How to Install Rubber Paving Blocks

Rubber paving blocks are simple to install and less expensive than concrete pavers. Although rubber pavers are made to look like concrete paving blocks, they are easier to work with because you can cut them with a utility knife rather than a mallet and chisel. Because rubber paving blocks may be of recycled products such as old tire rubber, they are a green product. Rubber pavers are more impact resistant, so they are easier on the feet and back if you stand for long periods of time. They are also easier on the hands and knees of young children who may slip or fall.

T-Square
Stakes
String
Sod cutter
Shovel
Builder's sand
Tamping tool
Spirit level
Plywood scrap
Crushed gravel
Utility knife
Rubber paving blocks

Instructions

- 1
  Measure out the dimensions of your future patio. Place a stake into each corner with a mallet. Stretch string between the stakes to mark the boundaries of the patio. Remove the sod from the top layer of the patio with a sod cutter.
- 2
  Excavate the patio to a depth of 6 inches with a shovel. Ensure that the ground at the base of the patio is level using a scrap of plywood and a spirit level.
- 3
  Put a 2-inch layer of crushed gravel into the patio base. Crushed gravel has uneven edges and will interlock as it compacts. Tamp the gravel down using a tamping tool and level the gravel.
- 4
  Place a 2 inch layer of slightly-damp builder's sand into the gravel. Tamp down on the sand so that it is firm and level. Ensure that the sand is level using a spirit level and plywood scrap.
- 5
  Place the pavers directly over the sand. Interlock the pavers like a puzzle as you put them in place. For the best results, start at the center of the patio and work your way outward. When you reach the edges of the patio, cut the pavers to fit flush with the sides of the excavated soil and slip them into place.

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