Paver Instructions

Dig the base for the pavers with a shovel. Allow 4 inches of gravel for pathways, 6 inches for small machine traffic and 12 inches for driveways; allow 1/2 inch to accommodate a layer of sand, and calculate your overall depth so that the pavers project 1/4 inch above ground level. Draw a rake across the loose soil at the bottom of the base to level the base's surface.

Unroll landscape fabric across the base, beginning at the side. Cut the fabric to fit with a utility knife. Lay adjacent layers of fabric across the base, overlapping successive layers by approximately 2 inches to 3 inches.

Fill the base with a 3- to 4- inch layer of coarse gravel, and roughly level the gravel with a rake. Compact the layer of gravel by pounding the tamper across the surface of the base. Fill the base with another 3- to 4-inch layer of gravel, level the base with the rake and compact with the tamper. Lay, level and tamp successive layers of gravel until you reach the desired depth of the gravel layer.

Unroll paver edging and lay the edging around the base's perimeter. Pound stakes through the edging's stake holes with a mallet to secure the edging in place.

Pour a half-inch layer of sand over the gravel, and roughly level the sand with a rake. Draw a 2-by-4 lumber screed across the sand's surface to smooth and even the sand's level.

Lay pavers on top of the sand, beginning at a corner. Firmly tap pavers with a mallet to set them in place. Tightly butt adjacent pavers against one another. Cut end pavers and the final row of pavers to fit with a masonry saw.

Distribute a one-eighth-inch thick layer of sand across the surface of the installed pavers. Sweep a push broom across the pavers' surface to push the sand into the joints between the pavers.

Spray the surface of the pavers with a garden hose's spray nozzle to dampen the sand and encourage the sand to settle into the paver joints. Allow the paved surface to dry, ideally 24 hours. Distribute, sweep and spray successive layers of sand until the joints between pavers are flush with the paved surface and filled with densely packed sand.