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How to pave a pathway
Prepare before you start paving a path or driveway 03:08

Part 1 How to prepare for paving When you want to pave your driveway or footpath, here are a few handy tips to help you prepare for the project.

Person laying the pavers 03:50

Part 2 How to pave a pathway Watch our step-by-step guide and find out how to prepare and lay a pathway with pavers.

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How to pave

How to pave a pathway

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How to pave a pathway

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Project Overview

With the right tools, paving a pathway is a relatively easy D.I.Y. job. This guide tells what to do before you start paving, how to keep the pavers level, and how to keep them stable in place.

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This D.I.Y. Advice is part of a series How to pave
Effort Required

Weekend Project

Weekend Project

A project to keep you busy for a whole weekend

 

Step by Step Instructions

1 Prepare the pathway
2 Mix the sand and cement
3 Make a straight edge
4 Screed the sand and cement mix
5 Lay the pavers
6 Run a string line
7 Mix more sand and cement
8 Lay more rows of pavers
9 Set your pavers in place

  • Step 1. Prepare the pathway

    Preparing the pathway before you start paving is important, the key is having a solid foundation to lay the pavers on. For the foundation, lay a 50mm bed of level, crushed rock on the pathway. Run and secure a border along both sides of where you want the pathway to be. The border will make sure that your brick paving remains firmly in place as you lay it. 

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    Prepare before you start paving a path or driveway

  • Step 2. Mix the sand and cement

    Before making the mixture that the pavers will be laid on, put on your dust mask and gloves. To make the mixture, pour three bags of paving sand on to the foundation of crushed rock and thoroughly mix in a handful of cement.
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    Person mixing the sand and cement

  • Step 3. Make a straight edge

    A straight edge will make sure that your sand and cement mix is level for the pavers to be laid on. To make the straight edge, cut a piece of timber so that it’s the same width as the pathway. Determine how high you want the sand and cement mixture to be and hold the piece of timber at that height. Then use a pencil to mark it at the end. Measure off the same height at the other end of the piece of timber. Hammer nails in at the same height at both ends of the timber. 

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    Person making a straight edge

  • Step 4. Screed the sand and cement mix

    Sit the nails on the ends of the straight edge on top of the wooden border and, starting at the beginning of your path, pull it towards you. This screeding, makes the sand and cement mixture level so that you can start laying the pavers. You may need to repeat this to ensure the mixture is flat.

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    Person screeding the sand and cement mix

  • Step 5. Lay the pavers

    After your mixture is level, you can start to lay the pavers. With this project the pavers are being laid in a simple offset pattern called stretcher bond. This is where the joints are offset by exactly half the width of the paver. Lay two rows of pavers in this pattern.

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    Person laying the pavers

  • Step 6. Run a string line

    After laying two rows of pavers, tie a string line around an unused paver and put it one side of the wooden border. Pull the string line across the path and tie it around another paver. Put this paver directly opposite the other paver and pull the string line tight. This will let you see if the pavers are level. If a paver is lower than the string line, remove it and put some more sand and cement mixture underneath it. Tap it in place with the rubber mallet. If a paver is too high, remove it and scrape away the sand and tap it in place with the mallet. Or just try tapping it down with the mallet.

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    Person running a stringline to keep the pavers level

  • Step 7. Mix more sand and cement

    Mix more sand and cement onto the crushed rock foundation. Screed it using your straight edge, to make it level. If there is some sand mixture close to the pavers that you can’t screed, make it level using your hand. Continue laying more pavers on top of the screeded mixture. If there are a few pavers that are tight to fit, use the rubber mallet to tap them into place. After laying the next rows of pavers, check they are level using the string line. Adjust the height of the pavers to make sure they’re all level. 

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    Person mixing sand and cement onto the rock foundation

  • Step 8. Lay more rows of pavers

    Mix more sand and cement on the crushed rock foundation. Screed so that it’s level. Lay more rows of pavers and use the string line to check that they’re level as well. Repeat this process until you have finished paving your pathway.

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    Person laying more rows of pavers

  • Step 9. Set your pavers in place

    It’s important to make sure that your pavers are set in place. To do this, thoroughly mix a bag of sand and a quarter of a bag of white cement in a wheelbarrow. Spread this mixture over the pathway with a shovel. Use a broom to sweep it into the cracks between the pavers. Using a hose, lightly spray the path, which will help the mixture to harden. Repeat this process until all of the cracks between the pavers are filled. Let this mixture harden before walking on the pathway.
    Previous Step Next Step
    Set your pavers in place

Tools and Materials

Tools

  • Angle grinder
  • Broom
  • Chisel
  • Dust mask
  • Gloves
  • Hammer
  • Measuring tape
  • Rubber mallet
  • Safety glasses
  • Shovel
  • Spirit level
  • Straight edge
  • String line
  • Wheelbarrow

Materials

  • Cement
  • Pavers
  • Paving sand
  • Wooden border

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