Build a Brick Patio

Transform a boring backyard with a beautiful patio. Watch a video of this and other half-day projects with host Steve Watson from Don't Sweat It.

Don't Sweat It : Episode HDSWT-105 -- More Projects »
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Before: Empty Lawn
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After: Brick Paver Patio
Materials:

interlocking brick pavers
landscape fabric
6" landscape spikes
1 ton stone dust for every 100 square feet
2 pipes and 2x4 (to create a screed)
string and nails

Tools:

level
rubber mallet
sod lifter (rental)
plate compactor (rental)
shovels and rakes
push brooms
grinder with diamond wheel or wet saw (rental)

Tips/Benefits:

• Before beginning, contact your local utility marking service to make sure there are no buried electrical, gas or plumbing lines.
• A screed makes the job go faster and gives the patio an even, professional surface.
• For a large outdoor patio, make sure there is a slight slope away from the house to ensure proper drainage.
• Always use weed-blocking fabric under an interlocking paver patio. It's a small expense that will pay off in less maintenance for years to come.

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Figure A
Steps:

1. Use the sod lifter to remove grass in patio area (figure A), cutting about two inches deep to get all the roots lifted. If desired, the sod can be laid in another part of the lawn, just keep it watered.

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Figure B
2. Level dirt as much as possible with shovels and rakes (figure B). If there are large humps, you can use the sod lifter to remove two-inch slices of dirt.
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Figure C
3. Lay down the landscape fabric (figure C), holding it in place with landscape spikes.
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Figure D
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Figure E
4. Using a screed, fill the area with a two-inch layer of stone dust in five feet sections. To create a screed, lay down the two pipes five feet apart and parallel to each other (figure D). Make sure the pipes are level with each other to ensure the patio will be even (figure E). Fill the area between the two pipes with stone dust. Scrape off excess with a 2x4, using the pipes to gage the depth. Remove the pipes and place for the next section; fill in their depressions with the stone dust.
5. After the entire area is covered with two inches of stone dust, compact the space with the plate compactor.
6. Repeat the entire process of laying the stone dust two more times, which will leave about a three-inch base of stone dust.
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Figure F
7. To create a center line, drive nails on either side of the middle of the patio and stretch string between the two nails (figure F). Use the line as a reference for laying the bricks. To get the line square, cross the first line with another going perpendicular. Use the 3-4-5 method to check for square. Mark three feet from the center cross on one string and four feet from the center cross on the other string. If the diagonal between the marks is five feet, the lines are square.
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Figure G
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Figure H
8. Starting in the center section, lay pavers in desired pattern working off of your string line. Use the rubber mallet to hammer each paver into place (figure G). To cut in the edges, use a grinder with a diamond wheel (figure H) or a wet saw. Mark with a heavy pencil line, and cut halfway on both sides of stone, tap with hammer for a clean break.
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Figure I
9. After all the pavers are down, run the plate compactor over the pavers to set them into the stone dust (figure I).
10. Spread a thin layer of stone dust over the entire patio and sweep the dust into all of the cracks. Repeat until all cracks are full. Hose off or pressure wash the area.

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Also in this Episode
Don't Sweat It : Episode HDSWT-105
•Build a Brick Patio
•Constructing a Kid's Fort
•Painting an Antique Finish on Walls