How to Install Draining Pavers in a Patio Driveway

Excavate the driveway to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

Add a 3- to 4-inch layer of rough gravel or aggregate to the bottom of the hole. Tamp down the gravel with a tamping or compressing machine.

Shovel coarse builder's sand on top of the gravel, allowing it to filter down and fill in the spaces between the gravel. Add enough sand to fill in the spaces around the gravel, plus create a layer of sand approximately 2 to 3 inches deep on top of the gravel. Tamp the sand down with the tamping machine and create a level surface on which to lay the pavers.

Lay the drainage pavers on the bed of sand. Begin in one corner of the driveway. Set the paver on the bed of sand and check its level with a carpenter's leveling tool. Add or subtract sand from beneath the paver until it is level. Set adjacent pavers, setting them until level with the first paver you set.

Put shovelfuls of fine sand all over the surface of the completed driveway. Use a broom to push the sand into the cracks between the pavers. This will help keep them from heaving up out of the ground.

Spray the finished driveway with a hose to remove excess sand from the surface of the pavers. Do not aim the hose nozzle directly at the cracks between the pavers; otherwise, it will push out the sand.