Installing patio edging is a fairly important part of building a patio; if you don’t have edging you will see your patio slowly creep into your yard. It’s also important during construction to keep everything straight and level and also to determine the slope of the patio. There are several different ways to edge a patio and all of them are affective. You can either use dimensional lumber, you can use timber or you can use paving bricks. All have benefits and different looks; it just depends on what type of patio you want.
The fist way to edge a patio is with dimensional lumber, this looks good after it’s complete but it is a little more demanding during the actual construction. First you need to lower the mason’s lines to the finished height and slope of the edging. Align pressure treated 2×6’s along the outside of the lines. Drive in 2×2 support stakes behind and 1 inch below the edging. Next you need to nail the boards to the stakes and backfill with soil behind the boards. The tricky part is nailing the boards to the stakes and keeping it level. Once you have this completed you are ready to start your patio with whatever type of material you want to use.
The second way to edge a patio is with timber. This is my favorite because of the look. It’s pretty simple to do, but it does take some patience to get the timbers to lay flat and level. First dig a trench deep enough so the top of a 6×6 is at finished patio height. The trench must follow the correct slope, as measured from the line set up during the layout. Measure down from the lines as you dig and keep the trench bottom at a consistent depth. The next step is permanently placing the timbers where they go. First check the timbers for square and adjust if necessary. Drill ½ inch holes every three feet or so through the timbers then drive two foot lengths of ½ inch rebar through the timbers and into the ground. The rebar will hold the timbers in place. This type of edging will look really good when it is all done.
The third way to edge a patio is with paving blocks, you can either use them vertically or horizontally. Either way it is pretty much the same process. First measure down from the layout lines and dig a trench that follows the slope of the patio. Dig deep enough so the tops of the bricks will be level with the finished patio surface. Place the inside face of bricks directly below the line and supports the bricks with paving edging and packed soil. You can also do this with concrete as well to make the bricks fixed in place, simply follow the previous direction just put concrete in the trench before continuing.
These are the most common ways to edge a patio and are fairly easy to do. The secret to patio work and edging is to prepare properly, you need to make sure the slope is good and you are working on solid level ground. I you do the proper prep work the edging should be easy.
