Do It Yourself Brick Pavers

Installing brick pavers can turn into a costly, time-consuming job when you hire a contractor to complete the job for you. However, by installing the pavers yourself, you can save money on labor costs. While the cost for materials varies depending on the size of your job, there are a series of steps you should take to ensure a nice, professional-looking brick paver patio.

Things You'll Need

• Spray paint
• Wooden stakes
• Shovel
• Gravel
• Base rake
• Plate compactor
• Level
• 2-by-4
• 2 pieces of 1-inch conduit tubing
• Mason sand
• Concrete
• Wheelbarrow
• Trowel

Instructions

1. Plan and measure the area in which you plan to install your brick pavers. Allow for a 5 percent waste factor, which means purchase 5 percent more materials than you think you need. Use wood stakes and spray paint to mark the boundary of your installation area.

2. Excavate the area in which you want to install the brick pavers. For driveways, excavate a minimum of 6 inches deep into the ground. For patios and walkways, excavate a minimum of 4 inches deep into the ground. Most brick pavers are 2 3/8 inches thick. Add this number to your base depth to calculate how deep you should excavate. For example, for a patio, excavate a total of 6 3/8 inches from where you expect the surface of the pavers to be when the job is complete, which equals 4 inches of excavation plus the 2 3/8-inches for the pavers. Excavate the area on the two longest sides 6 inches past your spray paint line to account to the edge restraint.

3. Lay 3 inches of base gravel inside the installation area. Spread the gravel around evenly with the rake, then compact the gravel by using a plate compactor.

4. Set a level on top of a 2-by-4 on the gravel surface, and ensure the slop of the surface runs away from your home.

5. Lay a 1-inch bed of mason sand atop the gravel base. Place the conduit tubes parallel to each other on either edge of the patio. Drag a 2-by-4 across the tubes to level out the sand.

6. Set the brick pavers one at a time starting in a corner. Place each paver flush against one another.

7. Mix up the concrete according to the package instructions in the wheelbarrow. Use a trowel to spread concrete into the trenches and along your two longest sides. This will serve as your edge restraint to hold your brick pavers in place. Let the concrete set for 12 hours before proceeding.

8. Spread sand in between the joints between your brick pavers. Use a push broom to spread the sand around evenly. Ensure there is no sand on the surface of the pavers before proceeding.

9. Spray the joints between the pavers with a fine mist of water. Let the water dry for 12 hours, so the pavers set.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact your local utility companies to locate any underground wires before digging or excavating. To do this, call 811, a free service provided to homeowners and contractors in the United States.

References

• Enhance Companies: Do-It-Yourself Brick Paver Installation Instructions
• Pine Hall Brick: Do-It-Yourself: Paving Brick