Monday, June 18, 2012

Brick Patio Tutorial

Since CE (creative endeavors) has been relocated outdoors for the summer, I decided to post about a DIY brick patio. You can do this as a weekend project, no problem. I took the project a bit further, and will be adding more on this week. I at least wanted to show you what I've been able to do!
So, I started researching patio templates and designs and I came across this one on Sunset.com.
The hardest part about my project was pulling the bricks UP from the space. Laying them was the fun part, and didn't take as long as I thought it would.
Here is my patio before:
Yes, I pulled every. single. one. of the bricks out of the space and made a few piles.

Then I prepped the soil:
Made sure it was somewhat level, and pulled out all the weeds.

Lay and level sand in the area of where you want to place bricks. I found where I wanted 'center' to be and made a circular template using some ribbon.  I marked off 5 1/2 inches on the ribbon to give me a diameter of 11. Tie the ribbon to a 'center' (I used a screw driver), and use your finger as a marker to draw in the sand so you know where to place the ends of the bricks.

And...begin to lay the bricks in the design/ pattern you want!

After about 20 or 30 minutes this was my outcome: I put some river rock in the center. You could use the center for a bird bath, plant, or fire pit to name a few.

At this point, the template pattern ended on Sunset.com, but I'm going to keep going to fill the whole space. I purchased some bamboo and grass plants to fill in around the bricks to give it a whimsical garden feel. I can't wait to complete it! To finish off the bricks, I will be laying sand in between, then using a mortar-sand mix to interlock the bricks since it will be a high traffic area.

You could easily complete this in a weekend if you wanted a small two person patio somewhere in your yard. This garden is going to take a few weekends to complete, so stay tuned.

UPDATE
Patio is complete!!



I can't wait to drink my coffee out there!!!

creative. endeavor= complete

Onward.








12 comments:

  1. Did you decide to use small rocks between the bricks? How do you keep the bricks in place?

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  2. Hi Cherish! I used sand in between the bricks, and just swept it in with a broom. It will take a few layers to get the bricks to interlock due to the settling sand, but keep at it, and it will work! I just used the rocks as more of aesthetic interest- not practical in anyway, and you can use other materials as well ie. wood, plants, cement. Thanks for your questions!

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  3. Did u use any type of sealer after adding ur stones? if so what kind?

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  4. What did you do to darken the bricks?

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    1. I think it was just taken late in the afternoon, when more shade was present, hence the darkened appearance of the bricks.

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    2. Did this! Looks great! I used round stepping stone with sun and moon face for middle and pieces of left over slate between bricks that formed circle.

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    3. Awesome! Feel free to send us a picture!!

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  5. Hi! Great job! How many bricks did the center pattern take? I'm thinking of buying a pallet of 500 bricks, which seems like more than enough.

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  6. How big was your circle in ft and inches?

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  7. Did you have to tamp the sand before laying the bricks?

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Thanks for taking the time to check out my projects. Any feedback would be appreciated! Let me know what you think!! Happy Crafting. Onward.