Garden landscaping can be so expensive, can’t it? We had quotes to dig up an inherited concrete patio and replace it with something a little more in keeping with our Victorian walled garden. The costs were so astronomical we decided to do it ourselves. In this post, I share the process of how we created a DIY paver patio in our garden.
Quick View of What You'll Find on This Page
Removing An Old Concrete Patio
When we first bought our house, we inherited an old concrete patio in the garden.
It was fairly small — around 10.5m² — but looked so ugly and out of place.
For a long while, we had the twins’ little wooden playhouse on it. But as they grew up — and grew out of playing with it — we decided to take the playhouse down. (we used the wood to make a little potting shed!).
But then we were left with what to do with the little concrete patio underneath.
Mr D decided to dig it up, using his Kango drill. Not an easy task as the concrete patio was really thick and solid!
But perseverance paid off, and eventually, he’d completely broken up the concrete base. We hired a skip, and he removed every piece of concrete using a wheelbarrow. Who needs the gym when you’re doing DIY eh?!
Laying a New Subbase for Our DIY Paver Patio
Laying the right subbase for your DIY paver patio is crucial.
Mr D used MOT Type 1 for ours.
MOT type 1 is a crushed gravel mixture that is used to form the sublayer for road surfaces and pathways. It’s really hardwearing, and when it’s compacted, it will provide a load-bearing stable layer — and a flat surface — for your paver patio.
We hired a wacker plate for the weekend and Mr D set to work, compacting the gravel to form the base for our paver stones.
Once the gravel was compacted and solid, it was time to lay the paver stones.
Choosing the Perfect Garden Paving
We chose our garden paving from Westminster Stone.
We’d looked at various options, from contemporary slabs and flagstones, to reclaimed paving from antique salvage yards.
For the area near the house, we have already bought limestone tiles, that match the limestone flooring in our kitchen. But as this little patio borders the Victorian walls, we wanted something that would complement this.
In the end, we chose Westminster Stone’s Brick Pavers from their National Trust Collection.
They look antique, but they’ve been produced using modern methods. Which hopefully means they will last as long as the Victorian walls have!
Laying Brick Pavers
We’d hired a cement mixer to make this next process a little quicker than mixing by hand.
A depth of 5cm-10cm mortar is recommended under paving. This will ensure your slabs or pavers stay put.
Mr D troweled the mortar on top of the sub base, then positioned the brick pavers on top. Pressing them in place, then tapping down with a rubber mallet, and using a spirit level to ensure the surface was flat.
He then used a small wire brush to brush off the excess from each paver and smooth down the cement between the gaps.
How to Point a Brick Paver Patio
On the face of it, the idea of pointing brick pavers looked a bit daunting. A bit like when you’re faced with grouting millions of mosaic bathroom tiles! But Mr D sourced a fantastic product, which made this step super simple.
He used a product called Ultrascape Premjoint Coarse Easy Jointing Paving Compound in Natural Cashmere.
Really simple to use. All you do it use a broom or dustpan to sweep it in between the joins of the pavers.
UltraScape Premjoint is an air-cured product, so in good drying conditions (where water is free draining) it will firm up in approximately 24-48 hours. Enough to be able to walk on it. Then it will continue to harden over the next 28 days.
Much, much easier than grouting! And it looks fantastic.
Step by Step: How To Create a DIY Paver Patio
How To Create a DIY Paver Patio
Here is the process detailing how we created a DIY paver patio in our garden.
Materials
- Your choice of pavers/flagstones/slabs
- MOT Type 1
- Cement
- Sand
- Ultrascape Premjoint
Tools
- Kango drill
- Wheelbarrow
- Wacker plate
- Cement Mixer
- Spade
- Trowel
- Malett
- Spirit level
- Small wire brush
- Broom
Instructions
- Remove any existing material that you have in the area where you'd like to create your DIY paver patio. We had a concrete base we needed to remove. We broke this up using a kango drill.
- Lay a new subbase for your patio using MOT type 1. A depth of 10cm is perfect for a patio. Compact the MOT type 1 using a wacker plate.
- Mix up a batch of concrete, and begin to lay your paving on top of around 5cm depth of concrete. Tap down gently on each stone with a mallet to set them in the concrete, and use a spirit level to ensure they are level. Use a small wire brush to neaten up the concrete between the gaps of the stone and brush off any excess on the face of the stones.
- Brush jointing compound between the gaps in your paving. We used Ultrascape Premjoint Coarse Easy Jointing Paving Compound in Natural Cashmere.
- Once the jointing compound has hardened, enjoy using your new space!
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install a paver patio myself?
Absolutely! It may take a little bit of time, but the process is fairly straightforward.
Just follow the steps, take your time, and, eventually, you will create the perfect DIY paver patio.
Is it cheaper to make your own patio pavers?
Personally, I don’t think so! I know that you can buy moulds online to create poured concrete pavers, but the mess and production process would be a lot in itself. And unless you were using pigment to recolour the concrete aesthetically, they wouldn’t be as attractive because they’d be grey. Not to mention the fact that DIY pavers would not be as durable as professionally created ones.
Westminster Stone, where we got our brick pavers from, creates their Stonecast pavers using high-quality raw materials, including premium pigments, which means the patio pavers are true to genuine stone, and don’t look like concrete! Each slab undergoes a perfected production process, including a unique 7-day cure period, resulting in superior durability and a refined finish.
Can you set pavers directly on dirt?
Technically — yes. But if you lay your brick pavers on unprepared ground, there is a good chance that the pavers will shift and crack over time. It is widely preferred to install a solid sub-base before laying patio pavers. If you’re going to spend money on buying the pavers, it’s worth taking the time to prepare the ground thoroughly for them to sit on.
What do you put under pavers when making a patio?
The traditional base for a paver patio is around 10 cm of compacted gravel (type 1 MOT) on top of the soil. Followed by a minimum of 5-10 cm of concrete to set your stones in.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
