice that we hadnt placed the string yet in the above photo. We didnt want to work around it , so we dug out the main area, then laid it to get the edges and determine the spots where we needed to dig deeper. This is a perfectly fine order to work in too, if you find that easier!

    Heres a quick rundown of how youll use the string border youve put up:

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    How To Lay Pavers Brick Patio Stone And Stone Pavers

    How To Lay Pavers, Brick, Patio Stone and Stone PaversBegin by assessing what is currently in the project area where you intend to lay your new pavers. If you have a lot of sugar sand, you are going to want to remove as much as possible. If the water table is high in your area, or you have water and/or flooding issues, the base material depth will have to change. In Florida, we live in dirt, sand, and if you are lucky you may have a lime rock bed under the area . Therefore, you must take precautionary measures to ensure your pavers will not fail over time. Follow the simple steps below to make sure your hard-scape lasts in our tropical climate.

    1. Choosing your Pavers/Patio Stones:

    Pavers, Patio Stones, Clay Brick, Turf Block, travertine, Natural Flagstone, Natural Keystone, Dense Oolite etc are available in a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes, strengths, etc There are different products to match different applications. Here are a few rules to follow when choosing a hardscape for your project:

    Thin pavers/brick are NEVER to be used for a driving surface. I dont care what you have heard, unless you have a specially engineered, high-strength, polymer product specifically designed to be driven on, you will ruin thin pavers/brick if you drive on them. No matter if they are all mortared to a concrete slab or have 12 of base under them, they will fail.

    2. Mark the Project Area Dimensions:

    3. Grade Stakes:

    4. The Dig Out:

    5. Base Materials:

    6. Sand:

    Sweep With Stone Dust

    More compacting creates bigger and deeper crevices and this means the project is far from over. Leaving the crevices unfilled and uncompact would only leave you with a weaker paver design that will not stand the test of time. To prevent this scenario, spread stone dust across the surface and sweep again and the bricks should now be solid.

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    Mixing Mortar By Hand

    On a mixing tray, thoroughly mix the dry sand and cement together. Using a shovel, make a hole in the centre of the pile and pour clean water into it. Carefully push the dry mix into the water, letting it be absorbed. Mix it thoroughly, adding more water as necessary. It’s better to add less water to begin with and slowly add more if needed.

    The consistency of the mortar is important it mustnt be too dry or too runny. To test it, make a depression in the mix with a shovel. If this is easy to do and the mortar holds its shape, the consistency is correct.

    Lay And Compact The Base Layer Of Soil

    How to Lay a Patio from Reclaimed Bricks â Alice de Araujo

    Even though it sounds like it might be a good idea, you cant just lay pavers on dirt or sand. Doing so will allow the pavers to move and not allow for proper drainage. Its also likely that one side of each paver will sink and your patio will be really wonky.

    To begin, check if the soil is compacted. If it isnt, which is likely, use the tamper tool to tamp down the soil. You can lightly mist the soil to help with this.

    Once your soil is compact, spread only half of the base layer on top, as youll do this in two layers.

    If you pile on all 4 at once, its unlikely youll be able to compact it properly. Its best to lay half of the gravel and compact it first, then to add the second layer and then compact that.

    Use the hoe to push and pull the base layer back and forth. If you find that as you get toward the top of the base layer that your gravel is too large, use the bow rake to pull the larger pieces out.

    Just lightly rake over the top. This will pull the large pieces into a pile which you can scoop up and toss to the side.

    Once you have this layer evened out, use the tamper tool to compact it. To help with the tamping, you can spray a little bit of water on the top of each of the two layers. I used a hose with a sprayer head, on a mist setting.

    Its important that the entire base layer is well compacted. If its not compacted tightly, the soil will shift and so will your pavers.

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