How to Make a Circle With Curved Pavers

Make a circular patio out of small and large patio wedges.

Circular patios not only offer a usable surface for gatherings, but also create a visually appealing area of your landscape. The simplest way to create a circular patio design is to use curved pavers, called wedges. Wedges come in two different sizes, small and large. Use the small wedges near the circular patio's center and the large wedges as you work toward the outer edge. To make the circular patio's design more interesting and create larger circles, alternate large wedges with squares.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Wooden stake
• String
• Scissors
• Spray paint
• Shovel
• Level
• Hand tamper
• Plate compactor
• Landscape fabric
• Gravel
• Metal rake
• Leveling sand
• Square pavers
• Small wedges
• Torpedo level
• Rubber mallet
• Large wedges
• Plastic edge restraints
• Spikes
• Broom

Instructions

1. Hammer a wooden stake into the ground at what will be the center of your circular patio. Divide your patio's finished diameter in half and add 12 inches. Cut a piece of string to this length. Tie one end to the wooden stake and the other end to a can of spray paint. Pull the string tight and walk around the wooden stake, spraying paint onto the ground to mark the patio's edges.

2. Remove an even 6-inch thick layer of soil within the entire paint circle. Lay a level on the ground occasionally and check that you are not digging too deep or too shallow. Add soil back to any low areas. Tamp down the entire circle with a hand tamper or plate compactor.

3. Spread a layer of landscape fabric over the circle. Overlap fabric strips by 3 inches. Pour gravel onto the landscape fabric and spread it into an even 4-inch layer with a metal garden rake. Check the gravel in a handful of areas with a level. Tamp down the gravel with either a hand tamper or a plate compactor. Spread a 1-inch layer of leveling sand over the gravel.

4. Set a center patio paver in the circle. Surround it with eight small wedges. Lay a torpedo level on the pavers. Add more sand underneath low pavers or hit high pavers down into the paving sand with a rubber mallet.

5. Surround the eight small wedges with 14 large wedges. Lay a level on the patio and adjust the large wedges the same way you adjusted the small wedges in Step 4. Surround this row of wedges with 21 large wedges and level them. At this point, your circular patio has a diameter of approximately 30 1/2 inches.

6. Begin the next row with a large wedge. Lay a square paver next to the large wedge, followed by another square paver. Continue with this alternating pattern until you lay 13 large wedges and 13 square pavers. Next, level the pavers.

7. Alternate the next row the same way you alternated the row in Step 6. Use 16 large wedges and 17 square pavers. Your circular patio now has a 48 1/2-inch diameter. Lay another alternating row of 20 large wedges and 20 square pavers. Level both rows.

8. Finish your circular patio with a row of 42 square pavers and level them. The circular patio's finished diameter is 66 1/2 inches. If you wish to make it larger, continue to lay more rows of just square pavers or begin alternating square pavers with rectangular pavers.

9. Lay a plastic edge restraint around the circular patio. Hammer spikes through the restraint's holes and into the ground. Backfill behind the restraints with soil you removed in Step 2.

10. Pour leveling sand onto the patio. Use a broom to sweep the sand over the entire patio, allowing it to fill the gaps between the pavers and wedges. Drive a plate compactor over the circular patio. Sweep sand over the patio one more time.

References

• Pavers by Ideal: Installation and Pattern Guide for Concrete Pavers
• Hildebrand Construction: How to Install a Paver Patio