Once ground excavation and base installation is complete, you can now begin to set your pavers.  Simple patterns require less time, while more complex patterns may require significantly more time.  Having a more complex pattern may be more attractive and captivating, but your budget will really determine which route you choose.

Setting Pavers Continued…

Installing pavers is pretty easy task if you are installing a simple pattern.  Installing a brick pattern or basket weave pattern will generally be your easiest patterns to install.  Installing circle patterns will require lots of cutting once your circle meets up with the rest of your pattern.  Most paver projects have a soldier course installed around the perimeter of the pavers.  A soldier course is a perimeter of pavers running in a different direction or made of a different material or color.  This outer layer helps install some eye appeal in the project and helps define the perimeter edge.  There are many sizes of pavers and styles to choose from.  Installing a paver project with different sized material can make for an interesting design.

Once all of your pavers are roughed in, it is now time to do your cuts.  The best tool for cutting pavers is a concrete saw with a diamond tip blade.  You can also use a wet cut saw with a table for more precise cuts.  Chisels don’t work well when cutting pavers if you are trying to get a nice clean edge.  To make a cut on a block, first take a full-sized block that you are cutting and lay it over the hole that you want to cut.  Make a mark on each edge of the block with a marker or chalk.  Now turn over the block and draw a line from each mark, this will give you a precise cut line if done correctly.  When cutting your paver make sure to cut it on a surface that you cannot damage by cutting through the block; like on sod or a piece of wood.  Make sure that your block is on a level surface and you make a perfectly vertical cut.  If you cut your block at an angle, it will be too long on the other side or too short.