How to Pave Without Mortar

Making an attractive mortar-less walkway or patio is easy using bricks, concrete pavers or flagstones.

When used for such projects, bricks or concrete pavers are laid in sand on a flat, firm base and anchored with an edging. This method, called flexible paving, is easy to install and to repair.

Flagstone, laid in sand, is also popular for flexible paving. Because no edging is required, it is easier to lay out an area for flagstone than for bricks or concrete pavers. In addition, you can space the sand joints irregularly. Make sure that the flagstones are well supported, or they can break when stepped on.

With sandy, well-drained soil in areas such as Southern California, where freezing seldom occurs, the site should be excavated to the depth of the paving plus 2 inches for a bed of tamped sand, which will keep the paving from shifting.

With other soils (or in cold climates), excavate 4 inches deeper to add a layer of tamped gravel beneath the sand. The gravel permits drainage and helps prevent masonry from being pushed up.

Planning

When laying out a project, to minimize cutting, base its shape on the dimensions of the paving units.

You can cut bricks and flagstones fairly easily by hand, using a hammer and a wide chisel called a brick set. Rent a special splitter to cut pavers; pavers that create special patterns usually come with half blocks for filling in outside edges.

Preparing

The most crucial step in laying flexible paving is site preparation. A firm and flat site minimizes settling. As a rule, it is easier to excavate the entire site to the depth required and then install the edging and paving.

Make sure that the soil or gravel bed is tamped and level. You can tamp small areas with a hand tamper--a 1-foot square of plywood nailed to the bottom of a 4-by-4. For best results, tamp large areas with a plate vibrator, a motor-powered tool that you can rent. Plate vibrators are noisy; wear ear protectors.

Edging

For edging, use pressure-treated lumber or wooden landscaping ties anchored with stakes or spikes.

You can use also strips of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe anchored with metal spikes.

Or dig a narrow ditch and add an edging of bricks. To minimize the effects of frost heave, dig the ditch 2 inches deeper than the bricks and pour in a layer of gravel before placing the bricks.

To reduce the chance of tripping over wood or PVC edging, place the top surface 1/4 inch below the paving. The paving will settle more than the edging, and the two will eventually be level.

Fitting

When paving with flagstones, first fit as many uncut stones together as possible to minimize the amount of shaping you have to do. Place flagstones with their more level and attractive side up. Avoid using small stones; they tend to sink into the ground or tip when stepped on.

Until the paving is laid, protect the sand bed from rain by covering the sand with plastic sheeting when finished for the day; or, spread the sand in 10-square-foot areas just before installing the paving. Stay off the sand bed by working from outside the perimeter.