How to Lay Pavers Level

Pavers are commonly used for patios.

A paver is a concrete or cement brick that has been pre-cast for use in paving projects. Pavers can be colored to suit the aesthetics of the landscape where they are to be used. They are commonly placed down for patios and sidewalks. A suitable area must be dug out to accommodate these bricks, and steps must be taken to ensure that they are placed correctly and level when they are laid down.

Things You'll Need

• Iron or PVC pipes
• Leveling sand
• Shovel
• Screed board

Instructions

1. Lay down parallel pipes to be used as screed rails into the area that has been readied for the pavers. Ideally, they must stretch from one end to another, but shorter lengths can be used. Screed rails can be made of either iron pipe or PVC pipe, and the diameter must allow for the insertion of the pavers so that they are level with the adjacent surrounding area.

2. Fill in the area between the screed rails with leveling sand. Use a shovel to fill in the area. Be sure that there is enough sand so that it overflows the rails.

3. Level the sand by dragging a screed over the top. The screed must ride on top of each parallel rail as it is dragged along. This action will not only compact the sand, but also level off the entire area between the screed rails. If shorter rails are used, pull them out when their run has been reached and fill in the trenches left behind. Lay down the rails again, and repeat this step until the entire area to be paved has been screeded and leveled.

References

• Cap Brick: Paver Installation
• Ron Hazelton: How to Build a Patio from Concrete Pavers
• Lehigh Cement: Paver Definition