The Best Way to Lay Bed Pavers

Plan Your Work

• Measure the area you wish to pave. Determine the amount and types of materials you will need, and make a list of all of the tools you will need to complete the job. Common items you will need include work gloves, eye protection, pavers, sand, gravel, a shovel, wooden stakes, a sledge hammer, a rubber mallet, a level and a push broom. Starting a home improvement project without all of the proper tools and supplies will result in unnecessary work stoppages.

Check with Authorities

• Laying a proper bed for your pavers will involve digging. Always check with the utility companies regarding the location of buried gas, electric, communications and water lines to make sure you don't get an unwelcome surprise. Check with the local municipal codes department to ensure you are in compliance with all applicable building codes.

Prepare the Bed

• Excavate the bed to the appropriate depth. Determine the proper depth by adding the thickness of the paver to the depth of the base material and the depth of the setting bed. The setting bed should be approximately 1.5 inches deep. The depth of the base material will depend on whether you are using the pavers for walking on or driving on. Base material thickness will typically range from at least six inches for foot traffic to 12 inches for vehicular traffic.

Compact Layers

• The best way to prepare the bed for pavers is to compact each layer of building material with a roller or vibration plate. Start by compacting the excavated ground. Compact the base material, usually gravel, in layers of no more than four inches. Start with a layer of course gravel and make each succeeding layer with smaller sized gravel.

Set the Bed

• Spread the bedding material, typically coarse washed concrete sand, over the compacted base material to a depth of around one inch. Start laying your pavers beginning in the center of the bed and working your way out. Once all the pavers are in place, sweep sand over the entire surface. Use the compacter to tamp the sand down into all the crevices. Add more sand and repeat until the paver surface is solid.