A Guide To Laying Pavers For A Patio
Outdoor living spaces are a great way to add value, beauty and functional outdoor space to your home. A relatively simple way to do this is by laying pavers together to form a patio. Laying pavers can be achieved by the homeowner who does not have a lot of prior knowledge about do it yourself projects.
This step by step guide to laying brick pavers will help you create the outdoor patio you have always wanted.
Step One: Gather or purchase the following tools:
• String or rope to mark off patio location.
• Shovel
• Rake
• Aggregate (stone for putting pavers on; available at your local stone crusher or home improvement store).
• Sand
• Spray paint for marking space to be excavated for patio. You will spray the paint directly on the grass.
• Plastic paver edging
• Desired pavers
• Compactor (available at a toll and equipment rental store)
Step Two: Choose Location
Choose a location that is as flat as possible. By doing so you will eliminate a lot of digging in order to get a spot level. Mark the area with string and spray paint the ground underneath the string. You can then remove the string. You should be left with a painted outline of where you will be laying patio pavers. Arrange the pavers in desired patterns, laying them on top of ground. This will give you an idea of how the pavers will look, and whether you want to make any changes. It is much better to make changes before installation, rather than ripping the pavers out after installation if you do not like them.
Step Three: Site preparation:
After deciding upon a location for laying brick pavers, you will need to dig the area out. How deep you need to dig will depend upon the thickness of the paver you are using and how much dirt needs to be remove to get the are level. Trench the entire area out until you are left with a level recessed area for installing pavers.
Fill the trench with four inches of stone aggregate. Compact the gravel by going over the area at least four times with the compactor equipment. Outline the trench with plastic paver edging to hold pavers securely in place after laying the patio pavers. Next cover the stone with one inch of sand. Compact and level the sand by wetting the sand, then run a board across the sand to level and compact it again.
Step Four: Laying Pavers
Place pavers in predetermined pattern, stop of sand. Tamper the pavers down to ensure they settle securely in the sand.
Step Five: Clean up.
Hose the patio surface with water and allow drying. Sweep any excess sand into cracks between pavers.Check that pavers are secure and do not slip.
Step Five: Sit back and enjoy.
This guide is a basic guide to laying pavers. Specific paver manufacturers offer detailed instructions specific to their paver product. Check with the manufacturer for more details.
