How to Lay Landscape Pavers
Outdoor patios give a house more living space at a much lower cost than building an addition. Most outdoor patios are made from poured concrete. However, patios can also be made from flagstone or by laying landscape pavers. Landscape pavers are usually made from concrete or brick and can come in a variety of colors and sizes. Landscape pavers are laid over compacted base material and sand. Most homeowners can lay pavers using materials bought at any home supply store. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Base material
- Shop broom
- Measuring tape
- Masonry sand
- Plastic end brackets
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Landscape compactor
- 2-by-4, 8-feet long
- Water supply and hose
- Grass seed
Instructions
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1
Plan and measure the patio area desired. Use the measuring tape to determine the square footage of the desired patio. Use the number of square feet to determine how many pavers will be needed. Pavers come in different sizes and builders will need different numbers of pavers depending upon the size of the paver and the square-footage of the desired patio.
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2
Purchase pavers, base material, sand and edge brackets. Purchase the number of pavers determined in step 1. Purchase the base material consisting of fine ground stone. Purchase 1 ½ yards of base material for every 100 square feet of desired patio area. Also purchase fine masonry sand. Purchase one-quarter the amount of sand as you purchase base material.
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3
Use the shovel to excavate the desired patio area to a depth of 8 inches. Slope this area slightly away from the house to allow water to drain.
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4
Place the base material in the excavated area to a depth of approximately 4 inches. Use the 2-by-4 to level the base material. Use the landscape compactor to thoroughly compact the base material. Repeat this process with additional base material until the patio area has 4 inches of thoroughly compacted base material.
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5
Cover the base material with approximately 2 inches of fine masonry sand. Use the 2-by-4 and landscape compactor to level and compact the sand. Repeat this process until there is 2 inches of compacted level sand.
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6
Lay the landscape pavers on the compacted sand using the desired pattern. Use the hammer and chisel to break pavers, if required, to complete the pattern.
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7
Place the plastic end brackets along the edges of the pavers. Use the hammer to insert the spikes provided with the plastic end brackets every 2 inches to hold the plastic end brackets in place. The plastic end brackets prevent the pavers from spreading.
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8
Place masonry sand loosely on top of the pavers. Spread the sand with a shop broom until the sand fills the cracks between the pavers. Repeat this until all cracks are filled.
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9
Fill in any open area between the plastic end brackets and the excavation with soil. Loosely compact this area and plant any desired grass seed. Attach the hose to the water supply and wash the patio of any remaining sand and earth.
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