How To: Reclaimed Brick Patio

Digging around the yard unearthed a random paver or two - or hundred, all mix-matched and beautiful. As Mike and I stacked, we decided not to waste a single one. It was time to get creative, put the bricks to work, and learn to lay a patio.

Materials Needed:

• Paver stones (reclaimed or new to suit your fancy)
• Crushed Gravel*
• Sand*
• Paver Sand
• Landscape Fabric

 * To determine the amount of gravel and sand needed, it takes some math. Multiply the length x width x height of your layer, all in feet. For a 10' x 10' patio and a 3" thick layer, multiply 10 x 10 x .25 (3" is a quarter of a foot) for a total of 25 cubic feet. 

Tools:

• Tiller
• Tape Measure
• Brightly-colored string
• Wooden stakes
• Level
• Stamper
• Shovels
• Wheelbarrow
• Rubber Mallet
• Hose with "Mist" setting
• Medium-bristled Push Broom

Project Time: 3 Days

Project Cost: Around $200 for gravel, sand, and paver sand

Step One: Determine Your Pattern

We laid the pavers this way and that before deciding on a striped pattern with an irregular, "coastal" edge. What can I say, we're Michiganders. People in Michigan love their coast. Fact.

Step Two: Till the Space

After carefully stacking the pavers off to the side, Mike rented a tiller and went to town. Later that day, he attributed his best golf score ever to his arms being stretched out from loosening the dirt. Lesson learned: till before you swing.

Step Three: Determine Your Depth and Get Digging!

Proper patios are all about beautifully leveled layers, like a cake. The base is dirt, followed by 3" gravel, 2" sand, and 2" pavers. Unfortunately, this means digging out 7" of space. 

Step Four: Keep It Level

I measured out and marked the depths on wooden stakes and anchored them at various points along the edge of our area. Brightly colored string was tied between them and checked with a level to make sure we were on the right track. Tip: don't criss-cross them too much or go string-crazy since you do have to dig around them. 

Action shot of Mike and his mom, Sue. Nice hustle.

Fair-skinned beauties need giant red sun hats while working. They also need to keep things level. Getting the dirt just right definitely took the longest of all the steps, but a level base makes getting a level patio much easier. Using the string as my guide, I dragged a long, straight board (seen behind me in the photo) along the surface to even it out.

Step Five: Pack It Down

A stamper (real name?) is needed to make sure the base is solid. A layer of landscaping fabric was added to block out weeds.

Gravel delivery! Crushed gravel will compact to form a solid base.

Step Six, Seven, & Eight: Layer, Layer, Layer

We layered the gravel. Level. Stamp. Level. We layered the sand. Level. Then came the fun part: pavers!

The layer of sand gives the wiggle needed to keep the pavers level. This was imperative since our reclaimed bricks were different heights. A rubber mallet gently taps it in to place, and an extra long level keep things in check across multiple pavers. 

Step Nine: Paver Sand

Meet Rufus, protector of the paver sand and supervisor of the final step. Paver sand is a special mix that will set the bricks in place. It won't shift like regular sand. 

The paver sand was sprinkled into the space between pavers and swept into place using a stiff push broom until the surface was clean. Any sand left on the surface will stain and stick to the pavers. 

Set the hose onto mist and wet the surface every ten minutes for forty minutes. Look at those colors come out!

After the paver sand dried, our reclaimed brick patio was done; we love how it used the materials we found around the yard, giving us a truly unique patio. Check back soon for the big reveal.