Sidewalks can be a beautiful addition to any room and will enhance the appearance of your home. A good sidewalk provides a safe path for foot traffic, but at the same time adds a decorative element to your property. Sidewalks do not always have to be at the front door, but can connect gardens, patios, outbuildings, or any other frequently used pathway. Sidewalks can also be built with dozens of different types of materials ranging from stone, brick pavers, wood chips, concrete, stone grids, wood, gravel, or whatever ideas you can think of to provide a firm foundation. Pavers come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. The patterns are almost endless.

First step:
Using a pad of paper, a ruler, and a pencil, draw on paper how you would like your sidewalk to look. It is easy to change it on paper. Try several different layouts.

Move the lines a bit if you are curving the walk. Your first idea may not have been the best. Okay, now that you have an idea you like on paper, go get your garden hose. You don’t need water, just the hose. Using the hose, lay out the sidewalk as close as possible to what you have drawn. Lay the hose on both sides of the proposed walk. NOW you can see what you actually drew on our design sheet.

NOW is the time to move the hose around for the best layout. Keep moving it until you are finally satisfied with the result. Using an inverted marker paint can, carefully paint the line while lifting the hose so that the paint does not cover the entire hose. The layout is ready, put the hose away.

SECOND STEP:
Have you already decided what type of material you want to use for your sidewalk? Visit your local supply store to touch and feel the different products available. Look around your neighborhood to see if other houses have a sidewalk you really like. Measure the design area of ​​the sidewalk to get the square footage of material you will need. Width times length gives you the square footage. Example:

3′ wide by 24′ long = 72 square feet. You will find that pavers, bricks, etc. They are sold by the piece, but the seller can tell you how many it takes to make a square foot. If it takes 4 brick pavers to make one square foot, multiply 4 by 72 square feet and you’ll need 288 pieces plus a small amount for scrap. Most stores will allow you to return unused pieces, but ask first. If you buy them on sale, you may not be able to return your leftovers. Your pavers will require a material such as stone dust or mesh as a sub-base. You should measure the width times the length times the depth of the excavated sidewalk (usually at least 4″ plus the thickness of the paver). Using this number, divide by 27 and that is the cubic meter of material you will need Using the same numbers you would have 3′ x 24′ x.3′ or 21.6 cubic feet divided by 27 = .8 cubic yards You will need to purchase at least 1 full yard and will need it as compaction, settling and spillage will require that much material If you are using a brick or stone paver order them now make sure the supplier delivers and unloads for you unless you have a truck or van and a strong back.

The pavers are quite heavy and require a lot of effort to unload and re-stack. You don’t want to drop them or toss them in a pile, as they can break and splinter. While you’re at the store, you’ll also want to purchase edging material. If your sidewalk is curved, there are plastic products available made just for that purpose. They are easy to adapt to your design and come with stakes to keep it in place. It will keep your pavers in place and also keep your grass out of the way. It is required on both sides of the road and any “open” edges. If your sidewalk has all square edges and corners, you may choose to use pressure-treated lumber or 1 x 4 redwood as the edging. In either case, edges must be exactly 3′ apart when installed to ensure visual uniformity and paver installation.

TOOLS NEEDED:
Hammer or sledge, tape measure, sharp-nosed shovel, flat shovel, rake, hand tamper (available at your local rental store for a day), broom, wheelbarrow, rubber mallet, 3′ piece of straight scrap, piece 4′ of straight scrap and 3′ carpentry level. If your sidewalk is much larger than 3′ x 24′, you may want to rent an electric tamper to speed up the job and save your arms a bit. Gas-powered demo saw with masonry blade or stone-cutting table saw, AND safety glasses. ALWAYS wear safety glasses when using any tool. A hammer is a tool!

THIRD STEP:
Begin excavating the area you marked for the walkway. You must dig wider than your lines to allow for your edging placement. If the edge is 2″ wide, your excavation should be at least 3′-4″ wide. Dig the area to the depth of the paver plus the subbase material. Let’s say it should be 6″. With the 4′ piece of scrap wood, simply place the wood on top of the excavation and measure down every few feet to make sure you are as close to 6″ deep as possible. You don’t need to go crazy with the 1/4″, but it should be as close as possible. Once the subbase material is laid and level, compact it with your tamper. Lightly watering the material while tamping helps it compact a lot .okay. WATER LIGHTLY! You don’t want mud. Now install the edging. Starting at one end, install one side of the walkway, keeping the edging flush with your grass. Any higher, the mower will cut it, any lower, and the sidewalk will hold rainwater. When you’re done, stand a little above the grass. Although you tamped it down very well, it will settle over time.

Now using the 3′ piece of scrap wood as a spreader, install the second side of your trim being careful to keep them 3′ apart; Wavy edges will look pretty bad later on.

Once you’ve got all the edges in place, take a step back and look at it. Is it straight? Parallel? Level?

MAKE SURE THE TOP OF THE EDGE IS THE THICKNESS OF THE PAVER OVER THE SUBBASE.

Place your 4′ piece of scrap on top of the trim pieces. Using the 4′ level, check that one side is not above or below the other. Again, a slight difference isn’t the end of the world, but try to make it as level as possible.

FOURTH STEP
Pavers can be installed in many interesting patterns. Running bond, basket weave, stacked, pairs, etc but the choice is yours. If your sidewalk is square, you may have to cut very few pieces. If your sidewalk is curved, you may have to cut a lot of pieces. The effort is worth the work in the long run. This is when you say to yourself, “I’m saving a ton of money.” Start by cutting a notch in each end of the 4′ piece of scrap lumber, leaving a 3′ piece in the center. The depth of the notch is the thickness of your paver. By laying the wood along the edge and laying it on top of the edge, the 3′ center section can be used when the wood is slid along the edge to provide a flat, even surface for new pavers that is exactly the same thickness than cobblestone everywhere. This will keep your pavers from looking up and down. Simply slide the scrap, adding or removing any excess subbase that the wood pushes in front of it. Start by laying the pavers at one end of the sidewalk in the pattern you like. Center the first paver in the center of the sidewalk and work your way out to the edges. Using your rubber mallet, lightly tap the paver to ensure it has a full seat in the sub-base material and does not rock. Using the scrap wood as a guide, position it over the edge and over the paver to ensure that the paver is level with the edge at all times. Tap each tile in place as you go.

Install all full pavers first for a small area, perhaps 3′ x 3′. If your walk is square, you have filled the area completely. If your walk is curved, you will need pieces to fill in the ends of the full paver pieces. Halves, quarters, etc. It will depend on the degree of curve you have in your path. If the pieces balance on both sides, so you’re placing half on each side of the walk to complete a row, that looks better. Try to avoid a large or small piece on the same row if possible. Many people like to fill in all the full pavers first and then redo the cut, some like to do a small section and fill in the cut pieces before continuing. Either way is fine.

BE CAREFUL WHEN USING THE SAW AND ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. THE SAW CAN REMOVE A DIGIT IN AN INSTANT. STAY FOCUSED. Ask your rental store to tell you about its use. They will be happy to do so for your safety.

FIFTH STEP
With all the pavers set in place, place a small amount of stone dust or perhaps paver sand on top of the pavers, spreading it out as you go. Using the broom, sweep the dust or sand into all the cracks and crevices between the pavers. Make sure they are all filled. This will lock the pavers in place between the edges. Once you’ve laid down the dust or grit and swept it into place, roll the compactor over the pavers lightly. This will settle both the pavers and the sand or dust in the joints. You may need to add a bit more to make it even with the top of the pavers, but go ahead and you’ll soon be done. Take a step back and take a look. You just saved a ton of money!

Pete
Your friendly building inspector

http://www.wagsys.com

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