How to Build a Paver Patio: A Step-by-Step Guide for DIYers

You have a few free weekends, a spot off the back door and a paver picked out. Most of the work happens underneath, in the digging, the base and the slope, and that hidden work decides whether the patio stays flat. Here is how to build a paver patio in the order we build ours, with the tools to rent and the signs it’s time to hire it out.

How do you build a paver patio?

To build a paver patio, call 811, lay out the edges with a 1/4-inch-per-foot slope away from the house, and dig about 9 inches down. Compact 6 inches of base in thin lifts, screed 1 inch of bedding sand, lay and cut the pavers, spike edge restraint into the base, compact them, then sweep in polymeric sand.

How to Build a Paver Patio, Step by Step

This is the whole job in order. The steps below follow our own build-up, backed by install guides from paver makers and the Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association (CMHA).

• Plan and size the patio, and order materials
• Call 811 a few business days ahead
• Lay out the edges and set a slope of 1/4 inch per foot
• Dig about 9 inches below finished height
• Lay geotextile on clay or wet soil
• Compact 6 inches of base in 2 to 3 lifts
• Screed 1 inch of bedding sand
• Lay and cut the pavers
• Spike edge restraint into the base
• Compact the pavers
• Sweep in polymeric sand on a dry day
• Clean up

Tools and Rentals

You’ll rent at least two machines, and most of the rest are hand tools.

• Plate compactor, for the soil, each base lift and the pavers. CMHA calls for at least 5,000 pounds of force at 75 to 90 hertz to seat pavers, so ask what the rental plate puts out, and get the protector pad, which Unilock calls a must.
• Wet saw or splitter. CMHA says saws need dust control because the dust contains respirable crystalline silica, and Unilock’s planning guide calls for wet or dustless saws and safety gear.
• Digging. Shovels, a wheelbarrow and a steel rake, or a rented mini excavator or skid steer.
• Layout and screeding. A 100-foot tape, stakes, mason’s line, a line level, marking paint, a 4-foot level, two 1-inch pipes and a straight board.
• Finishing and safety. A rubber mallet, push broom, leaf blower and knee pads, plus safety glasses, hearing protection and an N95 mask.

Before You Dig

1. Plan and Size It

Lay a garden hose where you want the edges, as Unilock’s planning page suggests, and set your table and chairs inside it to check the size. Draw the patio to scale on graph paper, and ask your town and any HOA about permits before you order.

Our free paver calculator turns your size and pattern into a material list, with 7 to 12 percent extra pavers depending on the pattern. If you want the layout drawn for you, our online patio design plans include a scaled plan with the layout, sizes and materials, and Single Space plans start at $349. Build-Ready ($1,795) adds construction details and a quantity takeoff.

Ordering by the pallet? See how many pavers you need for square feet and pieces per pallet from six paver makers, and how to round your order up.

2. Call 811 a Few Business Days Ahead

Contact 811 a few business days before you dig. It’s free, and you wait until every utility has responded, with lines marked in paint or flags.

Those marks may skip lines you own. Gopher State One Call, Minnesota’s 811 center, for one, says private lines such as power to a shed, gas to a grill, sprinklers and invisible fences may not be marked, and finding them is the owner’s job.

3. Lay Out the Patio and Set the Slope

Set stakes a couple of feet outside each corner and run string lines for the edges. Square each corner by marking 3 feet along one line and 4 feet along the other, then adjusting until the marks are 5 feet apart.

Start the high side at the house, a step below the door threshold, and pitch the patio 1/4 inch per foot away from it, about 3 inches over 12 feet. Unilock says only 2 to 5 percent of rain gets through the joints of a standard patio, so the surface has to shed the rest. Our patio slope guide shows how to set the pitch with string lines and a level.

Build the Base

4. Excavate

We dig about 9 inches below finished height, more for a thicker paver, since 6 inches of base, an inch of sand and a 2 3/8-inch paver add up to 9 3/8 inches. Dig 6 inches past the patio on every open side so the base carries the edge restraint, and keep the bottom parallel to the finished slope. For haul-off, we add about 30 percent to the hole’s volume, because soil fluffs up once it’s dug.

Strip out topsoil, roots and soft spots, fill the holes with compacted stone as CMHA’s construction spec directs, and run the plate over the soil before the base goes in.

5. Lay Geotextile Where the Soil Calls for It

Fabric keeps soil and stone from mixing. CMHA lists it for clay or damp silty soil, ground that stays wet part of the year and freeze-thaw climates, and Unilock calls it good practice on clay or other poorly draining soil. Overlap seams at least 12 inches, as CMHA specifies, turn it up the sides of the hole, and never use plastic, which Unilock says traps water.

6. Compact the Base in Thin Lifts

Our patios get 6 inches of 2A modified, a crushed stone with fines, compacted in 2 to 3 lifts. Outside Pennsylvania, ask for dense-graded base such as crusher run or road base, and see our paver base depth guide for when clay, wet ground or loose fill call for more.

Unilock’s base guide has DIYers compact in 3- to 4-inch layers, because a typical plate compactor only packs about 4 inches at a time, and suggests a little water on dry stone.

Check every lift against the string lines. CMHA wants the finished base within 3/8 inch under a 10-foot straightedge and says not to level an uneven base with bedding sand, so fix low spots with stone.

Sand, Pavers and Edges

7. Screed the Bedding Sand

Set two pipes with a 1-inch outside diameter on the base, 6 to 8 feet apart as Belgard’s install guide shows, spread concrete sand between them and screed it flat with a straight board. Pull the pipes, fill the grooves and stay off the sand. CMHA calls for a nominal 1 inch, left uncompacted, and rules out masonry sand, screenings and stone dust.

Laying Belgard? Our Belgard pavers guide walks through Belgard’s own install steps, from base depth and the 1-inch concrete sand bed to compaction and joint sand.

Screed only what you’ll cover that day, since Unilock warns that rain or foot traffic can mean leveling it again.

8. Lay the Pavers and Make the Cuts

Start at a square corner or a straight edge and work outward, kneeling on the pavers instead of the sand. Unilock’s laying guide says not to assume a wall is straight, so follow a string line about 1/4 inch off it, leave about a 1/8-inch joint without hammering pavers tight, and pull a string along the laying face every 4 feet. Mix pavers from three or four bundles, as CMHA advises, so the color blends.

At the edges, let full pavers run past the line, snap a chalk line and cut each one on the saw or splitter.

9. Spike the Edge Restraint Into the Base

Every open side needs restraint, and the house foundation holds the side it touches. Unilock’s planning guide says “Edge restraints must always be spiked into the compacted base.” Scrape the sand back so the restraint sits on stone, which is why the base runs 6 inches past the pavers, and spike it about every 12 inches, as we do. CMHA notes it’s typically installed before the sand instead.

Not sure which restraint to buy? Our guide to paver edging compares plastic, aluminum and concrete edges and shows how to set and spike each one into the base.

10. Compact the Pavers

Sweep the surface clean, put the pad on the plate and run it in more than one direction. Make at least two passes, as CMHA calls for, to seat the pavers and push sand up into the joints. If rain threatens before you’re done, CMHA suggests covering the uncompacted edge with a waterproof cover.

Unilock’s mistakes guide says to compact only after the joint sand is in, to avoid scuffing, so check your paver maker’s instructions.

Finish the Joints and Clean Up

11. Sweep In Polymeric Sand on a Dry Day

Wait for a dry day with a dry forecast, since Alliance Gator says pavers should be completely dry before polymeric sand goes in, to avoid haze. Sweep it in, run the plate over it and top it up to about 1/8 inch below the paver’s bevel, as Unilock advises. Alliance Gator says joints that skip this compaction end up 30 to 50 percent short of sand.

Before watering, sweep with a fine broom and blow the surface with a leaf blower until no dust rises, as Alliance Gator advises, then mist in stages per the bag. Too much water can wash out the binder, Unilock warns, and our polymeric sand guide covers the other causes of haze and soft joints.

12. Clean Up

Haul off the extra soil, return the rentals and keep a few spare pavers for repairs. Alliance Gator says a dry joint can take traffic in 24 hours, but check your bag before the furniture goes back out.

Where DIY Paver Patios Go Wrong

These four shortcuts show up later as dips, heaves and loose joints.

• Thin or uncompacted base. Unilock names a poorly compacted base as a leading cause of sinking, shifting and cracked pavers, and stone dumped in one lift and walked on settles into dips, as we explain in how to fix sinking pavers.
• No pitch. Water sits on a flat patio, soaks the base and lifts the pavers when it freezes, as we explain in why pavers heave in winter.
• No edge restraint. Unilock says unrestrained pavers slowly creep into the softer ground around them, opening gaps at the perimeter.
• Wet sand. CMHA says not to install saturated bedding sand, and polymeric sand swept into damp joints clumps and sets unevenly, as our polymeric sand guide explains.

When to Hire It Out

By our estimate, a careful DIY build takes two to three times as long as a crew, and we break down the hours in how long it takes to build a paver patio. For 500 square feet or more, Unilock suggests one weekend for removal and digging and a second for base and pavers, and hiring a company for the excavation to save time.

Hire it out, or at least hire the dig, when you run into any of these.

• Soft clay, standing water or fill around a newer house, which call for more base and sometimes drainage
• A slope that needs a retaining wall, since Unilock says a wall over 3 feet tall, or one holding up a driveway, requires engineering
• A driveway or parking pad, which needs a deeper base and a vehicle-rated paver
• No machine access, so every ton of stone moves by wheelbarrow
• A tight door threshold, where height and pitch have to suit the door and the code

If you hire it out, ask each bidder to put the base depth, lifts, fabric, edge restraint and joint sand in writing, so the quotes compare the same build.

Before the First Shovel

Place the 811 request first, and once the lines are marked, dig a test hole a foot deep to see your soil. Then line up the compactor and saw rentals. Save a dry day at the end for the joint sand, and check the slope at every layer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How deep should the base be for a paver patio?

CMHA calls for at least 4 inches of compacted base under patios and walkways on well-drained soil, and Unilock’s base guide gives 4 to 6 inches for walkways, with clay often dug deeper. We use 6 inches of compacted 2A, which with an inch of sand and a 2 3/8-inch paver means digging about 9 inches.

What kind of sand goes under pavers?

Use concrete sand. CMHA calls for bedding sand that meets ASTM C33, screeded to a nominal 1 inch and left uncompacted, and says masonry sand, limestone screenings and stone dust should never be used for bedding. Joint sand can be finer than bedding sand, and the steps above finish the joints with polymeric sand.

Can you build a paver patio when the ground is frozen?

Not on frozen ground. CMHA’s construction spec says frozen base material should not be installed and should not be placed over frozen soil. The joint sand has limits too: Alliance Gator says its polymeric sand is made to go in above 32 degrees F, on pavers that are completely dry.

How much does a paver patio cost?

HomeGuide’s cost guide puts an installed paver patio at $10 to $17 per square foot, or $1,400 to $2,500 for a 12×12, and a DIY build at $5 to $10 per square foot. Local prices vary, so compare written quotes that list the same base depth, lifts, fabric, edge restraint and joint sand.

Sources: CMHA, PAV-TEC-002 construction specification; Unilock, Do’s and Don’ts of Paver Installation: Base Preparation; Alliance Gator, Jointing Material FAQ; HomeGuide, Paver Patio Cost (cost guide)

Related: All our pavers and patios guides in one place

Written and reviewed by Thayne Muthler, owner of Muthler Landscaping & Construction. How we check facts: editorial policy.