How to Turn Corners in Landscape Block

Plan the block pavement with a pencil and paper. Make a scale drawing and sketch your pattern onto the surface.

Stake out the surface with wooden pegs and a string. Use a carpenter's square to ensure the corners are exactly 90 degrees.

Use a square-tipped shovel to unearth the grass and dirt from the site. Dig until the site is 8 to 12 inches deep plus half the thickness of the paving blocks. Surfaces intended for vehicular traffic require the 12-inch-thick base for support.

Press a hand tamper over the dirt floor to make it as stable as possible.

Fill the expanse with a 2-inch layer of 3/4-inch crushed rock. Press the tamper over the rocks until they form a solid surface. Continue adding the rocks in 2-inch layers and tamping them until the base is 8 to 10 inches thick.

Fit edging restraints against the inside borders. Use landscape timbers, steel or another strong material to reinforce the blocks. Secure metal strips by hammering 9-inch lawn spikes through the slots.

Pour grit sand over the aggregate until it is about 1 inch thick. Lay a flat board on top and gently drag it across to smooth the surface.

Place the first block in the center of one end. Drop it on the sand in position rather than dragging it into place. Set the second block flush against the first leaving less than 1/8 inch of space between the two. Lay a wood board over each section and walk on it to press the blocks down evenly. Continue setting the blocks according to your pattern until you reach the corner, or the end of the first leg. Set the corner block flush against the edging.

Turn the first block of the second leg so the pattern will now run perpendicular to the first leg. The edges must be flush against all adjacent blocks. Continue setting blocks until the surface is complete.

Sweep fine sand or stone dust over the blocks and push it into the joints with a stiff broom.

Roll a penetrating sealer over the blocks with a rolling paintbrush.