Calculate How Many Pavers You Need

As an alternative to concrete, brick pavers are an affordable and convenient means of making a walkway, driveway or footpath. Rather than hire a concrete company to pour a yard or more of concrete or mix up dozens of bags yourself, you simply have to purchase the pavers, dig out and level the space and lay them accordingly. It helps, though, to know in advance exactly how many pavers you will need to complete the job. To do this, a little calculation is required.

Calculating the Number of Pavers You Need

First, determine what type of paver you will to use. For consistency, a single type is the best. Measure the area of the paver–for instance, 1x1 foot or 6x8 inches. Next, determine the size of the area you will pave. If it is a square or rectangle, the number of pavers should be quite easy to compute. If, for instance, the area to pave is 12x48 feet, and you are planning to lay 1x1 foot pavers, multiply 12 by 48 which equals 576. That is the total square footage of the area to pave. If one paver equals 1 square foot, you will need 576 pavers. Apply the same principle to other size pavers, converting to inches if you have to.

If you have odd shapes or angles to pave, you will have to not only calculate their space but also cut stones. Divide the area to be paved into definable shapes and compute the square footage one part at a time. Add them together to get the total square footage then use that figure to determine how many pavers will be necessary.