How to Set Patio Pavers
Patio pavers are often used at driveways, walkways, patios and decks and many other places that can benefit from its durability. They are made from a combination of materials which are; brick, concrete, and natural stone. They also come in different styles, shapes and colors. Learning how to set a patio paver is a knowledge worth having and can easily be mastered by following a few simple guidelines.
What you need
- Broom
- Sand
- Flat piece of wood
- Rake
- Wood markers
- shovel
- Plate compactor
- Screening material
- Rope
- Tape measure
- Measure out the area you will be excavating. Using a tape measure, measure your patio and use wood markers to set marks at its four corners, and then cordon off your excavation area with a rope.
- Excavate out 6 inches deep of soil from your marked area, with a shovel.
- Stabilize the soil surface, in the excavation area by running a plate compactor over it.
- Measure the screening material, and then cut out enough to cover the total building area. The work of this screen is to stop grass and weeds from growing through the cracks in the patio pavers.
- Insert a flexible edge material that holds the pavers in position. Put the flexible edge along the whole border of the excavation area. Pound stakes through the slots in the edging and also down into the ground. This is to secure the edging.
- Put a 4-inch layer of crushed gravel over the screen that you have set down. Then use a rake to circulate the gravel until the top layer is completely covered.
- Make the gravel compact and tight by using the plate compactor.
- Spray about a 1-inch layer of sand over the layer of gravel. With a flat piece of wood, create an even and smooth layer across the surface of the land by dragging the piece of wood on it.
- Set the pavers down one after the other. Tap them into place using a rubber mallet.
- Pour sand on top of the pavers you have set, and then use a broom to sweep off the sand into the cracks between the pavers. Make sure that you filled all the cracks with sand.
- Spray a mist of water on the sand, and then let it dry before using the patio.