How to Install Belgard Flooring

Contact your local zoning board to acquire any needed permits, and to learn the building codes you must follow when installing the pavers.

Call 811, the "Call Before you Dig" number. Your local utility companies will come out to your home, at no cost to you, and mark the location of the lines they having running through your yard. If you damage these lines while digging, you can be fined and held responsible for repair costs.

Mark off the area where you are installing the flooring by spray-painting the ground, or by driving wooden stakes into the ground around the perimeter.

Dig a hole inside the marked-off area. The hole should be deep enough to contain 4 inches of gravel, 1 inch of sand and the thickness of the pavers. If the area is small, you can use hand tools, such as a shovel or pick, but for larger jobs, renting a 1 1/2-ton excavator can make the job much easier. If you do use the excavator, use a shovel to clear the dirt in the area immediately next to the foundation wall to prevent damage created by the excavator.

Smooth the soil in the bottom of the hole with a rake, sloping it away from the house at a slight angle for drainage, then cover the dirt inside the hole with landscaping fabric. The landscaping fabric prevents weeds from growing through the pavers, and stabilizes the soil.

Fill the hole with a 2-inch-deep layer of gravel, then rake it smooth and tamp it to compact it. Add a second 2-inch layer of gravel to the hole, then smooth and tamp it.

Place an inch of sand into the hole on top of the gravel, and smooth it by dragging a 2-by-4 board across the surface.

Install edge restraints around the perimeter of the hole and driving the pins or stakes provided with the restraints through the restraints and into the sand.

Lay the first course of pavers onto the sand at one end of the hole. If necessary, cut a paver with a wet saw so it will fit at the end. Wear safety goggles, gloves and ear protection when using the wet saw.

Cut a paver in half with the wet saw, then use that as the first paver in the second row. This staggers the pavers, which strengthens the flooring and makes it look better. Lay the rest of the pavers in the second row.

Continue laying pavers until the flooring is complete, staggering the pavers in each row.

Spread fine-grain sand over the pavers, and sweep it into the joints between the pavers with a broom.

Run over the pavers with a mechanical plate compactor.

Clear any debris, such as leaves or tree branches off of the floor, and apply a sand-binding sealant to the pavers, following the manufacturer's instructions.