1. Outline the pation with a garden hose. Then mark 6 in. beyond the perimeter with spray
marking paint. Also align adjoining paths.
2. Tie a string line to stakes driven at each end of the patio so it stretches in the best
drainage direction. Use a line level to adjust the string until it’s
level. Then lower one end of the string 1 in. for every 10 ft. of length to
establish a sloped reference line.
Click image to enlarge.
3. Dig out the patio area to a depth of about 10
in. below the finished patio level. Measure from the string to gauge the depth.
Hold a level on an 8-ft. straightedge to check areas on both sides of the
string.
Click image to enlarge.
4. Cover the groun with landscape fabric after
tamping it with the plate compactor. Then spread a 2-in. layer of gravel over
the top.
Click image to enlarge.
5. Wet the gravel and compact it with a rented
plate compactor. Make two passes around the perimeter. Then compact the center,
first working one direction, then a second pass at a right angle to this.
Finally, make two diagonal passes.
Click image to enlarge.
6. Set a 3/4-in. iron pipe on a 1-1/2 in. thick
mound of gravel placed directly under the string. With a tape measure, align
its height with the string. With a level, align two other pipes parallel to the
first, about 8 ft. to each side.
7. Spread a third layer of gravel, 1-1/2 in. thick,
between the pipes. Pull a straight 10-ft. 2x4 across the top of the pipes to
level it. Pull out the pipes and fill the trenches with gravel, using a trowel
to level it with the surrounding gravel. Compact this layer like the previous
one.
8. Establish the patio height with
strings stretched across the edges of the patio. Set the strings parallel to
the gravel base and at a height equal to the thickness of a brick (not a stone)
plus a 1-in. sand bed plus an extra inch for clearance. Spread a layer of sand.
Set a perimeter stone onto the sand bed and wiggle it down into the sand until
it’s sitting 1 in. below the string. Add sand to raise the height of the
stone if necessary. Continue adding stones, assembling them like a jigsaw
puzzle.
Click image to enlarge.
9. Level the
stones that aren’t directly under the string with a 4-ft. level held at a
right angle to the original center string line. Tamp high stones down with a
rubber-coated hammer handle.
Click image to enlarge.
10. Set 3/4-in. Iron pipes in long mounds of sand
using the same procedure shown in Photo 6. Set the top of the pipes high enough
so that when the bricks are set on the sand bed, they’ll protrude above
the stones about 3/8 in. Dump sand between the pipes and drag a straight 2x4
across the pipes to level it. Remove the pipes and fill the trenches. Use a
trowel to level the sand in the nooks and crannies around the
perimeter.
Click image to enlarge.
11. Snap a baseline onto the
sand. You’ll use it to align the rows of brick across the patio. Mark the
rough center (A) and snap a line at right angles using this method: Measure out
an equal distance from the center and make two more marks (B and C). Cross two
tapes at the same measurement (length BD = CD). Snap a chalk line from point
“D” through point “A.” Then snap a second line half the
width of a brick from the first.
Click image to enlarge.
12. Lay a row of bricks along the baseline,
aligning the end of the first brick with the perpendicu-lar layout line. Butt
them tightly together. Lay another row, aligning the end of the first brick
with the second line. Continue laying bricks until one section is complete.
Then work out from this section to complete the patio.
Click image to enlarge.
13. Mark bricks for cutting. Hold
the brick in position and eyeball down to the stone below to sketch the line
with a permanent marker.
Click image to enlarge.
14. Saw along the line with a water-cooled masonry saw. Set the brick on the sliding bed and
slowly push it forward while you guide the blade along the
line.
Click image to enlarge.
15. Chip the cut edge
of the brick with a brick hammer so it blends with the rough edges of the used
brick.
Click image to enlarge.
16. Cut 12-in. strips of landscape fabric and fold
them up against the stones around the outside perimeter. Pack soil firmly
against the stones and fabric.
17. Tamp down the bricks with the compactor to embed them in the sand. Work in a circular pattern
from the outside to the center.
Click image to enlarge.
18. Spread dry sand over the stones and bricks and work it down into the cracks with a broom.
Tamp with the plate compactor. Keep spreading sand and tamping until the joints
are full.
