How to Do Concrete Pave Stones

Concrete pavers date to the Roman Empire. Those famous Roman roads were basically masonry paving units installed on a compacted gravel base and fitted tightly together. The concept hasn't changed much through the centuries, although the materials have. Today's concrete pavers are made of a variety of concrete mixes that in many colors and shapes and in many forms. Some paving units butt together on edges, others interlock. Some are made to resemble natural stones and, when installed, will look like a stone patio or walkway. They are installed just like any concrete paving block.

Garden hose
Stakes
Mason's twine
Shovel
Rake
Hand or mechanical compactor
Edge restraint, plastic, metal or concrete
Landscape fabric or black plastic
Gravel
Builder's sand
Long leveling board
Level
Pavers
Plywood or other work board
Fine sand or polymeric sand
Broom

Instructions

- 1
  Design your concrete paving stone project. Sketch the basic shape on paper and figure out any pattern for installation, any angles or curves in the project and use those dimensions to order materials. Adjust the design if necessary to conform to paver sizes and reduce the amount of cutting to fit spaces. Outline the area to be paved with a garden hose or with mason's twine stretched between stakes. If the area is square or rectangular, make certain the corners are square.
- 2
  Excavate the area with a shovel. This depth will vary with localion and soil conditions but generally should be three or four times the depth of the pavers. For example, dig six-to-eight inches for 2-inch pavers. Rake the area as level as possible. Compact the soil with a hand or mechanical tamper until it is firm. Install some type of edge restraint -- metal, plastic or pre-cast concrete edging -- to hold the base and pavers in place.
- 3
  Lay landscape fabric or black plastic over the area and cover it with gravel, but leave space for an inch or two of sand. Compact the gravel and spread sand over it up to the depth of the paver. Leave two inches of space for a two-inch paver stone, for instance. Rake the sand smooth and level it with a long board pulled across it. Build in a slight slope, at least one inch every eight feet of paver, for drainage.
- 4
  Install the pavers, starting at one edge and working up and over the area. Avoid stepping on the sand. Spread a sheet of plywood or wide board on the sand to work on if it is necessary to be inside the edge restraints. Butt pavers together in any desired pattern or interlock them using the built-in connections. Cover the area, patio or walkway, with pavers. Check with a level and adjust any that are too high or too low.
- 5
  Spread fine mason's sand or polymeric sand over the area and sweep it into the joints with a broom. Polymeric sand has a bonding agent that will solidify when it is dampened. Make several passes with the sand until all joints are completely filled, then mist the area with a garden hose. This will settle regular sand and bond the polymeric sand.

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