How to Install Interlocking Brick Landscapes

Create a design plan for your brick surface. Choose the interlocking brick pattern you want to lay, and decide on the size and shape of the site.

Outline the borders of the project with ropes or hoses, adding 2 inches to each side for the edge restraints. Adjust the outline until they are the exact shape and size you need them to be. Trace the outline with landscaping paint.

Excavate the area within the painted borders using a shovel. Cut through the grass with a vertical motion so the interior walls of the site are straight, not curved. Continue digging until the site is 8 inches below ground. Flatten the dirt with a tamper until the bottom feels hard under your feet.

Dump 4 inches of gravel over the site and spread it out with the shovel. Tamp down the gravel so it is hard and level. The gravel base will prevent bricks from sinking and allow underground moisture to escape.

Place metal or flexible edge restraints along the inner walls of the site. Sink 9-inch spikes through their slots to secure the edging to the base.

Fill the expanse with a 2-inch layer of course sand bedding to level out the gravel base.

Place two interlocking bricks in a corner of the site over the sand bedding. Hit them with a mallet to embed them in the sand. Fit the next brick into the pattern, and continue setting the bricks in 3-by-3-foot sections. After completing each section, place a board on top and tap it with a mallet sure the bricks are even with each other.

Sweep fine-grained sand over the interlocking surface with a shop broom once all bricks are laid. Add additional sand and pack it down until all of the joints are filled.