How to Lay Paving Flagstones

Take out the topsoil and turf to the depth of the flagstones plus 2 inches. Create a slight slope of about ½ inch for every yard, to allot an area for drainage.

Pour 1 inch of sand across the area that you dug. Place borders and stones into the sand, arranging them in your desired layout.

Create a cement mixture with four parts sand and one part cement, adding enough water to create a mortar.

Remove the first four stones at the corner and spread about 1½ inches of mortar in the open space from which you removed the stones.

Place the stones back in the newly coated space and tap them with a mallet so they'll mix with the mortar. Place ¼-inch wooden spacers between the flagstones.

Make sure the entire surface remains level as you continue to remove and reinstall the stones with cement. Lay a 2-by-4-inch board over the top of the stones and use a carpenter's level to check that the surface is level.

Take out the wooden spacers before the cement dries and leave the entire surface to dry for at least one-and-a-half days.

Make another cement mixture in an empty bucket, with three parts dry sand and one part dry cement. Sprinkle these into the spaces between the flagstones and use a dry brush to wipe away the excess.

Spray the entire area with water to dampen the sand and cement mixture. Let the entire surface set for at least two days.