How to Install Concrete Patio Pavers

4 block random pavers

Concrete pavers can add a different look to your yard. Providing years of durability and beauty. There are many different style now of concrete pavers to suit just about anyone's taste.

Things You'll Need

• Shovels
• metal rakes
• wheelbarrow
• line level
• levels
• 3/4" conduit
• 2x4 by 8' wood or aluminum
• circular saw with concrete blade or wet saw
• Vibrating plate compactor
• 100' and 16" tape measure
• hammer
• spray paint

Instructions

1. First call digsafe, if you have this in your area. Its a free service provided by your utilities company. If you are going to dig at all you need to call them first. It takes a few days for them to come out and mark your area of any utilities that you have in the area so you can be sure to avoid.Then we need to find the area that we are going to lay the pavers. Drive wooden stakes into the ground marking your area. Leave the stakes about a foot wider than the area you are going to dig. Mark the actual area with a spray can.

2. Tie string to your stakes, pull the string tight to minimize sag. Put the line level on the string and level the string. Next we need to set pitch. About a 1/4" per foot is good for drainage. For every one foot we will go down a 1/4". If you walkway is 20 feet long we will drop 5 inches. Now that we have the string level we can drop one end 5 inches to set our pitch. This will be our guide for when we start to excavate the area.

3. Dig out the area to about 10 inches deep. Also dig it about 6 inches wider than where the actual pavers will lay. Take your vibrating plate compactor and compact the soil to make sure its good and compact. Making sure you have a solid base is the most important steps to making your pavers last a long time.

4. Next fill your area with crushed run. That is usually 3/4" stone with stone dust with it, it makes a very nice compact base to work with. We need to bring it up to the bottom of the pavers and minus 3/4" for the stone dust base that we will need to set the pavers on. If the pavers are 2 3/8" and the 3/4" stone dust, we will need to fill the crush run up to 6 7/8 high. Ok now that we have filled it up we need to compact with the vibrating plate compactor, then recheck height. This process will take a few times. Every time we fill and compact you should use the 2x4 with the 3/4" EMT conduit to level out the area. Place the 3/4" EMT conduit on both sides of the walkway and then run the 2x4 down the top of the 3/4" EMT spreading out the crush run nice and flat. Remove 3/4" EMT and compact again. Eventually you will have a nice flat base to place the stone dust on.

5. Next is to add the stone dust. Make sure this has no rocks and that the stone dust is clean. This will make a big difference when you try to screen the dust flat. Place the 3/4" EMT tubing on both sides of your walk way again. Fill with stone dust and screen flat with 2x4. Do not walk on screened area. Remove 3/4" EMT, this should have been on the outside edges where no pavers are going to be places, so the voids do not have to be filled. Start placing the pavers in the pattern you desire. I usually work from the house to the street. As you are placing pavers make sure you don't pinch stone dust in between joints. Pavers should be dropped into place after you have the sides of the paver touching the other pavers. Finish your pattern to the end. If you need to make cuts use the wet saw or circular saw with concrete blade.

6. 

   Now add paver retainers, these are long strips of heavy duty angeled plastic. These help keep your pavers from moving. These are fasten down with 10" spikes. At the end of the walk way you can place a nice piece of granite as a retainer, this finishes off the look.

7. Now we need to fill the gaps with sand or polymeric sand. I prefer the polymeric sand because it hardens and is harder for weeds and ants to destroy. Brush the sand in and leave some on the top. Take the vibrating plate compactor and run over the whole area setting the pavers into the stone dust and vibrating the sand into the cracks, repeat until no more sand falls into the gaps. Brush away excess sand and water patio to settle sand or to activate polymeric sand.

8. Fill in the are next to your pavers with topsoil and plant grass seeds or if you saved the grass from excavating you can place that back in. Enjoy your new walk way.

Tips & Warnings

• Making the base solid, flat and compact is the key to success with this project. The larger the project the harder it is. Walk ways are simple, but large patio areas can be quite difficult. A different technique is needed for larger areas, but the principal is the same.

• Make sure you get pure stone dust, some guys will try to give you fill and other low quality materials. Dust from cutting the pavers is very unhealthy, wear a mask and also eye protection is always a must.

Resources

• Craigslist search