How to Lay a Brick Sidewalk With Mortar

Lay out the sidewalk and mark the edges with stakes and mason's twine. Plan for some edging, metal or plastic landscape edging or bricks set with the 2-inch edge up. Excavate the area with a shovel about 4 inches deeper than the depth of the brick -- 6 inches for a standard 2-inch brick, deeper for a 4-inch paving brick. Rake it smooth and approximately level.

Set the edge restraints to the height of the ground and the exact width of the finished sidewalk. Cover the area with 2 inches of medium gravel and compact it firmly with a hand tamper. Add about an inch of fine gravel or very coarse sand and compact it solidly. Drag a board with a level on it across the top to level that base. Test fit a row of bricks to make sure the width is exact; adjust the edge restraints as needed.

Mix mortar in a large bucket according to directions on the packet and spread a layer about an inch thick with a mason's flat trowel. Set the first row of bricks according to any chosen design. Press them firmly into the mortar and use a level to make sure the tops are level and even with the ground or edge restraints. Continue placing bricks; use plastic tile spacers at corners to keep bricks an even distance apart, preferably 3/8 to 1/2 inch but to fit the walk dimensions.

Fill the sidewalk area with bricks. Test the level, both width and length, with a 4-foot level and adjust any bricks that are out of line. Let the mortar set at least three days. Remove the spacers between bricks and sweep dry mortar into the joints. Keep sweeping until the joints are filled to the top of the brick. Spray the dry mortar with a garden hose with a mister nozzle to solidify the mortar. Let the mortar seams dry and clean any excess off the face of the bricks with a stiff bristle brush and water.