Laying a Brick Driveway on the Ground

Paving bricks form a warm, textured surface for a yard.

A brick driveway adds character and warmth to a front yard. Weather-resistant and strong, paving bricks are designed to be set without mortar and can last years with little maintenance when properly installed. Laying a brick driveway requires a sturdy, compacted subsoil and careful attention when setting the bricks in a chosen pattern.

Things You'll Need

• 2 ropes
• Measuring tape
• Shovel or excavator
• Compactor
• Crushed stone
• Edging restraints
• 12-inch lawn spikes
• Hammer
• Grit sand
• Long board
• Mallet
• Masonry sand
• Work broom

Instructions

1. Outline the path for the driveway by laying two parallel ropes on the ground. Use measuring tape to space them at least 10 feet apart for a straight, single-car driveway, 16 feet for two cars and 14 feet where the driveway curves.

2. Unearth groundcover and 8 inches of topsoil for the site with a shovel or a rented excavator machine. Scoop all the soil onto a nearby tarp and plant to spread it over low areas in the yard. Grade the bottom of the site on a smooth slope for drainage. Start at the house end of the driveway and dig out another 1/8 inch of soil per every 12 inches of distance toward the street.

3. Push a mechanical compactor over the sloped subsoil until the ground doesn’t shift beneath the machine.

4. Pour a 5-inch layer of crushed stone over the excavated ground and compact the stones.

5. Line the inside walls of the driveway with edging restraints to keep the bricks from sliding. Insert 12-inch lawn spikes in pre-cut slots and hammer them down to secure the restraints.

6. Cover the stone base with 2 inches of grit sand. Smooth the sand by pulling a long board across the surface.

7. Set the first section of bricks on the sand at the middle of the street end of the driveway. Place them flush against each other in your chosen pattern. Basket-weave and herringbone are a few examples of classic brick arrangements. Tap each section with a mallet to press them into the sand bed until adjacent bricks are even with each other.

8. Mark a chalk line over end bricks if they need to be trimmed and cut them with a brick splitter or masonry saw.

9. Shovel masonry sand over the brick driveway and sweep it downward with a large work broom. Push the sand into every joint to pad the bricks and keep them in position.

References

• Historical Bricks: How to Install Dry-Laid Brick Driveway

Resources

• Bob Vila: Create a Distinct Driveway
• Landscape Design Advice: Driveway Brick