How to Lay a Driveway Block

Outline the driveway area with wooden pegs and a string. Clear the grass and dirt with a flat shovel and dig an expanse 12 inches deep. Compact the loose dirt at the bottom with a manual tamper to make the subsoil stable.

Fill the expanse with two 4-inch-thick layers of 3/4-inch crushed rock, tamping down the first before adding the second. Rake the gravel so the base is slightly sloped toward the street by 1 inch for every 8 feet of distance. Tamp the second layer until the rocks are packed snugly.

Lay strong edge restraints against the inner walls and hammer 12-inch nails through pre-cut slots.

Pour grit sand over the crushed rocks and spread it with a straight board. A portion of the sand will fall between the rocks. The finished sand bed should be 1-inch thick.

Place the first driveway blocks on one end of the driveway. Butt adjacent blocks against each other and the edging. Follow your chosen pattern and use a level to check that each section is even. Lay a board over the blocks and walk over it several times to press the blocks into the sand.

Fill the joints between the paving blocks with a stiff brush and fine sand.