produce a DIY paver terrace for a humble - maintenance outdoor space that ’s durable and weather - springy .

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

How to Build a DIY Paver Patio

Clear the Patio Area

come out bychoosing an area for your patio , and absent any shrubs , stumps , large rock , and ascendent near your work site . Dig up about 6 inch of soil to make room for the base and pavers . Rake the primer point and tamp down the soil down to create a immobile bed .

Add Weed Control

Toprevent weedsfrom bug out up between the brick pavers , lay landscape fabric over the dirt bed . Cut the boundary so that the material conform to snugly into piazza . The porous material allows water to run through ( no flooding ! ) but will block sess from sprout .

When you point your landscape fabric , allow a few inches of overhang on all sides and let the edges of the piece of music overlap each other by 6 - 8 inches . This will deter weeds from bulge out up between the line .

Lay a Gravel Foundation

Using a excavator , lay alayer of gravelto make a foundation for your paver terrace . Spread a 2 - inch stratum of crushed gravel evenly over the landscape painting textile , using an iron rip to shine the gravel until monotonic and even .

Tamp the Gravel

Next , tamp the crushed crushed rock until the groundwork is extremely firm . This will help ensure that the pavers locate evenly , without any humps or rim that can conduct to tripping . supply another 2 inches of crushed rock to the top of your terrace and tamp it down again in the same manner .

Level Your Patio

Attach alevelto a long , straight board to quiz whether your not your terrace is level . Move the board across the crushed rock bed to check for any high-pitched or asymmetrical spots on the crushed rock ’s Earth’s surface . Adjust the contour of the seam as needed to make the control surface as level as possible .

Add Sand for Support

spread out 1½ to 2 inch of builder ’s moxie over the gravel for a second stratum of support under your DIY paver patio . To smooth the sand , lay a foresighted , unbowed board along the radix of the star sign . Then take another display board , notch both ends , and skim it along the open to make it polish .

Prep the Pavers

To upgrade the feeling of your DIY paver patio without adding to the expense , consider mixing and matchingdifferent sizes of pavers . you may cut down costs bycutting some full - sizing pavers in one-half . Instead of renting a commercial - form brick cutlery , which can be heavy and hard to move , look for a succinct brick ship’s boat stand for for belittled project .

Lay the Pavers

take off set the first line of pavers , using the edge of your house or walk to guide straight lines . or else , you’re able to use a mason ’s line of products stretched tight between two stakes to keep your paver lines accurate . place the pavers no more than ⅛-inch aside , and bug them down into place with a pencil eraser beetle . proceed point pavers until you take the entire terrace space .

Finish Your Paver Patio

After commit all the pavers , spread a shallow stratum of sand over the top of the terrace area . Use a   thrust broom   to work the sand into the crevices between pavers . Hose down the orbit to further determine the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , filling in any extra disruption , thenhose down the areaa 2d time to finish your paver terrace .

After your DIY paver patio is hose down down and complete , allow at least 24 hours for the sand , pavers , and gravel to square up before putting heavy furniture or important fundament traffic on it . Keep your DIY paver terrace clean-living and level by regularly sweeping away leaves and junk . If you encounter stains , gargle your pavers and use a mixture of meek dish soap and water to scrub up the soiled field . Finally , wash the pavers again , using moderate force per unit area to remove the soap and any persist rubble .

Frequently Asked Questions

While it ’s potential to stratum pavers directly onto dirt , it is not recommended . It ’s honorable to place them on crushed stone or gravel , which will furnish a level surface and provide moisture to drain .

A paver patio is a great way to bestow value to your menage and increase its curb ingathering . However , how much takings investment you get on the update count on the cost and sizing of the patio , as well as how well it is installed and observe .

Pouring a slab of concrete is commonly cheaper than installing pavers , but pavers will offer more value in the long - run . They can last 30 year or more , are easy to maintain , and affordable to repair .

brick, patio, pergola

Credit: Ed Gohlich

tamping dirt

Credit: Marty Baldwin

landscape cloth

Marty Baldwin

Credit: Marty Baldwin

tamping gravel

Credit: Marty Baldwin

level packed gravel

Credit: Marty Baldwin

screed level

Credit: Marty Baldwin

sawing brick

Credit: Marty Baldwin

rubber mallet on pavers

sand sweep over pavers