How to Lay a Brick Walkway

with landscape contractor Roger Cook, This Old House television

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Brick pavers

2. Processed stone (crushed stone and stone dust)
used to create stable base for sand

3. Sand
used to create setting bed for brick pavers

4. Garden hose
used to damped processed stone to keep down dust

5. Steel pipe
for establishing height of sand bed

6. 2x4 screed
used to level off sand bed

7. Plastic edging with metal spikes
for use along edge of walkway

8. Push broom
for spreading sand across brick pavers

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Shovel
- Tape measure
- Wheelbarrow
- Garden rake,
  for smoothing processed stone
- Plate compactor,
  used to compact ground and bricks
- Laser level,
  used to establish finished height of brick pavers
- Circular saw fitted with masonry blade,
  for cutting brick pavers
- 3-pound sledge,
  for tapping in edging spikes
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In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook explains how to lay a brick walkway.

Steps:

1. Layout the outline of the walkway onto the grass.
2. Dig out 8 inches of topsoil from within the walkway area.
3. Use a garden rake to spread out 3 inches of processed stone.
4. Tamp processed stone using a plate compactor; damp stone with garden hose during compacting.
5. Set wooden stakes and nylon strings to represent finished height of brick pavers.
6. Fill walkway area with sand; tamp sand with plate compactor.
7. Set into the sand two parallel steel pipes flush with the surface.
8. Pull 2x4 screed along buried pipes to level out sand.
9. Set brick pavers onto the sand in a running bond pattern.
10. At curves, trim bricks with circular saw fitted with masonry blade.
11. Continue setting brick pavers along the walkway.
12. At outer edge, install plastic edging; secure edging with metal spikes.
13. Spread ½ inch of sand across top of brick pavers.
14. Use plate compactor to tamp sand into the pavers.