How to Lay Paving Stones

If you want to lay paving stones at home for a patio, a path or even a driveway, it’s not a particularly difficult task. All you need is the right equipment and a reasonable amount of time. It’s a job you can comfortably accomplish on your own although it will be much easier if two people undertake the task. Don’t expect to accomplish everything in a single day. Instead, work in stages and you’ll achieve much better results. With a little planning, your paving stones will look every bit as good as if you paid a professional and your bank balance will love the job too!

Step 1 - Preparing the Ground

Using your shovel, dig down through the turf within the area you wish to pave. You will need to dig down to the depth of the stone plus an additional 2 inches. Where your paved area will be used for parking, dig down a further 4 inches and put in crushed rock as a base. Put the excavated earth aside for use elsewhere in your garden or for professional removal.

To ensure the water will drain off the paved area, you need to create your base with a slight slope running through the centre of the excavated area to the two sides. The slope only needs run at a gradient of about ½-inch per yard.

Step 2 - Adding the Paving Stones

For a large area of paving, you should create a detailed plan first. This is ideal for mapping out the slabs and avioding purchasing too many, or too few, individual stones. For a smaller area, this isn’t quite as important.

Cover the area you’ve excavated with sand to the depth on 1 inch. Use the piece of 2 x 4 lumber to smooth out the sand and tamp to down to give a firm base for the paving stones. Next, lay out the paving stones on the sand, using the ¼-inch pieces of wood as spacers between the slabs.

Step 3 - Setting the Stones In Place

Make a mortar by combining 1 part concrete with 4 parts sand and water. It should be a reasonably thick mortar which will be easier to manipulate during the laying process. Starting in one corner, remove four of the paving stones. In the area where the stones were previously sat, spread mortar to a thickness of 1 ½ to 2 inches on top of the sand. Set the paving stones back in place, using the spacers to position them.

Use the mallet to tap the stones firmly in place. Don’t tap the stones directly with the mallet. Instead, put a small block of wood on the stone and tap that with the mallet until it makes good contact with the mortar. Place a spirit level on the paving stone and tap where necessary until each stone is nearly level. Remember a slight slope from the center to either side will be required so water can drain effectively.

Remove the spacers and move on to more of the stones working across the length of the desired area. Mortar down four stones at a time and make sure all the stones are level, both individually and with each other. Let the stones set for two days without walking on them or putting any weight on them.

Step 4 - Between the Stones

Once the paving stones are firmly set, you can fill in the spaces between with sand by scattering it loosely and brushing it into place. A more permanent solution is to make up a mixture of 1 part cement to 3 parts sand. Pour and brush this into the spaces between the stones. Now, use the hose to spray the entire area lightly with cold water. This will wet the cement mix so you end up with everything set firmly in place.

Allow 2 days for the paving stone surface to fully set.