Installation of Concrete Pavers
- 1). Call your local utility companies. Have each company come to your home and mark the placement of any lines or pipes before you begin digging. This will help you avoid electrical wires and water pipes, so you don't damage them accidentally.
- 2). Press stakes into the ground to create an outline of where you want your pavers to go. Run string from each stake to the next to create a full visual outline.
- 3). Use a sod cutter to remove the grass in the area where you intend to place your pavers.
- 4). Remove an additional 6 to 7 inches of soil using a shovel to create room for your base, sand and pavers. The amount you dig down will vary based on how much soil you removed when you removed the grass. You typically want to remove approximately 4 inches for the base, 1 inch for the sand and 2 inches for the pavers.
- 5). Cut a piece or pieces of geotextile fabric large enough to cover your entire excavated area. Cut enough fabric that the material can overlap the outside edges of your hole.
- 6). Use a measuring tape to measure 4 inches from the bottom of the hole. Draw a line on the fabric using chalk at this point.
- 7). Moisten your crushed limestone base material until it clumps when you squeeze it together.
- 8). Pour the crushed limestone base material over your entire hole until it's about an inch from the bottom of your chalk line or approximately 3 inches deep. Use a compactor to compact the base material until the base material over the entire hole is compacted down to about 2 inches deep. Pour an additional 3 inches of crushed limestone base material on top of the entire compacted base. Guide the compactor over the base material until all the crushed limestone has been compacted. The crushed limestone should now reach your chalk line.
- 9). Use chalk lines to mark the edges of your patio. Place an edge restraint along each edge to hold the sand bedding layer and pavers in place.
- 10
Pour a 1-inch bedding layer of coarse washed concrete sand over the entire patio area. Use a screed board or trowel to level out the entire layer of sand bedding. - 11
Measure your patio with a measuring tape. Snap a center line both vertically and horizontally across your patio. Lay your pavers gently on top of the sand in rows to create the desired pattern. Continue until you've installed all the pavers. Place your edging permanently per the manufacturer's instructions. - 12
Run the compactor across the surface of all the pavers to push them down into the sand. - 13
Use a broom to sweep sand into the joints between the pavers. Compact the surface again. Repeat this process until the sand between the joints is even with the surface of the pavers.
