Instructions for How to Lay Patio Stones

A paver-stone patio.

Patios are the ground-level cousins to decks, designed to provide outdoor living space to use during warm weather. Installing a patio yourself saves the cost of labor for installation. Properly preparing the site for the patio stones is vital to avoid drainage problems, but laying the patio stones is not difficult. Installation instructions are the same for either natural stone or manufactured concrete pavers.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Spray paint
• Shovel
• Level
• Plate compactor
• Crushed rock
• Hose
• Edge restraints
• Metal spikes
• Hammer
• 1-inch diameter pipe
• Sand
• 2 by 4 lumber
• Paver stones
• String
• Chisel
• Masonry sand
• Broom

Instructions

Prepare the site

1. Measure the shape and size of the patio space and mark with spray paint. Cut sod away in pieces from marked area with a shovel.

2. Excavate the patio area to a depth of 5 inches plus the thickness of the stones or pavers. Excavate the ground in the natural direction of run off and away from any structures to prevent water from collecting when it rains. The recommended grade is 3/16 inch per foot.

3. Run a plate compactor over the excavated area to tamp down the soil. Verify that the proper grade is still in place with the level.

Install the base

1. Place a 1-inch layer of crushed rock on top of the compacted soil. Moisten the rock with a hose. Run the plate compactor over the base to compact it. Repeat the rock layer twice, compacting between layers, for a total of 3 inches of rock. Maintain the slope of the patio base in the gravel.

2. Install plastic- or metal-edge restraints around the perimeter of the patio to hold the pavers in place. Push the restraints into place around the form of the patio and drive metal stakes through the pockets in the back of the restraints and into the ground with a hammer.

3. Lay lengths of 1-inch diameter pipe parallel to each other along the inside of the patio area at six-foot intervals. Pack sand around the base of the pipes to hold them in place. Verify that the grade of the patio is maintained along the top edge of the pipes with a level.

4. Pour sand into the patio area and level to the height of the pipes by resting a piece of 2 x 4 lumber on top of two parallel pipes and dragging it down their length to spread and smooth the sand. This process is known as "screening".

5. Remove the pipes and fill in the trenches with sand, smoothing to the level of the surrounding bed of sand.

Lay the stones

1. Lay the paver stoned in the desired patter beginning at a 90-degree corner. Use string lines to ensure straight lines within the pattern of the stones. Leave 1/8 inch of space between each stone.

2. Cut paver stones to size as necessary using a hammer and chisel to gouge a crack along the place where the stone is to split. Place the edge of the chisel in the center of the gouge and strike the top with the hammer until the paver breaks cleanly along the line.

3. Spread masonry sand over the pavers and sweep it into joints with a wide broom. Go over the pavers with the plate compactor twice, making the second pass perpendicular to the first. Sweep any remaining sand into the joints.

References

• Belgard: How to Install Concrete Pavers
• Grounds Maintenance: How to Install Concrete Pavers