How to Lay Pavers Over an Existing Wood Deck

Check the span of the deck joists. They should be a minimum of 12 inches on center. Add more joists if necessary out of the 2-inch by 12-inch lumber. Cut them to fit with the circular saw, and nail them into place with a hammer and appropriately length nails.

Prepare the deck. Cut down sheets of 5/8-inch-thick plywood to fit across the installation area. Drill them into place and mount them to the deck planks below. Cover the deck with one row, and then add another row on top of that.

Cover the new deck platform in a layer of felt paper. Cut it with a utility knife and overlap the pieces slightly. Tack them in place with the handheld hammer tacker. Cut chicken wire to fit the same area with a pair of tin snips, and tack it into place with the same tacking machine.

Mix some of the concrete mix according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The mixture should clump in your hand loosely and pack when you close your fist, but fall apart if you shake your hand. You do not want a mortar. Shovel it into a roughly 2-inch-thick layer on top of the paper and wire.

Create a slurry mixture out of watered down cement mix, and paint it onto the backs of each individual piece of stone before you install the pavers into the mud. Place each stone into the mud mixture, and tap the pavers into place with a rubber mallet. Set several stones in a row, and use the level to guide your installation for a level and flat surface. Add or remove mud as necessary, and tamp each individual piece into place with the mallet.