How to: Patio Made of Cement Squares

Preparing the Base

• 1

  Mark the area of the patio with brightly colored spray paint.

• 2

  Excavate 6 inches of topsoil with a shovel or skid loader. Allow extra room to work by excavating slightly wider than the finished patio size.

• 3

  Smooth out the soil with a flat-ended shovel.

• 4

  Fill the area with 2 inches of granular base material, such as crushed limestone.

• 5

  Compact the granular base material with a tamper. A firmly compacted base reduces future settling.

• 6

  Repeat Steps 4 and 5.

• 7

  Place screed guides or 1-inch-thick galvanized pipes across the granular base.

• 8

  Fill the area with 1 inch of sand, on top of the granular base.

• 9

  Lay a flat-edged board across two or more screed guides and pull a pile of sand across the patio. The screed guides assist in leveling the sand, while insuring a uniform 1-inch sand base.

• 10

  Remove the screed guides.

• 11

  Fill the empty areas left by the removed screeds by gently raking the sand surface.

Installing the Cement Squares

• 12

  Locate the starting point, which is commonly a middle point along one edge of the patio base.

• 13

  Mark the center point along the edge of one cement patio paver.

• 14

  Lay the first paver on the sand base. Line up the center mark on the paver with the center mark on the edge of the patio base.

• 15

  Lay additional pavers side by side, one row at a time, until the patio is complete. Leave an 1/8-inch space between pavers.

• 16

  Place a level across the paver surface to verify that each row is level. Add or remove sand until each paver is level.

Finishing the Patio

• 17

  Install edge restraints along the perimeter of the patio.

• 18

  Secure the edge restraints with 12-inch spikes every 2 feet.

• 19

  Sweep masonry sand across the patio surface to fill the spaces between the pavers.

• 20

  Rake loose sand and topsoil from the excavated, unpaved ground to the edge of the patio.

• 21

  Compact the finished patio with a tamper.