Instructions for a Paver Walkway

Plan the walkway by marking it out on the ground where it will be installed. The walkway should be 36 inches wide at the minimum; plan for wider if you like. Measure the length and width, and mark it on the ground using marking paint or regular spray paint. Use the marked area to calculate the number of pavers and other materials you need. Remember, a curved walkway will require more cutting and shaping of pavers than a straight one. If you need to, take the measurements to your local supply yard where the materials will be purchased and ask them to help you with the calculations.

Excavate the bed for the walkway. Do this when there has been no rain for at least three days and the ground is as dry as possible. Dig out approximately 8 inches of earth; 3 inches will be for the gravel bed, 2 inches for the sand or gravel dust, and then the pavers. Level the bed by hand as you dig with the shovel, checking it every couple of feet to be sure the finished surface will be level when it's all installed. Square the edges of the bed with your flat spade. Use the plate compactor when the bed is completely dug to compact and smooth the dirt, on the entire surface of the bed.

Lay 1 1/2 inches of gravel in the bed by spreading it with the shovel. Smooth it with the rake, and then compact it. Add the remaining 1 1/2 inches of gravel and repeat the process.

Install paver edging if you are using it. Lay the plastic edging on top of the gravel, and tap it backward into the earth using the rubber mallet until it is fully seated so that the front edge will retain both the sand and the pavers. Edging is not a necessary addition, just a matter of preference for the installer.

Layer the sand on top of the gravel, leveling and compacting it the same way you did the gravel.

Begin laying the pavers on the sand bed. Lay them on top of the sand as close together as possible, but don't push them around in the sand base. Start at an edge and work outward in rows. Create whatever design you have chosen, cutting the pavers with the masonry saw or chisel and hammer as needed to shape the walkway. Remember, a good tight fight is necessary to maintain the level surface of the walkway, so the bed needs to be filled edge to edge with paver bricks with no spaces between them.

Sweep another layer of sand over the walkway when the pavers are laid, brushing it into the crevices and seams between the pavers. Use the plate compactor over the entire surface of the walkway once again, vibrating the sand down between the bricks. Repeat this process until no more sand will fall between the seams in the pavers. Sweep away any excess sand.