How to Build a Brick Pathway

Decide where your path will go. Keep the path at least 2 or 3 feet from any plants that have an extensive root system. This spacing will keep the roots from pushing your bricks up from the bottom. The path should also have good drainage. Water pooling up on the path will not only make the walkway unpleasant to walk on, but any freezing and thawing will pop the bricks out of their position.

Mark the area for your path with white spray paint. Remove the turf, and dig the soil out to a depth of 7 inches.

Spread a 4-inch thick layer of aggregate stones over the path. Tamp the stones well, and cover with an inch of coarse sand. Rake the sand level, but don't tamp it. This process will make it easier to set the bricks in place.

Install the edging bricks. Stand the bricks on end, either edge to edge or face to face. Bury them deep enough that the tops of them are even with the tops of the path bricks. A properly installed edging will hold the path in place for years to come.

Start at the path edge, and start laying the path bricks in place. Place the rest of the bricks in place, keeping them as tight as possible. Once they are all set in place, spread sand over them and tamp it. The sand will compact in the cracks between the bricks. After tamping, sweep the remaining sand between any cracks still exposed.