Do-It-Yourself Paver Patios
- 1). Mark the perimeter of the patio by driving wooden stakes into the ground or marking the ground with spray paint.
- 2). Dig out the ground inside the marked-off area. Dig deep enough to accommodate 4 inches of crushed stone, 1 inch of sand and the height of the paver stones. In this example, the stones are 2 inches high, so you need to dig the hole 7 inches deep. When digging the bole, slope it slightly away from the house to assist in drainage.
- 3). Cover the dirt in the hole with landscaping fabric. This helps prevent weeds from growing up through the pavers.
- 4). Cover the landscaping fabric with 2 inches of crushed stone. Spray the stone with water to minimize the dust. Smooth the stone out and tamp it down. Add 2 more inches of stone to the hole, spraying it with water, leveling it out and tamping it down.
- 5). Pour a layer of sand an inch deep over the stones. Screed the sand by dragging a 2-by-4-inch board over the top to level it out. Add sand to any low spots exposed by the screeding, and screed the surface again.
- 6). Place edge restraints into the ground around the perimeter of the hole. Installation can vary by manufacturer, but generally this involves driving metal stakes into the ground through holes in the edge restraints.
- 7). Lay the paver stones on top of the sand in the desired pattern. Measure and cut any stones needed to fit between the edge of the hole and the last full stone with a wet saw. Keep setting the pavers until the patio is complete.
- 8). Run a mechanical compactor over the paver stones.
- 9). Spread fine-grain sand over the top of the paver stones. Brush the sand into the gaps between the blocks with a broom. Make multiple passes over the pavers in order to work as much sand into the gaps as possible.
- 10
Remove any debris, such as leaves or twigs, that is lying on top of the pavers. - 11
Apply a sand binding sealant to the pavers, following the instructions on the packaging.
