How to Install Patio Pavers at Your Home

Patios made from pavers are common additions to the landscaping of many homes. They provide a place to entertain friends and family, or simply to relax without spending a great deal during installation. They are also very durable and relatively easy to build when compared to patios constructed from other materials.

1. Plan your patio design. Determine the dimensions of your patio so that you can calculate the amount of supplies you will need to complete the project.


2. Purchase the required materials. You will need the pavers, a base material such as gravel, sand and edge restraints.


3. Use string or a similar material to outline the perimeter of your patio.


4. Remove 5 to 6 inches of the soil covering the area within your outline. This allows you to add more solid base materials to the area so that your patio will have a strong foundation.


5. Add the base material to the surface area inside your perimeter. The amount of base needed may be specified by the manufacturer. If it is not you can use the default calculation obtained by subtracting 1 inch for sand and the width of your pavers from the depth of the soil that you removed in the previous step. Add half an inch to this as you need enough of the base material to elevate your patio slightly above the surrounding area, which will prevent water from pooling on the patio.


6. Use a tamping tool to make sure that the base material is well and evenly tamped. Take a second measurement to make sure you are at the correct height for the sand and pavers as this will be more difficult to adjust in later steps.


7. Place the edge restraints around the perimeter of your patio and drive them into the ground. This will prevent the sand and base material from spreading.


8. Add a layer of sand. An even one-inch layer of sand is all that is needed to hold the pavers in place.


9. Cover the area with the pavers. Fit them together as evenly as you can without disturbing the sand underneath. Leave a gap of slightly less than 1/8 of an inch in between the pavers. You may need a masonry saw to cut some of the pavers to make them fit.


10. Use a plate compactor to press the pavers into the sand as much as possible. Follow this by sweeping sand into the joints between the pavers to lock them in place.