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HomeBuildHow To Put Down A Brick Patio

How To Put Down A Brick Patio

The Landscape Fabric Debate

How to Build a Brick Patio | This Old House

Some patio builders favor deterring weeds with a layer of landscape fabric, positioned at the bottom of the bed, under the gravel or between the gravel and sand layers. The pros they cite include further blocking of light and possible weed growth, just as fabric works in the garden. Its biodegradable components do not add toxins to the soil.

Those who counsel avoiding the use of fabric point out that its biodegradability makes it only a short-term solution to weeds. Further, nonporous and even porous plastic fabric can interfere severely with water drainage, making pavers slippery and washing away supporting sand. A further objection to the use of landscape fabric resonates especially with late-season gardeners: A weed that has managed to set roots in fabric offers considerable resistance to being removed. Getting rid of a weed that has sent roots down into fabric from the path surface may involve pulling up and then resetting pavers.

Offset The Ordinary With The Running Bond Pattern

Versatile and visually varied, offset brick patterns work in classic or contemporary brick patios. For traditional appeal, opt for a 50 percent offset consisting of rows of brick laid horizontally so that each brick joint lines up with the center of the brick above and below it. To modernize the pattern, choose the more striking one-third offset pattern whereby each brick joint is offset by 33 percent of the length of the brick below it to evoke diagonal lines across the patio. In both designs, partial bricks help fill in spots where full bricks wont fit, which means youll have to cut the bricks before placement, preferably with an angle grinder affixed with a diamond blade.

Keep Up With Patio Maintenance

Brick may be an easy-care material, but youll still want to follow these tips to keep your patio tip-top:


Sweep away loose debris that accumulates on the patio with an angle broom with long, angle-cut bristles that can reach into brick joints.

Every two years, rent a pressure washer to remove grime and stains and restore the original brightness of the brick. Generally, a pressure setting of 3,000 psi is sufficient for cleaning brick. Avoid using a sandblaster attachment on the pressure washer it can degrade the brick surface.

After pressure washing bricks, apply a clear exterior brick sealer to help keep dirt, oil, and stains at bay, inhibit the growth of weeds and mold, and boost UV resistance to keep brick from fading in the sun.

If individual bricks shift, crack, or otherwise become damaged over time, identify and correct the underlying problem, if any, which could be a non-level brick foundation, poor-quality bricks, or improper brick foundation materials . Then replace the bricks in the affected area of the patio.

Read Also: Russell Woodard Patio Furniture


Step 9 Use A Plate Compactor

If you own or have rented a plate compactor, you can run it over the patio to set the bricks and the sand. You could also use a hand tamper or a powered tamper. Once the bricks are completely set, you can sweep any extra sand or dirt off the patio and decorate it with plants, furniture, and lighting.

If you enjoy working outside and doing hands-on projects, you can build your own paver patio. If you dont feel you will make it on your own just and we would be more than happy to help you to fix your brick patio, we will repair it for you or build a new patio for you with the 3D design. We do all types of brick patios in Chicago and we are brick patio pavers, the best paving company in Chicago area.

You can call us also if you have any questions related to brick patio cost or you want to know how to build brick patios in oak lawn, hillside, and almost in whole Chicago!

This is a great addition to your home and will increase the home value of the property as well!

Excavate The Patio Paver Area

How to Lay a Brick Paver Patio
  • 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.
  • Don’t Miss: How To Fill Cracks Between Patio Stones


    Amazing Stamped Concrete Patio Design Ideas

    About Remodeling Expense

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    Build Your Dream Patio Brick By Brick

    Choosy homeowners choose real brick to pave their patios for its rugged beauty and resilience. Its also wallet- and DIY-friendly: You can install a brick patio for $10 to $15 per square foot using one of two straightforward methods. With the dry-laid method, youll put compressed bricks known as pavers directly over a sand or crushed stone foundation. The more involved mortar-set method involves pressing brick pavers into a mortar foundation atop a concrete slab with crushed stone underneath.

    Beyond the construction considerations for a brick patio build, including location, size, and shape, the fun part is deciding on the design: the pattern and color of the patio brickwork and what, if any, surrounding structures and materials will best complement it. Then, once you get the results you hoped for, youll want to keep your brick patio looking its best. Ahead, all the tips you need to design and maintain the perfect brick patio for your backyard.


    Recommended Reading: How To Build A Barbecue Grill Surround For Your Patio

    Laying A Shallow Base

    The second most common mistake is not digging a deep enough area for the base. When you read our recommendations for laying a base, you may think to yourself, Thats a lot of digging! The truth is, yes, it certainly is. However, gravel is cheap insurance to protect and preserve your pavers.

    We recommend that you excavate enough dirt to lay a proper gravel base 4 for common foot traffic areas and 610 for driveways and residential parking lots. The general rule is to add an extra 24 to your gravel base if you live in colder climates with continually wet or weak soils.

    S For Building A Brick Patio

    How to Lay a Paver Patio (Like a Pro!)
  • Take up all old bricks and paving stones from the patio, then use a shovel to remove 7 inches of soil from the area.
  • Run a gas-powered plate compactor over the area to tamp down the ground.
  • Spread out 2 inches of graded base, then compact the area.
  • Stretch nylon lines across the patio 3 inches above graded base.
  • Lay steel pipes, known as screed rails, in place 2 inches below nylon line.
  • Spread sand over the entire area.
  • Pull a screed along the rails to remove excess sand.
  • Fill in low spots with more sand and screed the area again.
  • Start setting pavers in one corner of the patio. Drop pavers into place, don’t slide them.
  • Continue installing pavers, making sure to stagger the joints between courses.
  • Install plastic edging around the perimeter of the patio.
  • Spread ½ inch of sand over the bricks.
  • Run the plate compactor over the patio to vibrate the sand deep into the joints between the pavers.
  • Use a push broom to sweep excess sand from the patio.
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    Common Paver Installation Mistakes

    The famed American basketball coach, John Wooden, once said, If you dont have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? The truth is, most people jump into paver installation without knowing what theyre getting intothen they make mistakes or take shortcuts that cost them a lot of time


    The famed American basketball coach, John Wooden, once said, If you dont have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? The truth is, most people jump into paver installation without knowing what theyre getting intothen they make mistakes or take shortcuts that cost them a lot of time and money down the road. We wrote this article to help save you the headaches most people encounter while youre installing hardscape.

    At Western Interlock, we aim to help you take the hard out of hardscaping. Thats why weve put together a series of paver installation video tutorials on almost every aspect of DIY hardscapingfrom How to Build a Circle Patio to How to Build a Retaining Wall and so much more.

    Before you kick off your first hardscape project, please take a look at our list below and make sure you avoid any of these all-too-common mistakes.

    How To Put Bricks On The Exterior Of A House

    How to do it: 1 Cover the exterior walls with a water-resistant house wrap or building paper to create the drainage plane. 2 Next, begin laying the brick in the traditional manner, leaving a 1-inch space between the bricks and the house. 3 Under this same course of brick, install the through-wall flashing.

    Recommended Reading: How To Make Your Own Pavers


    Laying Long Linear Lines Of Pavers

    Last but not least, a critical mistake is to lay a paver pattern with a long linear line. Initially, a line like you see below seems just fine. However, all paving stone patterns accomplish two goals: beauty and stability. If you sacrifice stability for beauty, your hardscape will be structurally unstable and will shift and warp over time, causing visual imperfections and safety hazards.

    The best way to avoid long linear lines is to lay one of the eight common paver patterns we cover in How to Lay a Paver Pattern. Or, you could lay a completely random layout by following these two simple guidelines:

  • Never have four corners meet
  • Never have any joint running linearly for more than about nine feet.
  • Either way, dont make the mistake of installing unstable pavers without any pattern or guidelines. Youll have a headache later.

    Tips For Building A Brick Patio

    Easier Paver Patio Base That Will Save Your Back

    If you need to cut some bricks to fit your layout, you can use a hammer and masonry chisel or a circular saw with a masonry blade. But if you have a lot of cuts to make, it’s worth it to rent a brick splitter or a masonry wet saw for half a day. These tools make much faster, cleaner cuts than a hammer or handheld saw. The best blade to use for saw cuts is a diamond blade. Alternatively, you can use an abrasive blade, but it may wear down quickly and won’t cut as cleanly.

    Read Also: Webbing For Patio Chairs


    How To Lay And Age A Brick Patio: Adding German Smear

    And when that was finished, after making a few more adjustments, it was time to start the german smear.

    This was the easy and fun part, and only took a couple of hours to complete. Also super rewarding because those bricks were not our first choice.

    We literally had some brushes concrete + water.

    We just mixed it to a nice consistency, and it was ready to spread.

    Wipe on, wipe off, Danielson.

    Just spread it to your desired amount we recommend testing it out on some bricks first.

    Know that a lot of it will wear away, so if you want a nice aged look, spread liberally.

    We finally developed a system where Jamin would spread it with gloves, and I would come behind him and scrape away the excess with the brush.

    The extra slush went into a bucket and we finished it all up. Winning.

    We gave it an entire day and night to dry, and the next day, rinsed it down with the hose.

    We love the final look and feel of our new al-fresco dining area, and we cant wait to add our cabana.

    Stay tuned, because well be sharing how to build a simple privacy wall, very soon + all the details on our next up plans.

    We hope this helped, and let us know if you have any questions.

    Have an inspired day!

    Check For Level And Bed The Pavers

    After setting several square feet, lay a 32-inch length of 1×6 on the walk and, with a hammer or mallet, tap its entire surface to uniformly bed the pavers into the sand. If individual units are slightly tilted or too high, tap them gently into place with a rubber mallet. If a unit sits too low, lift it up, place sand underneath, and reseat it.If youre creating a large brick driveway or patio, rent a vibrating tamper. At the end of each day, tamp the units to compact the sand bed and settle the pavers into place.

    Read Also: Building Wood Deck Over Concrete Patio

    Carefully Return The Furniture

    After cleaning your patio, make sure you put everything back. The furniture needs to be put back on the patio because it will help the pavers down and keep them from shifting. Now that you have cleaned your patio, you can enjoy it till you have to wash it the next time. Pay careful attention during pollen season, which can cause more dirt on your patio.

    Order The Base Materials And Stone

    How to Prep and Build a Paver Patio with Curves and Border \\ DIY Project

    It’s what’s underneath that counts. Stone and brick are what you see, but the landscape fabric, gravel and sand are what hold them together and make your patio last.

    Landscape fabric stabilizes the soil underneath the gravel base by keeping them apart while allowing water to drain through. We used 12-1/2 ft. wide, heavy, woven stabilization fabric purchased from our stone supplier. If this isn’t available, use the widest landscape fabric you can find.

    Class V limestone forms the foundation of our patio, but there may be different materials available in your region. Any granular fill will work as long as the size of the granules ranges from 3/4 in. down to a powder and they’re angular, not smooth and round. These qualities allow the fill to be tightly packed for a firm base that allows water to drain through. A mixture of recycled concrete and asphalt is widely available and is a good substitute for Class V.

    Depending on your soil, you’ll need a4- to 10-in. thick layer of gravel. Sandy soils require less gravel than soils with organic matter or clay. Gravel is sold by the ton or cubic yard. One cubic yard covers about 50 sq. ft. at a 6-in. depth by the time it’s compacted and weighs 1-1/2 tons. We used 12 tons of gravel.

    Coarse washed sand is spread over the gravel in a 1-in. layer to form a setting bed for the stone and brick, and later to fill the cracks between the bricks and stone. We used 5 tons of sand.

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    Why Are There Cracks In The Top Of My Brick House

    If the cracked brick is at the top of the house near the steel beam, it could be due to oxide jackingor the pressure that builds up as the steel rusts. This is common in brick walls because brick is porous, allowing moisture to pass through and corrode the steel.

    Colonial-style homes are a common feature in many American neighborhoods. These symmetrical homes have a square or rectangular shape and often have brick or wood siding. On a colonial home, the door is usually located in the center of the house with an equal number of windows on each side of the door.

    Read The Can And Follow The Directions

    Every manufacturers product can be little different so always read the directions. It only takes a few minutes but it will ensure that you have all the right information before you get started. It will give you valuable information such as how many coats of sealer to apply, how long to wait between coats, how to properly apply the product, and how to clean it up. There are a number of variations to these questions so read the label first and youll be likely to get it right the first time.

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    S For Laying A Patio Or Walk

    • Measure the size of the patio or walk desired and order all materials necessary to complete the job. Remember, walks should be at least 4 feet wide. Patios of about 500 square feet will provide enough space for most family functions.

    Figure 4Grade a patio 1 inch in 8 feet away from the house.

    • Grade the area to be paved. Dig out existing soil if necessary, or fill where appropriate. The paving of gravel, sand and brick will require a depth of about 6 inches. Use a 2- by 4-inch board of convenient length to level the grade after digging is complete. A level attached to the top of the board will help to guide the leveling operation. For patios, there should be a drop in grade away from the house of about 1 inch in 8 feet. See figure 4. Install the redwood lumber to edge the patio or walk. Use enough stakes to firmly hold it in place. Make sure edging is level.

    Figure 5Cross section of patio or walk construction.

    Figure 6Using a brick set to cut brick.

    • Cut bricks to fit wherever needed. Most people find a brick-set the easiest brick cutting tool to use. Place the brick to be cut on a firm base. Hold the brick-set as shown in Figure 6 and give it one hard knock with a heavy hammer. Keep the brick-set sharp.
    • Cover the paved surface with sand and sweep it into the cracks.


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