Gillroys How-to-Guide
Project: Beautify Your Landscape with a Brick Walkway

Design, style and placement: Before you start digging, take some time to plan a walkway that will be both attractive and functional. A broad, graceful sweep from the driveway to the front entrance of your home is an attractive option. Straight walks are more appropriate for practical applications, such as walking from the back door to the garage. Formal sidewalks should be at least four or five feet wide, so two people can comfortably walk side by side. Pathways need only be two or three feet wide.

Laying the walk:

1. Lay out the walk using stakes and string. Use a flat spade to remove the sod, excavating to four inches. Make sure the path you've dug is wide enough to accommodate your pattern.

2. To create a smooth edge for laying the brick, pound a 2-by-4 against the ground where the edging bricks will be placed.

3. Lay edging bricks on their sides along the edges of the path.

4. Spread a two-inch layer of sand along the path. Level the sand with a 2-by-4, then lightly wet the sand with a garden hose and tamp it down.

5. Lay the bricks, using a mallet to tamp them together as closely as possible .

6. Frequently use a level to check for uniform height. An uneven walk looks unsightly and creates a safety hazard. If a brick sits too high, remove some sand from underneath and reset it.