How to Backfill Dirt for a Patio

Backfilling Beds

• 1

  Pick up the dirt with a shovel and place it back in the base of the hole if you removed too much dirt. Distribute the dirt evenly to avoid hills and valleys in the base of the hole.

• 2

  Tamp the backfilled dirt to pack it tightly into the base of the hole, using a hand tamper or vibrating plate tamper.

• 3

  Sweep a long, straight board over the base of the hole to check for high spots. Knock down any high spots, fill in valleys and tamp the ground again to make the base even.

Backfilling Around a New Patio

• 4

  Distribute dirt around the edges of the patio with a shovel after the concrete has cured for 28 days. If the patio is composed of stone or concrete pavers, allow one soaking rainfall or wetting with a hose and drying prior to adding dirt around the perimeter of the patio.

• 5

  Fill in the dirt around the patio's edges, making it 1 inch higher than the surface of the patio.

• 6

  Lay a board over the dirt, and tamp the board with a hand tamper to pack the dirt in place. Avoid directly tamping the dirt, as the tamper may hit the edge of the patio and crack or chip it. Do not use a vibrating tamper to pack dirt around a finished patio because the vibration and strong impact can damage the patio.

• 7

  Add more dirt and tamp it down if necessary to make the surrounding dirt the same height as the patio.