All About Brick Garden Edging

Brick garden edging creates a clean, defined border between your lawn and planting beds while helping keep grass from creeping into landscaped areas. Installed properly, it also provides a stable edge that can guide a mower and reduce the need for trimming.

Follow along as This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers demonstrates how to lay brick garden edging that stays aligned and holds up through changing conditions. This guide also includes tips from This Old House Magazine and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

Overview of Brick Garden Edging

• Saturday: Form the trench (Steps 1–7)
• Sunday: Set the bricks (Steps 8–12)

When To Use Brick Garden Edging

Brick edging works best for defining clean boundaries between lawn and planting beds while maintaining a natural look. It’s especially useful in areas where you want a durable edge that can handle foot traffic and lawn equipment without shifting.

This type of edging is ideal for relatively level ground and gently curved borders. For steep slopes or areas with heavy erosion, more structural edging options, such as concrete or metal, may be a better fit.

Steps for Landscaping Bricks for Edging

Installing brick garden edging is a straightforward project, but getting clean, long-lasting results depends on proper prep and careful placement. The steps below walk through the process from laying out the border to setting and securing the bricks so they stay in place over time.

1. Order the Bricks

• Lay a length of rope along the edge of your garden bed, following its contours.
• Mark the rope at the end of the bed with tape, pull it taut, and measure the rope up to the mark.
• Divide that length in inches by the width of the bricks to calculate the number you’ll need, then add 10% to your order. For example: 324 inches ÷ 4 inches (brick width) = 81 bricks + 10% = 89 bricks.
• Make sure to buy clay pavers rated for severe weather, often labeled “SW” at the stone yard. These bricks are designed to withstand freeze-thaw cycles and heavy use without cracking.

Pro tip: According to This Old House Magazine, actual brick dimensions can vary slightly, so it is recommended to measure a few before finalizing your order to ensure accuracy.

2. Scout the Curves

• Line the edge of the bed with bricks, tight against the grass line—close to one another but not quite touching, leaving a gap for the sand.
• To work around soft curves, fan them out slightly; for tight curves, find the center or peak of the curve and leave a triangular gap, as shown. The widest point of the gap should be no wider than a brick.

Pro tip: Keep gaps between bricks consistent so the joints can be evenly filled with sand later.

3. Mark the Bricks

• You’ll make angled keystone bricks to fill the triangular gaps in the curves. Center a brick over a gap, and use the masonry pencil to mark its end where it overlaps its neighboring bricks, as shown. Mark the opposite end of the brick in the same way.

4. Transfer the Marks

• Flip the brick over, and transfer the marks from each end onto its face. Use the masonry pencil, and a straightedge if necessary, to draw lines connecting the marks at each end of the brick to form your cutlines.

5. Cut the Keystones

• With the brick marked, rest it on a work surface with the cutlines faceup. Fit the circular saw with the segmented diamond blade. Adjust the depth of the blade so that it will just barely cut through the brick in a single pass.
• To minimize dust, trickle water onto the brick as you cut; use the nail to puncture the bottom of the water bottle to create a steady trickle. Set the cut keystone brick into the opening to make sure it fits.

Pro tip: We recommend making a test cut on a scrap piece if possible to confirm blade depth and fit before cutting your marked bricks.

6. Dig the Trench

• Place the tarp over your grass to collect soil as you dig.
• Using the spade, dig a trench with straight sides along the length of the bed, working from the grass line into the bed.
• Make the trench several inches wider than the length of your bricks.

Pro tip: Digging past the topsoil is critical for long-term stability. Organic soil can shift with changes in moisture and temperature, which may cause bricks to heave or settle unevenly over time.

7. Check the Depth

• Dig until the soil changes color, indicating that you’ve gotten past the topsoil.
• Measure the depth of your trench, as shown; it should be at least 6 inches deep to allow for a 2- to 3-inch layer of paver base, 1 inch of stone dust, and the bricks set flush with the ground.

8. Pack the Paver Base

• Spread the paver base evenly throughout the trench, stopping periodically to pack it down with the tamper, as shown.
• Continue to add the material in small batches until it forms a base that’s at least 2 to 3 inches deep.
• If you had to dig deeper than 6 inches to reach past the topsoil, continue to add and pack the paver base until the depth of the tamped trench is equal to the thickness of a brick, plus 1 inch for the stone dust.

9. Mix the Stone Dust

• In a large wheelbarrow, mix together stone dust and portland cement in a 6:1 ratio, using six shovelfuls of stone dust for every shovelful of cement.
• Use the garden hose to mist (but don’t soak) the mixture to activate the cement and make it easier to mix and shovel into the trench.

10. Lay the Bricks

• Working in sections a few feet long, use a trowel to spread the stone-dust mixture over the paver base.
• Press each brick into place one at a time, tapping it down with a rubber mallet.
• Set each brick flush with the ground on both sides of the trench and aligned with the previous brick.
• Check alignment frequently as you go to maintain a straight edge or smooth curve.
• Continue laying bricks and fit the cut keystones into curves, keeping gaps consistent.
• Use leftover stone dust to backfill along the back edge, then cover with soil.

Pro tip: Keeping the bricks flush with the surrounding soil creates a clean look and allows mower wheels to roll over the edging without catching or loosening the bricks over time.

11. Fill the Gaps

• With the bricks set, pour polymeric sand over them and use the brush to sweep it into the spaces between them, as shown.
• Working your way down the bed, whack the bricks with the rubber mallet to force the sand to pack itself tight.
• Continue to fill the gaps until the sand is flush with the faces of the bricks and won’t settle any farther.

12. Hose off the Edging

• Brush away any excess polymeric sand or dust; either one can stain the bricks if it gets damp.
• With the hose, wash the edging with a gentle spray, dampening the sand between the bricks without dislodging it. As the sand absorbs water, it will set, acting like grout to lock the bricks in place for years to come.

Tip: Apply polymeric sand only when conditions are dry. If rain is expected within a couple of days, the sand can stick to the brick surface, creating a mess before it properly sets.“The trick is just to moisten it down. You don’t wanna run it so hard that you’re pushing the sand out of the joints,” says This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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