How can I lay pavers in my backyard?

AJ-DIYer

Hi,

I am planning to lay pavers in a square area next to a garden bed, but I don't want to use cement under paver and avoid pebbles, basically achieve something like the photo below.

1. What is the paver called?

2. How should I prepare the base for it?

2. What do I need for the base?

Thanks!

EricL

Hello @AJ-DIYer

Before you start buying pavers, I suggest measuring the area you are planning to pave. The general steps to paving include base preparation. Compacting the base and levelling the area. The most important part of paving an area is to think about the fall and where the water will drain to.

Once you've measured the area you can now calculate the number of tiles you'll need depending on the size of the tile you get. For example, if you use a 400mm x 400mm tile you'll need 9 tiles to cover an area of 1.2 square meters. If you used a 600mm x 600mm tile you would only need 4. There are many types of pavers available at the store, I recommend that you schedule a visit so that you can see what the finishes are like.

Here are some handy step-by-step guides:

Here are some fantastic paving projects our Workshop members have shared:

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

AJ-DIYer

Thanks @EricL

A few questions:

1. What's the difference between doing the paver by using mortar like the video below and the other method where they use paver sand and crushed metal before laying down the pavers?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/building-construction/paths-and-paving/how-to-lay-pavers

2. What kind of mortar is the guy using in the video under the pavers?

3. What did the guy in the video above use on top of the pavers to fill the little gaps?

4. What did the guy above pour on top of soil after compacting it?

5. Does Bunnings sell any manual compactor that I can use to level the ground and compact the sand/metal?

EricL

Hi @AJ-DIYer

The difference between using mortar and sand is that mortar is permanent, whereas using a sand base means that you can remove it and relay the pavers in a totally new configuration. The mortar he used is the Bastion 20kg General Purpose Cement mixed with some sand. He actually didn't fill the gaps with anything, but you can use either a sand and cement mix or Dingo 20kg Powerloc Paving Sand.

Before he compacted the soil he sprayed it with a little bit of water to prevent the soil from becoming dusty and to help with the compaction. You can hire a compactor at the hire shop section of the store.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

matweb

Hi mate if you don't want to lay paver in mortar the process is quite simple, first prepare area by digging out grass and soil to the depth of the paver plus a minimum of 40mm for a sand base, you can buy bedding sand from your local landscape yard. First spread sand out and screed off level I say level but slight fall over the area is needed to allow water to run no more than 7mm per meter thou (if you have allowed for a 40mm bed of sand you will need at least 50-60mm befor it is compacted) then compact with a compactor, once this is done all you need to do is get a starting point and run a line parallel with the house wall or edge your working along and sit pavers on solid sand bed gently tapping down as you go. Most pavers come with a slight bevel on the edge so you can lay them touching each other and it looks alot neater. Once finished laying pavers you can sweep some sand into the joints or just leave them to naturally fill over time

EricL

Hello @matweb

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge on paving. Let me tag @AJ-DIYer to make them aware of your recommendations. I'm leaning towards the sand base installation as well because it is much more convenient to relay the pavers in the future.

Eric