Belgard Paver Installation

Plan your patio area. Grab a paper, pen and level and draw a diagram of the area you want to pave. Include measurements of the area.

Stake out the area a foot more than the area you decided on for your pavers. Run a piece of string along the outside of the stakes to mark off your excavation area.

Excavate the area you marked off to a depth of 8 inches for walkways and patios and 10 inches for driveways. Run a plate compactor over the floor of the excavation area to pack the ground down tightly.

Fill the area with a 5-inch layer of crushed stone base material. Compact the crushed stone with the plate compactor. Wetting the gravel lightly with water will make compacting easier. Continue to add gravel in layers until the base is 3 inches from the desired level of the finished grade.

Check the slop by setting a level on the compacted gravel surface. Slope the surface away from your house for proper water drainage. The slope should be 3/16-inch per foot.

Install edge restraints to prevent the pavers from spreading. Set a precast concrete curb along the edge of each of the two longest sides of your paver area so they are parallel.

Set a screed rail along the edge of each of the two longest sides and fill the area between the rails with sand. Drag a flat board across the rails to level the sand.

Lay the pavers in your desired pattern on the sand bed. Start in one corner and work row by row. Leave 1/8 inch between each paver.

Fill the joints between the pavers with masonry sand. Compact the surface of the pavers so they set completely. Fill the joints once more and sweep off any extra sand.