Brick, natural stone, and concrete pavers are very popular for creating attractive, durable outdoor surfaces such as patios, walkways and driveways. Pavers come in wide range of colors, styles and sizes and they make a wonderful addition to any landscape.
Another reason pavers are so popular is because they are easy to install. Installation requires some planning, getting your hands dirty, and some moderately heavy lifting, but most do it yourselfers can install pavers with great results.
Pavers can be installed on bare ground, on gravel, or on concrete, but the most common way for the do it yourselfer is to install them on a bed of sand. The first step is to plan your project by preparing a sketch of the design. This will help visualize how the final project will look and help in ordering materials.
Next, measure the area and mark around the edges. The area will need to be excavated deep enough to allow for the height of the pavers and an additional 2 inches for the sand base. Excavate the area so that the top of the pavers will be slightly higher than the surrounding are to prevent water from pooling on top of your project.
Fill the excavated area with a two inch layer of sand, then compact the sand with a plate compacter from your local equipment rental shop. Now you are ready to start laying your pavers. Start from one corner and work your way out toward the other side. Set the pavers by rapping them gently with a wooden mallet or compacting them lightly with the plate compactor.
Fill in the gaps between the pavers with sand by spreading sand over the top of your project and sweeping the sand into the cracks and enjoy your new patio or walkway.
