How to Add Brick to a Driveway

Bricks add color and style to a pavement.

Adding brick to a driveway is a simple way to bring a classic look to a front landscape. Edging the sides of an existing driveway with brick reduces maintenance by blocking wayward groundcover from encroaching, while accentuating the pavement's shape. Laying bricks is a straight-forward do-it-yourself project that takes about a weekend to finish, depending on the size of the driveway.

Things You'll Need

• Ropes
• Square shovel
• 2-by-4 or tamper
• Crushed rocks
• Course sand
• Board
• Bricks
• Masonry sand
• Hose

Instructions

1. Outline the area along the driveway with ropes. The distance between the edge of the pavement and the ropes should be equal to the width of the bricks plus 2 inches. For a wider border, lay the bricks side by side and measure the length of the bricks instead of the width.

2. Remove growth between the ropes and the edge of the pavement with a square shovel. Dig out another 6 inches of dirt and pound the bottom of the site with a hand tamper or the end of a 2-by-4 to make the dirt as stable as possible.

3. Fill the expanse with 4 inches of crushed rocks and tamp them down.

4. Sprinkle course sand over the rocks and spread it out with a narrow board so the surface is smooth.

5. Set the first brick against the pavement beginning at one end of the site. Add or remove sand as needed so the brick sits above the pavement by an inch.

6. Fill the rest of the expanse with bricks, butting the sides against each other so the gaps between the bricks and pavement are minimal.

7. Fill the gap between the bricks and the lawn with crushed rocks to improve drainage.

8. Pack fine masonry sand in between the bricks so water cannot seep between the joints.

9. Repeat this process on the other side of the driveway.

References

• Landscape Design Advice: Driveway Edgings

Resources

• Paver Search: What is Edging