How to Install Block Over Dirt for a Sidewalk

Precast concrete blocks, or slabs, are a popular and cost-effective material for creating sidewalks and patios. They come in a variety of colors and do not have to be boring gray. They are less expensive than natural stone slabs and less prone to fracture. Concrete blocks are less complicated to work with than asphalt is, and concrete can be more attractive to the eye. Installing blocks to create a walkway is a straightforward task that requires patience to prepare the ground and a laborer to help lift and set the blocks in place.

4-inch-thick concrete block
6-inch wooden stakes
Gravel
Construction sand
Fine sand
Spade
Garden rake
Hand tamper
Garden hose
Water supply
Plastic sheeting
Timber plank
Slab setter tool
Broom
Helper

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the ground conditions at the sidewalk site. Use stakes to mark out the positioning of the blocks you'll place. Clear all vegetation and roots from the site.
- 2
  Excavate the soil within the staked area 10 inches deep. Ensure the excavated surface is level. Compact the subsoil with a hand tamper. Remove the excavated soil and the wooden stakes from the work area.
- 3
  Fill the excavated site with gravel. Spread gravel evenly over the site with the rake and compact it with the tamper until the compressed gravel layer has a thickness of 4 inches. Use the garden hose to soak this subgrade. Cover the gravel with plastic sheeting to protect from human or animal intrusion, and leave it overnight to settle.
- 4
  Lay construction sand over the gravel. Fill any voids in the gravel layer with the sand. Smooth out the surface of the sand with a timber plank. Compact the sand with the hand tamper until the layer is 2 inches thick above the gravel.
- 5
  Lay a 1-inch-thick layer of fine sand over the construction sand layer. Smooth the surface with the timber plank. This sand layer will allow the block to settle above it and so must not be compacted.
- 6
  Enlist a helper to lift concrete blocks with the slab setter. Move each slab to its site and place it down gently on the fine sand layer. Ensure that the sand layer is not disturbed.
- 7
  Pour fine sand into the joints between neighboring blocks. Use a broom to sweep away excess sand from the top of the blocks. Apply a fine water spray over the joints to help them to settle. Leave the block to settle for two to three days before walking over it.

How to Install a Driveway With Patches of Grass

Procedure for Grooving Concrete Bridge Decks

Paving