Installing Interlocking Paving for Patios, Walks and Steps
Installing interlocking paving in your yard adds appeal and is a relatively easy way to spruce up outdoor space. The technique to installing them leaves small spaces between them that can be filled in with sand, resulting in long lasting and crack resistant surfaces.
You need
- Shovel
- Cracked gravel
- Paver blocks
- Manual compactor (can be rented from a home and garden store) or hand tamper for steps
- Sand
- Sweeper type broom
- Rubber mallet
- Trowel
- Insert stakes into the ground every few feet to outline a walkway. Tie a string around the wooden stakes to mark the path. Excavate the area until the level is 8 to 10 inches below where the top of the pavers will be. Remove all growth and soil, making the surface as level as possible. You will need to slope the surface a ¼ inch for every foot to direct water run-off.
- Add a 4 inch layer of gravel over the soil and tamp the entire surface. The thickness of the gravel will depend on soil type. Add an additional eight inches of gravel if the soil is loose and sandy instead of compacted.
- Go over the entire surface with the compactor.
- Add a one inch layer of sand, smoothing with a rake, creating a flat surface of sand. Don’t walk on or touch the sand. Don’t lay out more sand than you can cover with pavers in a single day. Sand can set unpredictably.
- Work in an outward radial pattern for patios. Work in rows for walkways and steps. Every time you place a paver, tap the sides and top with rubber hammer to push into place.
- Sweep sand into the tiny cracks between the pavers. Go over the entire surface and tap each paver a couple of times with the mallet, to ensure secure footing. Do this at least twice. Save the leftover sand to add as the sand settles. You will want to add more sand periodically because of weathering and settling.