Interlocking pavers provide a good surface for walkways, outdoor patios and driveways with designs which you can not copy with concrete or asphalt. These pavers utilize a combination of edge restraints and mud at the spaces between individual pavers to create tension which holds them together like they were a single unit. When installing interlocking pavers, creating a strong foundation under the pavers is vital, preventing the pavers from sinking into the ground, creating an irregular surface and ruining the tension that retains the pavers interlocked.
Use garden hoses, rope or other long-lasting materials to help design your paver installation; these materials can function as a proxy for the sides of your paver path, letting you see precisely how the path will fit in with your existing landscaping after installed. Mark the path for your pavers, using colored marking spray, spray paint or similar signaling materials, as a guide for your excavation.
Remove any grass from within the marked region and out of 12 inches on both sides of the marked region; the additional space will be excavated to put in a good foundation where the pavers will rest.
Excavate the region, digging 7 to 9 inches deep should you anticipate light traffic on the pavers, or 9 to 11 inches deep should you anticipate heavy traffic or are using the pavers to create a driveway. Dig out the corners of the area so the sides are right, creating 90-degree angles with the bottom.
Compress the excavated region working with a plate compactor or alternative tamping tool. Insert additional dirt as necessary and compress it again to create a smooth compressed surface using a small incline for drainage functions.
Pour a layer of gravel, crushed stone or similar stone material on top of the compressed dirt in your excavated place. Make this layer 4 to 6 inches deep should you anticipate light traffic on the 6 or hardened to 8 inches deep should you anticipate heavy traffic.
Install edge restraints on top of your gravel bed, securing them with 12-inch metal spikes to hold them in position, preventing the scoop from changing or otherwise coming apart after installed. Cut the restraints and arrange them as necessary to create curves or alternative non-linear parts of your own path. Fill in any soil between the border of your excavated area and the outer border of your restraints.
Insert a layer of mud on top of the gravel between the border restraints, creating a smooth layer that’s 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. If creating a broad path or driveway, place steel pipes at periods between the border restraints to aid with the smoothing of the mud, pulling a screed board across the border restraints and pipes to smooth the mud surface and then removing the pipes and filling in the empty region with additional sand.
Begin putting your pavers on top of the mud, leaving around one-eighth inch between them. Cut pavers as required so they fit perfectly contrary to the border restraints without interrupting the pattern you’re creating. Continue placing pavers until the entire path or driveway is full of the interlocking paver design.
Apply additional sand on top of the pavers as soon as you’ve completed installing them, sweeping the mud so that it fills in the space between individual pavers. Apply only a little bit of sand at a time, adding more as necessary until the spaces between the pavers are filled.
Compress the pavers using the plate compactor if required to ensure that all the pavers are level and that the path’s surface is; that compression will also help to distribute the mud between the pavers.
Apply additional sand each day as required until the mud is fully settled; it may take two to three days for the mud to settle entirely, although rain can accelerate this process. Add more sand in case the settling sand produces the spaces between the pavers look deeper.
Seal the pavers with a mud sealant, if desired, once each the sand has settled; this is particularly important whether the pavers are installed in a driveway, since the sealant will assist in preventing staining from oil and other automotive fluids.