How to Create a Walkway with Concrete Pavers

This segment of HouseCalls finds Ron exploring the town of New Hartford in upstate New York, where Pat and Carolynn Buckley built their home more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately, they left something out… the front walk. When they finally decided it was time to add the walkway, they asked Ron if he could help. The Buckleys wanted to try using molded concrete to give the appearance of a stone walkway extending from the stairs to the driveway.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. Lay out walkway:

• Ron recommends using a garden hose to lay out the curve on your walkway. Because it is very flexible, you can easily adjust it. Try walking along your "pathway" and see if it feels comfortable. You don't want the curve to be too tight.
• Once you've laid out the curve and width that you'd like your path, mark off the position using stakes and string.

2. Level the pathway:

• In order to level the new pathway, you may have to dig out some dirt. Even if leveling is not required, you will need to go at least 3 inches below the ground level to allow for the depth of the sand that will be added.
• Because there was a slight slope from the stairs to the driveway, the Buckley's needed to dig out a considerable amount of dirt and build a small retaining wall. Pat planned to use 6 x 6 pressure treated lumber for this. They decided to make their walk the same width as the porch stairs, which was 45 inches. They needed to allow another 7 inches for the width of the retaining wall.
• Use a garden spade to break through the sod along the string line. Remove the sod carefully because you will probably need to reuse it to patch the inside curve of the walk. Use a pick to loosen the dirt and make the digging easier. Continue shoveling until the area is level and the excess dirt is removed.

2. Level the pathway:

• Put down about 3 inches of sand and rake it evenly until the surface is level. In addition to making a good stable base for the concrete, the sand will also help with drainage.
• After the sand base is level, it is time to install the border or retaining wall. The Buckleys used pressure treated 6 x 6 lumber to create a retaining wall, which also serves as the outside border of the pathway.
• Because pressure treated lumber is so dense, they needed to drill pilot holes in order to drive in the spikes to secure the wall in place.
• Set the concrete form in place on top of the smooth sand and check it with a level. You will want to build a slight slope into the walk, away from the retaining wall. This will allow water to run off the walk preventing puddles from forming.

3. Mix concrete:

• Select a fiber reinforced concrete, which will make the pathway much stronger. Cut the bag open at the bottom and dump it in a wheelbarrow or another large container for mixing.
• The Buckleys wanted a little reddish tint to their walkway to match the stairs, so they added a container of cement color to a bucket of water before adding the colored water to the cement.

4. Form concrete:

• Shovel the mixed concrete into the form, push it down firmly with a trowel and then smooth the top. You will want to force the cement down into each opening until the form is completely filled.

• Tap the form to break the concrete loose a bit and lift the form up as straight as possible.
• In order to add an interesting texture to the tops of the stones, dab the wet concrete with a damp sponge. You can also use your fingers to shape the edges of the stones to a slight bevel.

• Rotate the form 90 degrees for the next pour to stagger the pattern. The interlocks on the sides of the form are designed to fit together even when rotated.
• Using the concrete form, work your way down the inside of the walk. There are a couple of ways to deal with curves and turns in the walk. One is to use a small form made for this purpose, and the other is to pour individual stones on flat surface like a piece of plywood and then cut them to the shape you need and lay them in place.
• After the inside is finished, repeat the procedure for the opposite side. In order to fill the odd spaces in the turns, you can also cut the form into a smaller shape. In other cases, it might be easiest to hand shape the wet concrete into stones after pouring it in place.

5. Apply concrete cure and seal:

• When the concrete is hard, but still damp, apply a concrete cure and seal. You can put it on with a garden sprayer or brush it on. The seal will make the surface a lot tougher.

For over twenty years, the Buckley family had to walk across their lawn to get to their front door. Now, thanks to Ron's expert help, they have a created a friendly and inviting pathway that beckons visitors to their door. And all it took was a little over a day!