There is nothing like the aesthetic of a hand-laid brick path or patio to add a little whimsy and class to any yard space. Brick in particular – especially red, clay bricks – have an unparalleled ambience that somehow softens hardscaping. Laid properly, a beautiful brick path should last for decades.
If you choose to hire professionals to build a patio or walkway for you, it can be quite costly. However, if you DIY, it can be very inexpensive while adding significant value and curb appeal to your home.
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What do with free bricks?!
We didn’t need a walkway through our front yard, but when we came across a pallet full of red, clay bricks for free, we couldn’t pass it up. The bricks we were given were from a historic, local brick company, adding extra appeal and whimsy. We had to find a way to use them and putting them on display in their original community seemed like the right thing to do.
That’s our story, but free bricks aren’t an uncommon occurrence. I frequently see posts that say, “FREE BRICKS! You dig and haul!”
These posts are hard for us DIYers to pass up. While mustering the energy to go dig them out can be a hurdle, once it’s done, seeing the materials sitting in your yard should be incentive enough to get to work on the rest of the project.
Our brick path project
Part of the reason we opted for a brick path leading up to our home was because we have bricks on the front of our house and we figured it would be a great way to tie it all together. It was going to be a frivolous project, but with the cost of bricks out of the way, we *knew* that this project could be done fairly easily and inexpensively. We had recently laid a paver patio in our backyard (also free materials!) and, based on that experience, we felt like we could probably get it done in a weekend.
We were sort of right.
The materials didn’t cost much — a couple hundred dollars — but we didn’t anticipate the extent of the tree roots that were growing in the space where we wanted to put it. (Yay, large silver maple….)
We started digging for our brick path in late summer and spent approximately a month’s worth of weekends chipping away at roots to avoid the expense of cutting down our beautiful shade tree — to no avail.
By the end of summer, we knew the tree needed to come down and a professional would need to grind the stump and roots before we could get to work. Unfortunately, tree removal/arborists are in high demand and we were unable to get anyone cut it down until snow started to fly.
The following spring we had the roots ground and that brings us up-to-date.
Prepping for your brick path
After having spent nearly $1,000 to have a tree cut down and the roots ground away, our space was ready to finish being prepped.
We planned a paver layout that would be about 3 feet wide. We added an extra 6 inches on either side to fill with sand and river rock to keep the weeds at bay.
We had already dug much of the 4’ x 30’ path the previous summer, so it was just a matter of clearing the former root space and leveling the ground. (Easy, right?)
String line
String lines are a great way to ensure that your lines are straight, and that your path is level and at a consistent depth. Simply tie a string to a piece of lath, and measure from the ground up at your start and endpoints.
Make sure to check all your angles! Cross the street and look at it from every direction to make sure the location is exactly where you want it to be. Grab a can of fluorescent spray paint (or whatever you have on hand) and mark your lines.
Dig!
You’ll want to dig about 6 to 8 inches down. You should have about 4 to 6 inches for sand* along the bottom plus room for your bricks or pavers.
After you’ve achieved your depth, try to level out your ground before laying sand. Use your string line to measure down from various points to ensure equal depth.
*Can vary dependent on soil types. We have coarse, sandy sub-soil. If you have clay, add more aggregate and consider a layer of landscaping fabric for additional stability. (Consult NRCS soil survey website or a local geo-tech company or engineering firm to learn more.)
Sand
Sand is a crucial component in any paver project. It helps with leveling, keeps weeds at bay, and water quickly seeps through it, so it keeps your project safe in the event of heavy rains.
(If you put your bricks directly on the dirt, they’ll begin to sink. This is the premise behind using base course and landscaping fabric on gravel driveways, as well.)
To determine how much sand you’ll need use the following equation:
(volume in cubic feet)/27
For our rectangular carriage walk: (L x W x H)/27
Our measurements: (30’ x 4’ x (4”/12”))/27 = 1.48
Our project required about a yard and a half of sand, which we had delivered from our local quarry. (We could have picked it up ourselves, but sand is heavy and it would’ve required us to make about three trips. The delivery cost was about $50 and we figured it was worth the time saved, despite the small cost of sand.)
Again, spread, level, and compact.
Tools for laying a brick path
The time we’ve all been waiting for has arrived! It’s time to lay bricks! There are a few simple supplies you will need to keep this relatively quick.
- Commercial grade paver edging & anchors
Paver edging is available in long coils. We recommend laying it flat in the sun to straighten it out before placing.
- Drywall trowel & bucket
You’re gonna want to level the sand before laying every. Single. Brick. A drywall trowel has a large flat surface and works very well for this. Keep a bucket handy, so you can bail unwanted sand, as well.
- Level (large and small)
It’s tedious, but ensuring levelness is crucial to a quality final product.
- Rubber mallet
Make sure you use a rubber mallet to level your bricks as you work. You definitely don’t wanna chip them!
- Mitre saw & diamond edged saw blade*
You’re probably gonna need to cut a piece of brick during this project. For doing so, we recommend using a diamond edged blade, particularly if you’re using clay bricks. Diamond-edged blades are pricey, but a standard blade will not last with clay and you will spend more on standard blades trying to use them than you will on a single diamond edge blade in the process.
*The preferred tool is a wet saw. Cutting stone is hard on the motor of a standard mitre saw and can increase the chances of burning it out. Wet saws are frequently available for rent, if that is your preference.
- Tamper
We have a 10” x 10” plate, but if you have access to a plate compactor, use that!
Laying your brick path
Place your edging
Time to pull out that string line again! After you set your string line, check all of your angles again before placing your edging.
The starting point of this particular project butt against a concrete walkway, so we placed only one side of edging creating a 90* angle. By laying just one side, we could make sure our bricks are properly aligned and tight together instead of trying to span the width of the laid edging.
(When we laid our octagonal, paver patio, we laid all eight sides prior to putting down the bricks. The framework worked wonderfully in this case and made it a very quick project.)
Level
Using the trowel, level your sand prior to laying each brick. After laying each brick, make sure that your brick is level.
After laying a line of bricks, make sure that your lines are level.
After you lay a few lines, make sure that your work is ever-so-slightly graded away from your property. (The bubble will tip just slightly toward your house, while still falling between the lines.)
I cannot overstate how important this step is in ensuring that your final product looks spectacular. If your first few bricks aren’t level, the problem will become more and more exaggerated throughout the project. If you start to get a groove after a few rows and you think you should go back and redo your starting work, do it.
Finishing
After all your bricks are laid, there are a few final steps!
- Lay remaining paver edging
As we started with only one line laid, it’s time to lay and stake the other side.
- Fill the nooks
Cover your project with sand and sweep it into all the nooks and crannies between those bricks.
- Compact
Rent or borrow a plate compactor and run it over your project. Make sure your project is thoroughly covered with sand and/or cardboard or another surface if you’re worried about chipping or cracking your pieces.
Compacting is an incredibly important component in ensuring the durability of your project. A plate compactor will shake down all those sand grains and make it a very nice, solid surface. Without it, time will do this, and you’ll end up with little sinkholes, weeds, unlevel bricks….
- Paver locking sand
Paver locking sand is a combination of sand and concrete. It’s very fine and will essentially glue your bricks together without damaging them. Sweep it into the nooks and crannies after using the plate compactor. After sweeping it in, wet the surface down (to activate the concrete aspect) and let dry.
Final touches
As I mentioned, we planned on using river rock along the edges to help keep weeds at bay. This also included laying some metal edging along that initial edge that we dug out (6 inches on either side).
We really like this metal edging much more so than any plastic versions available. It’s very easy to work with and we like how it naturally oxidizes, maintaining an organic look.
After that, we backfilled around the edging and spread some clover seed. Yes, clover seed. Turf grass is SO out.
Now if only this drought would end!
Have you ever picked up free bricks on a whim? We’d love to know what you did with them in the comments below.
Happy projecting!
– Melissa, The Joneses Four
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