How many pavers for a patio

How deep to dig

Excavation depth is the base plus 1 in of bedding sand plus the paver thickness: for a patio on firm soil, 4 in of base, 1 in of sand and a 2⅜ in paver, about 7½ in below the finished surface. A driveway wants 6–8 in of base, and clay or wet ground wants more under a patio too. Dig 6–12 in wider than the patio on every side so the base extends under the edge restraint; the edge is where a patio fails first.

Slope, base and sand

Set a string line to fall away from the house at ⅛ in per foot, so a patio 12 ft out from the wall is 1½ in lower at the far edge. Compact the subgrade, then spread the crushed stone base in lifts of 2–3 in, compacting each with a plate compactor and wetting it lightly so the fines bind. The sheet converts your base depth to cubic yards.

The bedding is coarse concrete sand, not play sand or stone dust, screeded to 1 in over the compacted base: lay two lengths of 1 in pipe, pull a straight board across them, lift the pipes and fill the grooves. Don’t compact the sand or walk on it once it is screeded; lay pavers from the finished side outward.

Counting pavers and the cutting allowance

The sheet divides the patio area by the face area of one paver and adds a cutting allowance: 5 % for a running bond with straight edges, 10 % for a herringbone at 45°, which needs a cut at every edge, and 10–15 % for curves. Pavers are sold by the piece and by the pallet; a pallet covers a stated number of square feet that varies by paver size, so check the yard’s figure and round up to whole pallets plus loose pieces. Buy everything from one lot: color varies between production runs.

Measuring and ordering

1. Measure the patio length and width; for an L or a curve, break it into rectangles and add the areas.
2. Type the paver length and width in inches from the spec sheet, not the nominal name; an 8 × 4 paver is often 7⅞ × 3⅞.
3. Set the cutting allowance for your pattern: 5 % straight, 10 % herringbone, 15 % curves.
4. Set the base depth: 4 in for a patio, 6–8 in for a driveway, and 2 in more on clay.
5. Read the paver count, the base and sand in cubic yards, and the bags of polymeric sand; edit the prices to your quotes.
6. Order pavers by the pallet plus loose pieces, and the stone and sand from the same yard in one delivery.

Edge restraint and joints

Set the edge restraint against the pavers on the compacted base, not on the sand, and spike it every 12 in. Sweep polymeric sand into the joints on a dry day, run the plate compactor over the surface on a pad to settle the pavers and drive the sand down, top up, sweep clean and mist it to set. A 50 lb bag fills about 75 sq ft of narrow joints; the sheet counts the bags. Any polymeric sand left on the surface when it gets wet sets there.

Common mistakes

• Skimping on the base. 2 in of stone on soil is a patio that ripples after one winter.
• Compacting the sand bed, or using stone dust for it. The pavers rock and the joints open.
• No edge restraint. The outer rows creep and the sand runs out.
• Flat, or sloped toward the house. Water needs a way off.
• Ordering the exact count. Cuts, breakage and a different dye lot for the top-up are why the allowance exists.