How to install Pavers

Nick Pastore, certified Unilock installer, finds the Unilock product easier to install than a natural stone like a Belgian paver because they are all uniform—smooth edges, square, always the same dimensions. To prepare the bed he first put down a 12 inch compacted gravel base and then laid a regular washed sand bed on top of the compacted gravel. He uses 1 1/2-inch aluminum electrical conduit on top of the gravel base to establish a proper height - setting the conduit to any pitch he may need to achieve, fills in between the conduit with sand, and then screeds over it with the straight edge of a 2 x 4 to set the sand base. Then he removes the conduit, fills in with sand, trowels over it, and begins setting the pavers into place. The pavers are laid and tapped into place, making sure they're all jointed together well. Settlement is the biggest challenge. A well compacted base is the best defense.