How to Build a Parking Pad With Pavers

All these steps combine to produce an attractive parking pad that will be resistant to cracking or settling.

1. Measure the area to be paved using a tape measure, then mark the boundaries of the parking pad with spray paint.

2. Excavate the dirt from the parking pad using a skid loader or shovel. You must dig to a depth of at least 18 inches for a solid base. Eight inches of the base will be paver base gravel, and another 7 inches will consist of paver base sand. The remaining amount consists of the paver itself. Adjust this depth according to the thickness of your pavers.

3. Unload the paver base gravel into the excavation and spread the gravel out to evenly cover the hole. Use a framing level or a long board to ensure that there are no high or low spots.

4. Tamp down the gravel firmly using a mechanical soil compactor. Make several passes to ensure that the gravel is firmly in place.

5. Unload the paver base sand into the excavation on top of the gravel. Using the same method as with the gravel, evenly distribute the sand over the gravel base, then use the soil compactor to firmly tamp down the sand in place. At this stage, take a measurement from the top of the sand base to the ground level. If the measurement is so low that the pavers will be below ground level, add additional sand to the excavation and repeat the tamping process. The pavers should be at ground level or marginally higher when they are placed.

6. Install the pavers on the sand base in whatever pattern you wish. When the pavers have been placed, empty a bag of fine sand such as play sand onto the pavers and sweep it with a push broom between any existing cracks between the pavers to lock them in place.