How to Install Concrete Paver Landscape

Concrete pavers are a strong and versatile paving material. Whether you choose to install a walkway, patio or driveway, concrete pavers add a contrast of color and texture to a landscape. Installing pavers is a labor-intensive do-it-yourself project that calls for special attention to detail to ensure the integrity of the surface and foundation. Dry installation -- setting the pavers in sand instead of mortar -- is cleaner and within the capabilities of novice landscapers.

Tape measure
Rope
Shovel
Rake
¾-inch crushed rock
Tamper
Edge restraints
Lawn spikes
Grit sand
Pavers
Level
Stone dust

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the site for the walkway or patio with a tape measure, and use ropes to outline the shape.
- 2
  Unearth 8 inches of dirt from the area with a shovel. Rake the bottom even and tamp the loose soil with a manual tamper.
- 3
  Fill 5 inches of the site with 3/4-inch crushed rock. Spread it with the rake and tamp the fill until it feels firm under your feet. The tamped gravel allows underground moisture to drain while preventing the surface pavers from sinking.
- 4
  Place edge restraints against the inner edges of the site and secure them with lawn spikes. Restraints keep the pavers from sliding out of place.
- 5
  Rake a 1-inch layer of grit sand over the gravel. The bed of sand levels out the base and creates traction against the bottom of the pavers.
- 6
  Place the concrete pavers on the sand bedding flush against each other starting at the center of one side and work out to the edges. Use a traditional herringbone, basket weave or other pattern for a classic look, or create your own design. Use a level over each section and adjust adjacent pavers in the sand so they are even.
- 7
  Dump stone dust over the paver surface and brush it between the joints to pad them as they settle.

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