How to Lay a Basket Weave Brick Walkway

Installing a brick walkway adds a classic touch of instant curb appeal, and the basket weave pattern will compliment almost any style of home. Hiring a brick layer to do this for you can cost a small fortune. However, for those willing to put in a decent amount of sweat equity and a few days of work, the task can be completed with little previous knowledge of brick laying.

Things You'll Need

• Spray paint
• Shovel
• Graded base
• Hand tamper
• 1-by-4 lumber
• Dead blow mallet
• Wooden stakes
• Sand
• Paver bricks
• Masonry sand
• Push broom
• Garden hose

Instructions

Mark and Excavate the Pathway

1. Decide on the desired width of your path. The ideal width for most walkways is between 3 and 4 feet, and for basket weave patterns the width must be divisible by 8 inches.

2. Mark the edges of your path with spray paint. When marking the edges, add 2 inches to the desired width of the final walkway. These 2 inches will accommodate edging.

3. Excavate the dirt. Using a shovel, dig until you notice a change in the soil, or 4 inches, whichever is deeper. Maintaining this depth, excavate all dirt under the walkway area.

Add Substrate

1. Add graded base to the excavated area. Graded base is a type of gravel that will enhance drainage under your walkway and can be found in any hardware or home improvement store. Pour a layer approximately 2 inches deep.

2. Tamp down the graded base. Use a hand tamper to compress the graded base.

3. Place edging. Use a trowel to dig a 1-inch wide trench along the walkway edges. Place 1-by-4 lumber in the trenches and pound into the ground with a dead blow mallet. Pound wooden stakes into the ground along the outside of the walkway edging every 2 to 3 feet. These will help keep the edging in place.

4. Fill the edging with sand. Place a layer of sand about 2 inches deep along the walkway.

5. Tamp down the sand.

Placing the Bricks

1. Place bricks along the pathway. To form the basket weave pattern, place the first two bricks vertically to form a square. Then place the next two bricks horizontally, stacked on top of each other, forming a second square. The pattern is made from alternating these squares of two bricks each, one vertical and the next horizontal. When you start the second row of bricks be sure to start with horizontally placed bricks.

2. Tap each brick with the dead blow mallet until it is level with the wooden edging.

3. Fill spaces between bricks with masonry sand. Use a push broom to help evenly distribute the sand.

4. Wet the sand with a garden hose. The sand should be wet, but not watery.

5. Repeat filling and wetting sand until the sand is even with the top of the bricks.

Finishing

1. Fill any gaps or cracks with masonry sand after one week.

2. Wet this layer of sand with a garden hose.

3. Remove wooden stakes and edging after an additional week.

4. Fill trenches left by edging with dirt or decorative garden edging.

References

• Jennifer Stimpson, "How to Lay a Brick Path"
• "How to Lay a Brick Walk"

Resources

• Patio Brick Patterns