Things You'll Need:
- 2-by-8 inch boards
- 90-degree angle steel brackets
- Outdoor wood screws (1 1/2 inch and 3 inch)
- Electric drill
- Electric saw
- Sand
- Tamper
- Pavers or patio bricks
- Brick saw or masonry blade
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Step 1
Select a location for your patio. A level area, free from tree roots or large stones, is best (make sure you call your local utility companies before you dig). Dig a shallow, rectangular or square hole in the size that you would like for your patio. The hole should be roughly 7 or 8 inches deep.
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Step 2
Build a box to fit inside your hole. Cut the pressure-treated outdoor lumber and attach each piece at 90-degree angles with steel angle brackets and screws (also screw the boards directly to each other with 3-inch screws). Make sure that the boards fit snugly together at the corners so there is little or no gap between them.
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Step 3
Fill the inside of the box with sand up to a level just high enough so that when a paver or brick is placed inside the box it is level with the top edge of the wood. Use a straight 2-by-4 inch board to flatten out the sand. Correct any low or high spots in the sand until you have a level surface.
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Step 4
Spray the sand with water and then thoroughly tamp it with a small electric tamper (tampers can be rented at almost any home improvement store). After tamping once, add more sand to restore it to the original level. Wet and tamp again until there is a firm, level surface.
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Step 5
Start laying the bricks or pavers from one corner and working outward along one edge of the patio box. As you lay bricks, make sure that they fit snugly against each other. If any paver or brick tips, smooth the sand out underneath it until it sits securely on the sand.
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Step 6
Continue laying bricks or pavers until you reach the opposite edge of the patio. For any spaces left between the patio box and the paving material, cut portions of brick or paver with the masonry saw to fit. Finish your patio by sweeping sand into all the cracks between the paving material.
