Brick Walkways and Cobblestone Edging

Design

• Creating a design plan gives you the opportunity to put all of your ideas on paper to see which ones best accentuate the existing landscape. Make a basic sketch of your yard and draw various courses. Draw different patterns over the walkway including both 45-degree and 90-degree herringbone designs, and a traditional basket-weave. Plan to lay the walkway with straight or angled edges if you want to avoid cutting cobblestones.

Preparation

• Preparing the walkway site is the most labor-intensive step in the installation process. Whether you're setting the bricks and cobblestones in sand or mortar, the walkway needs a foundation to keep it from sinking in the ground, aid drainage and absorb ground tension. With an excavator or shovel, remove 6 inches of dirt from the site and pour a 4-inch thick layer of gravel over the bottom. The gravel must be compacted as much as possible to stabilize the rocks so they don't shift over time.

Installation

• Once you're familiar with your design pattern, rake a 1-inch layer of sand over the gravel surface. Lay the first section of cobblestones in a straight line along the inner walls of the walkway site. Fill in the section by dropping bricks on the sand in your planned pattern. Adjacent bricks and cobblestones should be flush against each other with minimal spacing. Lay a wood plank over each section and walk over it to level the surface with even pressure. Pack fine sand between the joints to cushion the bricks and cobblestones, and lock them in position.

Maintenance

• Bricks and cobblestones are naturally weather-resistant, but there are a few ways to extend the life and improve the appearance. Metal or flexible edge restraints should be installed against the perimeter to hold the cobblestones in place. Restraints keep the stones in a straight row and reinforce them as they settle over time. Consider rolling a clear, penetrating sealant over the surface slow fading and guard the sand joints.