How to Make a Paver Path

Mark the area where you want to install the flagstone paver pathway, using powdered chalk for a curved path or stakes and string for a straight one. Keep the path 3 to 5 feet wide. Use a framing square at the corners to form right angles. Insert a shovel into the soil to score the perimeters of the pathway before removing the stakes and string.

Remove stones and rocks within the marked perimeters to clear the area for digging. Collect the material in a wheelbarrow or tarp and discard.

Excavate the ground between the perimeters to a depth that allows the thickness of the stone paver minus 1 inch, a 2-inch sand bed and a 4-inch gravel base. This ensures the flagstone pavers fall 1 inch above the surrounding ground.

Check the depth of the excavation to ensure it is level throughout. If required, add or remove dirt to raise or lower spots. Tamp the excavation to firm the dirt.

Lay lengths of plastic or metal edging along the walls of the excavation to contain the sand and pavers. Allow for a finished grade that falls 1 inch above the surrounding soil. Hand form plastic edging so it bends around curves. Score metal edging at the point where you need to bend it and cut a 1-inch slit along the upper and lower edges of the points with a hacksaw so it bends easily.

Pour gravel into the bed, spray it lightly to reduce friction and tamp with a hand or mechanical tamper until firm. Continue the process of spreading and firming layers of gravel until it forms a compact, 4-inch layer.

Spread landscape fabric over the compacted gravel base to prevent weed infestations. Overlap the edges of the fabric by 3 to 4 inches.

Spread 2 inches of coarse sand over the landscape fabric in the trench. Level and smooth its top with a 2-by-4-inch screed board.

Lay the flagstone pavers over the sand bed in your desired pattern, starting from one end to the other. Tamp each stone paver with a rubber mallet to embed it securely in the sand. Space the pavers 1/8-inche apart.

Check that the tops of the pavers are in line with each other, or adjust by adding or removing sand underneath, if necessary. Cut the final row of flagstone pavers to size with a cutoff saw, so they fit the available space. Spread sand over the path and brush it to fill the gaps in between pavers.