Outside / Yard / Deck
Installing Cement Pavers
Our backyard came with a "patio" made of six cracked stepping stones and a lot of hope. This summer we pulled it out and laid a proper cement paver patio, by hand, in about four weekends.
Cement pavers vs. rubber pavers
We looked at rubber pavers at Home Depot because they're light and you can lay them on almost anything. They're great for playgrounds and around pools, but for a patio that would hold a grill, a table and a fire pit, we wanted cement pavers: heavier, more traditional looking, and they last decades.
How to install cement pavers
- Plan the size and slope. Mark the outline with stakes and string, and plan for about 1/4" of slope per foot away from the house so water drains.
- Excavate. We dug down about 7": 4" for gravel, 1" for sand, and the paver's thickness. Rent a sod cutter for the grass. Trust us.
- Compact the base. Spread crushed gravel (Class 5 here in Minnesota) in 2" lifts and run a plate compactor over each lift.
- Screed the sand. Lay two 1" pipes on the base, pour sand between them, and drag a straight 2x4 across the top for a perfectly flat bed.
- Lay the pavers. Start in a corner against the house and work outward. Don't walk on the screeded sand.
- Edge it. Plastic or metal edge restraint spiked into the base keeps everything from creeping.
- Polymeric sand. Sweep it into the joints, compact again, then mist with water to set it. No weeds, no ants.
Was it worth it?
Every evening since it's been done. We've eaten dinner out there more in the last month than in the whole previous year. Next up: getting the lilacs under control.
