PATIOS & PATHS / The Family Handyman - June 1992

USE HALF PAVERS for bordering tight circles. Smaller pavers cut down on the size of the pie-shaped gaps between each piece.

Then lay the rest of your pavers in your selected pattern. Just lay the pavers in place-don't bang on them or twist them. Measure over to your string every few rows to make sure you're staying on track. You can leave a slight gap between pavers or tap them tighter together with a rubber mallet. If you've taken the time to set things up right, laying the pavers goes amazingly fast. Many pavers have little nubs on the sides to serve as spacers. Don't walk or kneel on the edge of the patio until after you've vibrated it; otherwise these pavers can sink unevenly. We let our pavers run 'wild" near the curved edges (Photo 11). Using a paver as a guide, we marked the inner pavers, removed and cut them on a masonry saw, then reinstalled the cut inner piece and the border piece. On tight radius circles, we used half pavers for the border (Photo 12) to avoid large, pie shaped voids between them.

As big and foreign as the masonry cutting saw appears, it's actually safe and easy to use. A constant stream of recirculating water keeps the blade cool and lubricated, and a sliding tray carries the paver past the blade. A cut takes about 10 seconds. Don't forget to wear your hearing and eye protection. When all your pavers are cut and in place, vibrate the entire patio (Photo 14), starting at the outer edge and working inward in a circular motion. The vibrator will lock the pavers into the sand and help even up the surface. Don't let the vibrator sit in one place too long, or pavers could settle unevenly or crack. Some pros place plywood down and vibrate on top of that to help distribute the weight of the machine. If a paver sinks deeper that its neighbors, use a pair of screwdrivers to pry it up, sprinkle a little extra sand in the void, then replace the paver.

SWEEPING AND UPKEEP Spread coarse sand across the surface of your patio. After the sand dries, sweep it around the patio (Photo 15) to fill in the spaces between the pavers. Make sure the sand is dry-wet sand will bridge, rather than fill the gaps. It may take two sweeping with a push broom a few days apart to completely fill the gaps. The sand helps solidify the pavers, and also fills any spaces where dirt might enter to provide a mini-planting bed for weeds. We rolled two coats of a water sealer over our completed patio. We didn't do this to protect the pavers-they don't need protecting! We did it to enrich the color. Landscape around your patio with grass, sod or planting beds to give it a finished look. Bring in dirt to even out the space between the new patio and existing yard. Keep dirt at least 1/2 in. below any plastic edging to allow rainwater and runoff to easily drain away from the patio. Set up the lawn chair and take a snooze-you've earned it. TFH

Pavers stand up better to heavy loads and winters than concrete slabs do-pavers move and flex but slabs will crack.