Laying patio pavers is one of the quickest and easiest ways to build patio flooring by yourself. Poured concrete slabs, brick, and natural stone patios have their merits, but patio pavers are so cost-effective and simple to work with that you can do the entire job by yourself. In just a few days, you’ll have a magnificent patio for outdoor entertaining or just for enjoying your backyard in comfort.
Before You Begin
Patio Pavers can be purchased in pallets and then delivered to your home, ideally as close to the patio area as is practicable. Concrete pavers are available in a variety of colors and textures, some of which are designed to seem like real stone or brick. Pavers that are 18 inches by 18 inches or less are less difficult to handle. Crushed rock, such as 3/4-inch minus construction gravel, should be used as the foundation material. The sharp edges and points of the gravel aid in the proper compacting of the material.
Purchase coarse sand in bulk if you need sand (enough to establish a 1-inch depth across the entire patio area). However, because only a small amount of fine sand is required for cleaning between the joints, it is possible to acquire it by the bag.
Safety Considerations
Moving huge quantities of heavy materials can be physically demanding on your body. Make use of a wheelbarrow. When shoveling, use your legs rather than your back to lift. Because base materials (crushed gravel) are heavier than dirt, only partial shovel loads should be used while working with them.
Protect your lungs by wearing a mask. Water should be sprayed on the area regularly to keep the dust at bay.
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Hammer
- Shovel
- Two-by-four
- Tamper
- Wheelbarrow
- Rake
- Broom
Materials
- Pavers
- Crushed rock base material
- 1 bag of fine sand (10 pounds)
- Coarse bedding sand
- Garden hose
- Twine or thin rope
- Marking paint
- Wood stakes
- 2 Metal pipes (3/4-inch I.D. diameter)
Instructions
Create Layout
Install pavers on a slightly inclined surface to reduce water pooling. Pooling eventually results in pits in the underlying material, which results in additional pooling.
Lay a garden hose across the approximate area to get a sense of the available space. Additionally, wood stakes and a thin rope or thread design can be used to accentuate this arrangement. Draw a line 8 inches beyond the designated area with the marking paint.
Calculate Materials to Buy
Using the outline, you can estimate how many patio pavers, foundation materials, and sand you’ll need. The total square footage can be calculated by multiplying the length by the width. Then, add 10% to account for the potential losses. To place pavers on curved or diagonal surfaces, you should increase the excess to 15% or 20%.
Dig Area
Excavate the surrounding area for patio pavers. If there is turf, completely remove it from the earth below. Utilize a bubble level to determine the slope of the two-by-four by laying it on the two-by-four. Assemble the patio so that it slopes downward approximately 1 inch (vertically) for every 48 inches in width (horizontally). To construct a slope, it may be necessary to shift soil or add sand.
Dig approximately 5 inches deep to accommodate 4 inches of base material, 1 inch of sand bedding, and the 1-inch thickness of the pavers, flush with the ground level.
Smooth and Tampa Area
To level out the area, use the shovel and the two-by-four to help you. After that, pound the earth down with the tamping tool to compact it.
Lay Base Material
Transfer the base material from the driveway to the patio area using a wheelbarrow and shovel. Spread out the material with a shovel and a rake after every two or three loads of material are delivered. Maintain a uniform distribution of material throughout the space.
Two-by-four should be used to smooth down the base material. Finish by thoroughly tamping the surface down.
Add Edging
Over the base material, add the edge restraint of your choice. Depending on the type of edging, it may be necessary to stake it into place.
Lay Down Coarse Sand
1 inch coarse (not fine) bedding sand on the ground Because this is the final layer, it must be uniform in height. This layer’s height determines the patio’s final height.
To keep the sand level, lay down two 3/4-inch pipes first, then pour the sand over them. The pipes act as guardians, keeping the screed from burrowing any deeper. After spreading the sand, carefully remove the pipes. Compensate the pipe holes with gritty sand and smooth them down with your hands.
Lay Pavers
Lay the patio pavers on top of the coarse sand. Make sure you don’t walk on the sand! To get to the next row of pavers, gently walk on the freshly laid stones. Keep the pavers close together so that weeds don’t grow between them.
As you lay the patio pavers, gently hit the pavers with a hammer to help them stay in place. It’s best to use a piece of two-by-four as a softening tool and as a leveling gauge, to make sure that the pavers are level with each other.
Add Sand to Joints
To make sure that the patio pavers are dry, put a few handfuls of the fine sand on top of them now. So the sand gets into the gaps between the pavers. During a walk, the joints of the pavers should not move. This means that they have enough sand. Sweep up and throw away any extra sand.
When to Call a Professional
While laying patio pavers is a simple and easy outdoor project, handling the base materials and the pavers is very hard work. There are many reasons to hire a contractor, like if you have a big project or if you want to use large-format pavers (24 inches by 24 inches or more).
