Installing pavers do it yourself

Follow the instructions on the bag and repeat if necessary. Do not apply polymeric sand if rain is in the forecast! After the installation is complete, including the edge restrains, run the plate compactor over the pavers. Compacting the pavers helps settle the pavers into the bedding sand and creates a flat surface. It is recommended to use a minimum of three passes with the plate compactor going in different directions.

Now that your paver project is complete you may use it immediately. For driveways it is recommended that you wait at least 24 hours to drive on the driveway if concrete edge restraints were used. You may want to mist the top of the pavers to wash the extra sand into the joints of the pavers. Augustine - Fernandina - Amelia Island. Do you have any questions that I can help you with? Utility Service Locate Make sure to contact your local utility companies to locate any underground wires or cables at least 48 hours before digging or excavating.

This is usually a free service provided to homeowners and contractors. You can dial from anywhere in the United States to order a locate. Add this measurement to your base depth to calculate how deep you should excavate.

Using spray paint, mark out the area that you plan to excavate making to to extend outwards approximately 6 inches farther than where you plan for the bricks to end. This will provide a firm foundation for the paver to rest on and allow extra room for any necessary adjustments.

For marking circles, place a stake in the centerpoint of the circle and tie a string to the can of spray paint a few inches longer than the radius of the circle. While keeping the string taught, mark the circumference of the circle to be excavated. It is important to provide a pitch or slope away from the house or structure to allow the water to properly drain. Place wooden stakes around the perimeter of the area to be excavated and tie a string at the point where the final surface of the pavers should be.

Make sure that the string follows the pitch or slope. Now you are ready to begin excavating. Once the area has been excavated and leveled it is important to compact this subsoil prior to the addition of any base aggregate.

Base Material Once the excavation has been completed, the next step is laying the base material. Laying the Brick Pavers You may find it helpful to pop some chalk lines to use as guides and ensure that the pavers are square in relation to the house.. Cutting Brick Pavers For rounded edges, you can use a flexible piece of small diameter pvc or a garden hose as a guide to mark the pavers where they need to be cut.

Concrete Edge Restraint Installation Using concrete is a very popular and cost effective choice for an edge restraint. We not only offer DIY driveway paving stones, we also offer interlocking brick paving stones for outdoor features such as stairways, walkways, decks, gazebos, fireplaces, fire pits, trellises, and more.

But did you know we can even upgrade your driveway to include heat? If you can dream it, we can help you build it. Let us take the burden of doing it all yourself away, and give you the peace of mind knowing your custom project will be done by professionals who will give you the upgrade to your property that looks just the way you envision it.

Reach out to the AMK Hardscapes team for more information. If you are laying a circular patio, place a stake in the center of your project space. Use that string as a guide and spray a circle border.

Next, create a square corner to work from using string, stakes, and the method. You may be wondering, what does that mean? Choose the height that you want the finished project to be and adjust your string lines to grade. We chose the base of the structure to be our top height. As a general rule, adjust the strings so that they are sloped away from any structure to allow proper drainage away from the building.

To learn more about the specific measurements to use, read our tutorial, How to Set Grade for Hardscape. We recommend excavating this deep because vehicular traffic requires a super sturdy base. The deeper the base is excavated, the more gravel you can add and compact. Pro Tip: If you remove large debris and are left with large divots do not backfill with dirt. Instead, backfill those depressions with gravel and hand tamp them before laying geotextile. Now, lay geotextile down over the soil.

This material will provide a barrier between the gravel and the ground, keeping dirt and gravel from mixing. Geotextile also encourages proper compaction and settling. Many new hardscape DIYers make the mistake of using dirt as their base aggregate layer. Your pavers are only as sturdy as your base. That means, if you use dirt, pavers quickly sink, rotate, and separate.

Any imperfections of more than this are noticeable in the final product.