Installing concrete pavers can be hard work if you plan to pave a large area. Most people use concrete pavers to form the platform of a small patio or for a pathway across the lawn in a place where they do not wish to put a concrete walkway. For these smaller projects, concrete pavers can be installed within a few hours and look great for several years.
Start your project by going to the home center.
Before investing a lot of brain and back energy into preparing a plan and site for concrete pavers to be installed, it is best to know what type and size of pavers you will be using. Concrete pavers come in various sizes of round, square, and rectangular shapes. They can be just about any shape that you want since concrete can be poured into any shape form, but these are the common sizes that you can buy. You need to know the size of the pavers and their thickness in addition to the shape. If you are not buying the concrete pavers on this trip, make sure that the type you select will be available when you return to purchase them.
Sketch a plan for the layout of the concrete pavers.
This does not have to look like the work of the great master artists. Just a rough layout with the dimensions noted should be good enough. Using the size of your plans compute the number of concrete pavers that you will need to do the job. Unless you are seriously limited on space, plan the site to be large enough that you do not have to make cuts on the concrete pavers. This makes a better looking job and saves you money, time, and grief.
Once you have purchased your concrete pavers, lay them out on the ground.
No matter how good a drawing looks, it still may not give you the same feel for your layout as simply placing the stones on the ground in the pattern desired. With just a little creativity, the stones can be made to conform to about any shape that you want for your path or patio. For spaced stones, remove one or two stones at time to do your ground work.
For small jobs, you need to get the topsoil and grass removed where the pavers will sit.
If you plan to have space between the pavers where grass will grow, try to remove only enough of the material to allow the edges of the pavers to fit into your spaces. Think about your child’s shape sorter. Most of the time for spaced out pavers, you only need to dig an inch or two deeper than the paver is thick for a good installation. Fill each hole with sand until it will allow the right amount of the paver to protrude above ground level.
Leave only a small amount of the concrete paver above the ground.
Somewhere between one half and one inch needs to stick up so that as you cut the grass, the pavers will not be hit, but will still show up nicely. Gravel is really not necessary in this type of installation. You may need to return to the site and lift the stones every 4 or 5 years and add sand, but this task only requires a minute or two per paver. Make sure that the pavers sit solid and level so that they are easy to walk on as you go from stone to stone.
If you anticipate that the concrete pavers will either be placed so that they touch each other or form a solid surface, you will want to remove all of the topsoil over the whole area at the same time.
For this type of installation, you will want to remove all of the topsoil down to a depth of 4 or 5 inches. While you can fill the whole depth with sand, it is better to use a couple of inches of fine gravel so that it will compact a little better. Cover the gravel with about an inch or so of sand. The sand will seep into any openings in the gravel and give you a solid base.
With a patio or solid walkway, you can allow the pavers to stick up a little higher for a better visual effect. Any small gaps between the concrete pavers should be filled with sand. For a patio or walk way, it is also a good idea to put some form of barrier under the gravel to discourage plant growth.
