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How To Do A Paver Patio

What Should The Slope Be On A Patio

How to Build a Patio: DIY Paver Patio | The Home Depot

A sloping patio should slope 1/8 per running foot. Generally, a 4 thick slab set 2 above ground level is sufficient.

Slopes greater than 45 degrees will require some form of retaining wall to prevent the slope from becoming too steep.

Retaining walls are typically made out of concrete or stone however, any material can be used as long as it meets code requirements and limitations.

Take Some Time To Decide Which Pattern You Prefer

You should also take some time to decide which pattern you prefer before you actually start to install your paver patio. Two of time simplest ones are jack-on-jack and running bond, as mentioned in this video that you can find on . More advanced patterns include the herringbone and pinwheel and if you want something extra special and eye-catching you can also consider using stamped pavers that look like stone.


Plan Out The Order In Which Youll Lay The Pavers

Once you have the 4 of base layer, double check that you have a little more than 1½ from the top of that to the top of the marked paver line.

Take the two black pipes and lie them on top. Set them just in the base layer enough that they dont roll, but not so much that they are recessed. You can add a little paver dust to help lodge them into place.

Use a level to double check the slope angle that you set up based on your string lines.

Before putting down the concrete pavers, plan how you are going to place the paver stones. Typically you want to start from an outside edge or corner.

Be sure not to box yourself in because you cant walk on the paver dust one youve screeded it.


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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.

Pouring Your Own Concrete Pavers

How to Cover a Concrete Patio With Pavers

Pouring your own concrete pavers can turn out to be a great solution, especially if youre looking to create a custom design for your patio or garden pathway. You can use custom molds which you can build yourself out of wood or you can get some predefined mold designs if you prefer a more standardized look. If you decide to follow the custom route, check out this great tutorial from overondover. It describes all the steps you need to take if you want to pour your own concrete pavers.

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What Is The Best Sand To Put Between Pavers

Another option is polymeric sand. Although more expensive, the product has excellent properties.

Usually, polymeric sand contains 85 90% quartz and crystalline silica, which is what gives the product its notably binding power. When you wet this sand, it activates the polymers, which hardens the various components, effectively locking the pavers in place.

Once hardened, it wont wash away with heavy rain or water from a hose, as loose sand would This means you wont have to worry about replacing the sand frequently to keep the joints full.

Polymeric sand also hinders weed growth, prevent an ant infestation, among other added benefits.

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.

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Add The Polymeric Sand

Sprinkle the polymeric sand over the top of the patio pavers, alternating by sweeping the sand across the pavers. Keep adding sand and sweeping until the gaps between the pavers are filled.

Before adding water, it is critical that you remove all polymeric sand from the top of the pavers. If not, the sand will bond to the paver faces, marring them. Running a leaf blower is the best way to blow off sand without removing sand from the gaps.

Set your spray nozzle on a light mist and spray your patio paver. Do not drench it with too much water otherwise, you run the risk of dislodging sand from the gaps.


Wait about 24 hours for the patio pavers to fully set. Cut away the overlapping landscape fabric with the utility knife.

How To Prep And Lay A Base

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

You can lay a structurally sound base in four simple steps: layout, grade, gravel, and sand. Before you jump in, youll need a few tools and materials to do it right. You can get many of these items at a Western Interlock facility in Oregon or Washington, a local hardware store, or landscape supplier.

Tools

  • 1 square metal pipe bars or ¾ PVC pipe
  • Plastic edge restraint

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Is Paver Base Really Necessary

In a word, yes. Paver base will keep your patio stable and in place for years to come.


That said, there are some new and cutting edge alternatives to paver base that may be worth checking out. Gravel paver base is tried and true, and its still used for roads in the form of grade 9 base. But there are other options.

Add And Level Paver Sand

Place your pre-cut 1 inch PVC pipes on top of your firmly tamped paver base. Carefully pour leveling sand in between the PVC pipes and on all sides in two to three feet increments.

Then place your 2×4 on the PVC pipes and screed, or drag, the board across the pipes gently to level the paver sand. While you can access the area, gently lift out the PVC pipes, fill and level those voids with leveling sand, and replace the pipes along the path.

Continue this process until the entire patio area is covered with paver leveling sand.

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Excavate Dirt And Debris

Excavate the dirt and debris to 713 below the finished grade, depending on the type of traffic the pavers will receive. If the pavers are only for pedestrian traffic, dig 7 below finished grade. If the project will be receiving vehicular traffic, excavate 913.

We recommend excavating this deep because vehicular traffic requires a super sturdy base. The deeper the base is excavated, the more gravel you can add and compact.

Pro Tip: If you remove large debris and are left with large divots do not backfill with dirt. Instead, backfill those depressions with gravel and hand tamp them before laying geotextile.

Quick Answer: How To Do A Patio With Pavers

Installing patio pavers is not as tough as you think

Prepare the Patio Area. Laying pavers is a DIY project that takes about one weekend to complete. Clear Out Grass and Soil. Add Paver Base. Add and Level the Paver Sand. Place the Paver Stones. Cut Pavers. Add Edging Stones or Paver Edging. Finish the Patio.

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Can You Build A Patio On A Slope

Yes, you can and the best part is that its not too expensive to build a patio on a slope.

All you need are some basic tools such as shovels, wheelbarrows, levelers, or pry bars. A popular material for patios is concrete pavers which are easy to install but will require heavy machinery if your slope is steep.

If this sounds like something you want to do yourself then here are some tips:

  • Determine whether your garden has enough space for new paving stones otherwise just add them in an existing area of the garden where there isnt any landscaping yet
  • Make sure the soil slopes away from buildings and driveways so water wont pool underneath
  • Choose a slope that has been prepped for paving stones and mark out your patio area, using stakes or hose pipes.
  • This will ensure you have enough room for all of the necessary steps in this process also keep in mind that these measurements need to be taken from the ground up so if there is an existing walkway then subtract it from your measurement.
  • Your new patio should extend at least one foot on every side beyond where you want paved stones laid down .

Measure Slope To Allow For Patio Drainage

So that your concrete paver patio drains away from your house, youll need to account for the slope of the space.

If your patio is on a hill or against a retaining wall, for instance, you will slope in two directions: away from the house and also away from the wall or the hill.

The angle of slope that allows for proper drainage for your patio is 1 per every 4 feet. For instance, my patio was 9 deep, so I created a slope of 2¼.

The way to mark the slope is to start at stakes that will be your low end. Take the strings youve tied onto those stakes and lower them by the number of inches required to meet the correct slope for your patio base on its depth.

Next, use a marker to mark a line where you pulled the strings to .

The new string locations now mark the height of the 4 base layer with the slope included.

I also found it helpful to mark the top of where the paver will be. Its important to note that depending on what your top base layer is made of, it may not actually add any height to your total.

The paver dust I had compacted down to maybe about ¼. You may want to test yours to see because if yours doesnt compact like that, you may want to add it into your calculations.

If you are using the same pavers I used, these are just over 1½ thick. If your paver dust/sand compacts to almost nothing, you will want to make your last mark 1½ above the base layer mark just made.

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How To Build A Pavers Patio

Not really sold on the idea of a flagstone patio? If you prefer something somewhat similar but a bit more organized, perhaps youd like to lay some pavers instead. Patio pavers can be arranged in all sorts of different patterns, some of which look quite interesting. The tutorial from creativeunravelings comes with a complete list of materials and tools needed for this whole project. It includes things like brick pavers , gravel, fine sand, wood stakes, a shovel, and several other items.

Lay The Base Material

How To Lay a Paver Patio the Easy Way – Build With Roman

When you are sure that the ground is level and ready for use, itâs time to lay the base materials. Depending on the ground in the area, you may want to first put down landscaping material.

Your base materials consist of crushed rock or lime-rock gravel. The idea behind this is to make the ground as firm and compact as possible. This secures your paver patio and increases its longevity.

If you find that crushed rock or lime-rock gravel doesnât work, you can use gravel with some moisture in it.

Spread your base layer evenly, and then use a plate compactor to make sure it is firm. If you are struggling with this step, you can always call a patio paver contractor like Seattle Outdoor Spaces. It is vital to do this properly, as this forms the base of your patio paver.

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Level The Ground For Your Paver Stones

Take the four stakes and hit them into the ground 12 outside of your patio area using the rubber mallet. Hammer them in until they are at least a foot into the earth. They should be nice and tight and not move if you pull at them.

Once theyre secure, measure each stake from the ground up to 4. Mark this. This will be your level line and also the top of your compacted base layer.

Reminder- due my patio being boxed in on all four sides, my photos show the stakes placed inside the patio area.

Make sure when you put the stakes into the ground, that they are at least a foot down. They should be nice and tight and not move if you pull at them.

Measure from the ground, up the stake to 4 and mark this. This will be your level line and also the top of your compacted base layer.

Take the nylon string and wrap it around the mark you made. How you tie the string is important, so take a moment and read this article that explains how to do this so that you get the proper tension.

Keep the string as one continuous string and repeat this for all four stakes, using the tying method linked above. When you return to the first stake, tie it off and cut the string from the spool.

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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Tips On How To Do Landscaping Around A Paver Patio

Landscapes can be of a different type, their style, and color suit more than anything for the exterior to look for, and this way how it comes to effect, how it becomes a proper standard and in what way it would give extra touch depends both on the landscape owners and the contractors they hire to make it more effective.

To make it more comfortable, for extra cultural touch, and for perfect design, thus contractors give advice about Patio pavers, the way they should be able to fix them become a potent solution, and the entry of such pavers to landscape make it look more than beautiful for which they are offered.

However it should be more prudent to first consider landscape companies the way they offer such patios, discuss how they should suit on basis of your landscape, and there are few advantages and inspiring tips to it which may be considered and thence by such tips it would become more potent to have such patio pavers and should attract your landscape to be unique.

Before you plan to have a strong paver patio, want to decorate it perfectly, and get more exterior touch, then you need to have few basic things to consider and they may include:

  • To have smart contractors who can plan well
  • To decide on a paver plan that suits your landscape
  • To execute your comforts in a perfect landscape
  • Know the strengths of such patio and discuss the brand you require
  • To make sure that all get accomplished at affordable rates
  • To find out what structures and elements work best for you

Draw Your Overall Design And Pattern

How to Build A Paver Patio

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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How Do You Lay A Patio For Beginners

Heres how to lay a patio for beginners in 6 easy steps. Dig 150mm into your patio area. Lay a compacted sub-base of 100mm. Cover the area with 40mm of concrete mix. Lay paving slabs 15mm into the concrete with a 10-15mm gap. Leave to set for at least 24 hours. Fill the gaps between the paving slabs with concrete mix.

Secure The Concrete Pavers In Place And Fill The Gaps

Once you have finished each section and the pavers have all been laid, make sure none of the paver stones wobble. Youll want to check this before filling the joints.

I had about five that had some wobble and just about every time, the culprit was a raised bit of larger gravel that had been pulled near the surface. The concrete paver stone was resting awkwardly on the raised gravel.

The way to fix this is to gently remove the paver and check for the larger gravel that is raised. Remove it and fill in the hole with sand. Carefully place the paver back down into position.

If you dont see any gravel, then something in that spot isnt level. It could be that theres a bit of a bump, or just one edge needs a little more sand. Use the float to level it and place the paver back into place.

With all the pavers set as you need them, you can start filling in the gaps. Use the square nosed shovel to scoop the sand or paver dust and place it into the joints, but only add about ½- ¾ of the paver dust/sand.

Try to distribute it evenly between them. You can use a hand spade and/or a broom to help with this.

Now finish filling in the gaps with your decorative top layer. I used marble chips.

Spread these evenly throughout, but be sure to leave them recessed about ¼ from the top so you dont end up with a big mess of overflowing joint filler.

Those are all the steps! Now youll be ready to entertain on your new concrete paver patio!

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