Ready to transform your yard and boost your home’s curb appeal? A worn-out grass path or muddy track can make even the most beautiful garden look unkempt. The solution is a durable and elegant paver walkway, and the best part is that you can build one yourself in a single weekend. This DIY project is a fantastic way to add professional-looking landscaping without the professional price tag.
Our guide will walk you through every step of how to lay pavers, from digging the foundation to locking them in place. Let’s get started on this rewarding weekend project!
Safety First!
Before you lift a single shovel, let’s cover some essential safety precautions. A successful project is a safe one.
- Call Before You Dig! This is non-negotiable. A few days before you plan to excavate, call 811 or visit
call811.com. A professional will come to your property and mark the location of any underground utility lines for free. Hitting a gas, water, or electrical line is dangerous and costly. - Protect Yourself. Always wear heavy-duty work gloves to protect your hands from blisters and cuts. Safety glasses are a must, especially if you need to cut any pavers.
- Lift with Your Legs. Pavers, bags of sand, and gravel are heavy. Bend at your knees and lift with your legs, not your back, to avoid strain or injury. Use a wheelbarrow to do the heavy hauling.
Tools & Materials List
Gathering everything you need beforehand will make the project run smoothly.
Tools
- Shovel (both a pointed spade for digging and a flat shovel for moving material)
- Wheelbarrow
- Tape Measure
- String Line and Stakes
- Rubber Mallet
- Hand Tamper (for small areas) or a rented Plate Compactor (highly recommended for a durable, long-lasting base)
- Long Carpenter’s Level (4-foot is ideal)
- Two 1-inch outer-diameter metal pipes or conduits for screeding
- A straight 2x4 board (wider than your path)
- Sturdy broom (one for sweeping, one for joints)
- Leaf Blower (optional, but very helpful)
- Garden Hose with a misting nozzle
Materials
- Pavers of your choice
- Paver Base: Crushed gravel or stone (like Âľ-inch minus)
- Leveling Sand: Coarse, washed concrete sand
- Paver Edge Restraints: Plastic or metal edging with spikes
- Landscape Fabric
- Polymeric Sand: This special sand hardens to lock pavers in place and prevent weeds.
Project Prep: Planning and Excavation
Proper preparation is the secret to a walkway that won’t shift, sink, or heave over time.
1. Plan Your Path
Decide on the shape and location of your walkway. A simple straight path is easiest, but a gentle curve can add a touch of elegance. Use a garden hose or marking spray paint to outline the exact shape on the ground.
Once you’re happy with the layout, measure the length and width to calculate the square footage. This will determine how much paver base, sand, and how many pavers you need to buy. Add 5-10% extra for cuts and mistakes.
2. Dig It Out
This is the most labor-intensive step, so put on some music and get ready to work! You’ll need to excavate the entire area of your walkway.
How deep to dig? The formula is:
Excavation Depth = Height of Paver + 1 inch of Sand + 4 inches of Paver Base
For example, for a 2-inch tall paver, you would dig down 7 inches (2 + 1 + 4). For driveways or areas with poor drainage, a 6-inch base is better. Ensure the bottom of your trench is relatively level and tamp it down firmly.
Step-by-Step Guide: Building Your Walkway
With the trench dug, the construction begins.
3. Lay a Solid Foundation
Your walkway is only as good as its base.
- Lay Landscape Fabric: Roll out landscape fabric to cover the bottom and sides of your trench. This barrier prevents the gravel base from mixing with the soil and stops weeds from growing up through the joints.
- Add the Paver Base: Shovel the paver base into the trench in 2-inch layers.
- Compact, Compact, Compact: After each 2-inch layer, use your hand tamper or plate compactor to pack the gravel down tightly. This step is critical for preventing future sinking. Continue adding and compacting layers until your base is 4 inches deep (or about 3 inches below the top of the lawn).
4. Create the Sand Bed
This thin layer of sand is what you’ll use to get the pavers perfectly level.
- Place your two metal pipes on the compacted base, running parallel to the path.
- Shovel the leveling sand over the pipes and the base.
- Rest your straight 2x4 board on the two pipes and pull it towards you in a sawing motion. This is called “screeding,” and it will create a perfectly smooth, 1-inch deep bed of sand.
- Carefully remove the pipes and fill in the voids with a little extra sand, smoothing them with a trowel. Do not walk on or compact the leveling sand!
5. Lay the Pavers
Now for the fun part!
- Start at a fixed edge, like your driveway or porch.
- Gently place the pavers onto the sand bed in your chosen pattern. Don’t slide them, as this will displace the sand.
- Place them snugly against each other, but not so tight that they touch. Most pavers have small spacer nubs for consistent joint width.
- As you work, use your level to check that the pavers are even with each other. Gently tap any high pavers down with a rubber mallet. If a paver is too low, lift it and add a small amount of sand underneath.
- Work from on top of the pavers you’ve already laid to avoid disturbing the smooth sand bed.
6. Install Edge Restraints
Edging is the frame of your walkway and is essential for keeping the pavers from spreading apart over time.
- Place the paver edge restraints directly against the outside border of your pavers.
- Hammer the provided spikes through the restraints and into the ground to secure them firmly.
Finishing Touches & Cleanup
You’re almost there! These final steps will lock in your hard work.
7. Lock in the Pavers with Polymeric Sand
- Ensure the pavers are completely dry.
- Pour polymeric sand over the walkway and use a dry, soft-bristled broom to sweep it into all the joints.
- Once the joints are full, use a leaf blower on a low setting or your broom to sweep all excess sand off the surface of the pavers. Any remaining sand will turn into a hazy film when wet.
- Using your garden hose on a very light “mist” or “shower” setting, gently water the entire walkway. Follow the sand manufacturer’s specific instructions for activation. Too much water too fast can wash the sand out of the joints.
- Allow the sand to cure for at least 24-48 hours before walking on it.
8. Final Cleanup
Backfill the outside of your edge restraints with topsoil and pack it down. You can plant grass seed or add mulch for a clean, finished look. Clean your tools, put away your materials, and step back to admire your brand new, beautiful paver walkway! You’ve just completed a major landscaping upgrade that will provide enjoyment and function for years to come.