How to Lay Garden Pavers

Sketch and experiment with designs to see what works on your surface, using graph paper and a pencil. You'll need a 10 percent paver overrun if you have lots of curves, 5 percent if you don't. Check for changes in elevation or your slope with your level and a two-by-four. You'll need a gentle slope of an inch for every five to eight inches to allow for drainage. Once you've mapped out the design and accounted for draining, outline your work area with spray paint.

Stake out the design at different intervals so you have a permanent abutment to determine the height of your pavers. Use a two-by-four laid at your abut's point of reference and lay it across to a stake to ensure it is level. Mark your desired slope the same way. Tie string to the stakes at the markings to depict your selected slope and height.

Excavate debris from the work area by readying the base so that you can install your pavers, using a shovel. Add the depths of the pavers, crushed rock, and sand. That will be your total project depth. Remove all excess dirt, water, rocks, and protruding plants or limbs. The base must be clean or the pavers you lay will be uneven. If you are working in clay, put down a geotextile layer over the dirt and up the sides of the work area for stability. Use a mechanical plate compactor to compact the gravel base. The gravel should be moist, not dry, before compaction.

Edge your work area with edge restraints to keep your pavers and your base in place. Your final layer is the sand. Level the sand by screeding it. Place your screeding pipes and run the screed board over the sand until it is 1 1/2 inch leveled smooth. Remove screeding pipes, fill the pipe holes with sand, and level off.

Set interlocking pavers evenly in place according to your chosen design, using your height string as a guide. Once pavers are down, cut the end pavers to fit with a masonry saw or a mechanical splitter. Gently push the pavers into the sand with the plate compactor. Fill in any cracks between pavers with sand to lock them in place.