How to Create a Patio from Brick Pavers, Continued

• They used the board method again to check the depth of the gravel and to make sure it was level.

• They used one-inch electrical conduit, available at any home improvement center to create screed rails. These are used to help guarantee that the sand, which they were about to put down, would be a uniform thickness.

• With the screed rails in place, Tim poured in the sand while Ron raked it out.

• With the sand covering the gravel, Tim and Ron carefully glided a 2 x 4 over the screed rails leaving a smooth level surface for the pavers.

5. Laying the brick:

• The pavers were formed into two shapes, straight edged border pieces and key-shaped field stones. The field stones fit together in an alternating top-to-bottom pattern.

• Tim quickly got the hang of laying out the pavers, and soon they were ready to remove the first screed rail. Tim filled in the trench left behind by the rail with sand and Ron smoothed out the surface with a wide putty knife.

• They used an "L" shaped edging to go around the perimeter of the patio to secure the pavers on the outside edges of the patio and prevent them from migrating out into the lawn.

• It was simple to set the edging in place. To secure it, they drove a spike in every fourth hole, which held the edging firmly in place.

6. Fill gaps:

• They laid the pavers with small gaps between each brick. They needed to fill these gaps and lock everything together. To do this, they spread additional sand over the patio with a stiff bristle broom.

• Tim used a fine spray from his garden hose to wash the sand down into the joints and his patio was complete.