Installing a Brick Patio
If you're looking for a home-improvement project that will
add both functionality and elegance to the outside of the
house,, consider putting in a brick patio. This will provide
a lovely place for family and friends to hang out in the
warmer weather, it will give you a place to barbecue, and
in the process, it will improve the home's re-sale value.
If you think you'd like to install a brick patio, here are
the steps you'll need to follow.
One
of the simplest options for installing a brick patio is
to put in a loose-brick patio. Although it sometimes takes
more time than other patio options, most people find the
installation process fairly simple. The first step is to
measure the length and width of the space where you intend
to install the patio so that you can figure out what materials
you'll need to obtain. When measuring, get the length and
width and multiply the numbers. This gives you the area
in square feet. We're going to assume that your measurements
are 10 feet by 10 feet, which means you'll need 100 square
feet of material.
You
next need to buy about four inches of gravel for your patio.
Take your square footage (In our example, 100 square feet)
and multiply it by .333. This gives you 33 cubic feet of
gravel that you must buy. In addition, buy enough pure sand
to fill the area about one inch high.
Now
you need to buy bricks. To figure out how many, remember
that most bricks are 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. In
our example above, to cover 100 square feet, you'll need
about 450 bricks (You need 45 times 1/10 of your square
footage). It's a smart idea, though, to buy a few dozen
extra bricks just to be safe. You'll probably need them,
because inevitably bricks will get broken or will be found
to be defective.
As
you begin the actual process, you need to make an edging
around the patio to keep plants and soil off the area. To
do this, use some of your extra bricks and place them on
a raised surface made of metal, plastic or boards.
Now
measure about an inches outside of your patio's border on
all sides. Put stakes on all sides to mark this spot. Get
some mason's cord and run it from corner to corner until
you've marked all corners. This will show you the patio's
exact middle.
Next
it's time to create your base. To do this, dig 6 or 7 inches
down in the dirt. Now line the entire area with landscape
fabric. Without it, you will inevitably find weeds growing
up through the bricks.
After
this, pour about four inches of gravel onto the fabric,
across its entire area. If needed, use a rake to make it
even throughout the fabric. Now pour an inch of sand on
the travel, and pat it down firmly.
Finally,
it's time to lay the bricks. It's a good idea to start in
a corner, using a leveler and rubber mallet the entire time
to be sure the bricks lay flat. After you've laid all bricks
and gotten them level, pour about an inch of sand on top
of them. Make sure you fill all the cracks between the bricks
with sand.
To
finish, use a special sealant from the hardware store to
spray on top of the brick to seal the sand. If you don't
know what it is, ask. This helps make future cleaning of
the patio quick and simple
This
process will probably take a couple days to complete--but
you'll have years of enjoyment because of the investment
of a little time and effort.