Laying Down Bricks for a Sidewalk
A brick sidewalk makes an attractive entry point for a house or a pleasant pathway to a patio or garden. Bricks are sturdy and durable, and many brick sidewalks have lasted for decades. They once were the common style in cities across the country, and many are still in use. Sidewalks can be made with common bricks, antique bricks or special paving bricks, which are thicker. Common bricks are used most often in homes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stakes
- Mason's twine
- Shovel
- Rake
- Black plastic or landscape fabric
- Medium gravel
- Hand tamper
- 4-foot level
- Board cut to sidewalk width
- Coarse sand
- Mason's or polymeric sand
- Push broom
- Garden hose with misting nozzle
Instructions
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Outline your sidewalk with stakes and mason's twine that is set just wider than your planned walk. Make the width of the walk conform to the dimensions of the bricks and patterns you plan to use; standard bricks are 2-by-4-by-8-inches. Use bricks set on edge, with 2-inch faces up, to border the sidewalk, so arrange other brick patterns to fit inside those edges.
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Dig out the sidewalk area 6 inches deep with a shovel, and rake it level. Remove any rocks, tree roots or other debris. Spread black plastic or landscape fabric over the area, and cover it with 2 inches of medium gravel that is compacted firmly with a hand tamper.
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Set bricks on edge on top of the gravel for edge restraints; the tops should be flush with the ground. Use a 4-foot level to keep the tops of those edge restraints level both down and across the sidewalk area. Cut a board with a saw to the width for your finished walk, and use that to space the restraint bricks evenly down the sidewalk.
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Put 2 inches of coarse sand over the gravel. Rake it level and then compact it with the tamper. Begin laying bricks in one corner of one end, in any desired pattern. Lay sidewalks with all bricks going in one direction, alternating directions or in diagonal patterns.
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Lay bricks one at a time with edges abutting. Put the bottom edge of one brick on the top of the adjoining brick, and then move it straight down to keep the joints smooth and even. Check every couple of bricks with a level to make sure they are level, and adjust the sand as needed to level the tops. Work from one end of the sidewalk to the other. Walk the walk to look for uneven or loose bricks, and fix any problems. Replace dirt at the outside sidewalk edges.
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Sweep sand into the brick joints with a push broom. Use fine mason's and/or polymeric sand, which will solidify when dampened. Sweep the sand and let it settle, and then add more sand and sweep again. Keep adding sand until all joints are full to the top. Dampen the sidewalk with a misting nozzle on a garden hose to settle the sand or solidify the polymeric.
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References
- Photo Credit Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images
