A Guide on Laying Pavers in Your Garden
If you are looking for a guide on laying pavers in a garden, you have landed on the right page.
This guide on laying pavers will help you throughout the project. First off, pavers are also known as paving stones. Generally, these are flat units of concrete, stone or brick. They fit together in a close pattern to create a structure like a walkway, patio or driveway. The good news is that they are a great choice if you want to work on a DIY landscaping project.
You can purchase pavers inexpensively at any home improvement store. In this article, we will talk about different types of pavers and a few tips to help you lay them in your garden. Let’s get started.
3 Types of Pavers
There are three primary types of pavers that you can use in your construction projects. Let’s talk about them:
Natural stone
The good thing about natural stone pavers is that you can use them to pay for anything, including stonework ways, patios, and driveways. If you are looking for some popular choices, you can go for cobblestone, basalt, slate, and granite, to name a few.
Brick
As the name suggests, brick pavers are made from regular clay. The good thing about brick pavers is that they can stand the test of time. They are strong enough to withstand the weight of heavy vehicles. Therefore, brick pavers are a great choice if you want to pave your driveway.
Concrete
You may consider concrete papers if you are looking for a cost-effective option. The good news is that you can stain concrete pavers in different colours based on your preferences.
Tips to Prepare the Ground
Let’s discuss how you can prepare the ground for installing pavers without further ado. The three steps below will help you prepare the ground without difficulty.
1. First, you may want to measure your work site. For this purpose, you can use a measuring tape and outline the area with stakes and white paint. The idea is to measure the site’s square footage so you can purchase the required number of papers for installation.
2. Your next move is to gauge your slope. Ideally, the pavers should be slightly sloped so they don’t collect water in the rainy season. You may also use sitting and stakes to mark the lowest and highest ages of the area. Again, the idea is to calculate the slope direction.
3. Your final preparation step is to clear your paving area. You can use a shovel or spade to dig into your garden and remove the grass for excavation. You can use a ruler or tape to measure the slope and depth of the area you want to dig. Ensure the paving area is deep enough to hold at least 6-inch deep gravel and stand.
Tips to Lay the Paver stones
Below are some simple steps you can follow to lay pavers in your garden. The idea is to perform the installation the right way.
Work on the foundation
First, you may want to fill up the excavated area with 6 inches of crushed stone or gravel. Next, you may use a durable landscape rake to spread the material evenly. Next, use a garden hose to wet the base and a plate compactor on the gravel or stone layer. The idea is to compact the material into an even and firm layer.
Make a sand bed
Your next step is to create a paver sand layer. Then, you can use a wood board to smoothen the sand layer and create a level surface.
Lay the pavers
Now, you need to lay the pavers one by one. You can cut the pavers based on your needs. Install the paver stones based on your desired pattern and fill in the gaps along the side using the cut pieces of paver stones. For this purpose, you can use a circular or masonry saw. Don’t forget to put on protective gloves and safety glasses.
Add edge restraints
You can use plastic, mortar or concrete paver edges to create a straight edge and set them apart from the garden soil.
Secure the stones
Use your plate compactor to secure the stones into the sand and gravel until you have an even surface.
Fill in the gaps
Use polymeric sand to fill in the gap between the paver stones. All you need to do is add a layer of sand to fill in the cracks between the rocks. Then, remove excess sand from the area.
Seal the paver stones
After filling in the gaps, you can add a paver sealant to secure each stone. After all, you don’t want stones to slip in any direction.
In short, you can follow this guide to lay paver stones in your garden.
Fast Landscape Gardening can help you lay pavers in your garden at fair prices. So, you can contact them for a quote.
