Pavers are some of the best things that you could possibly use to make a walkway. They look nice, are durable, and are fairly comfortable to walk on as well. That being said, if you are making a curved walkway, you would usually have to cut those pavers using special tools.
However, maybe you don’t have special tools or just don’t want to have to deal with this process. Therefore, how to make a curved paver walkway without having to cut pavers is what we are going to teach you today.
Can You Make a Curved Paver Walkway Without Cutting?
Yes, it is possible to make a curved paver walkway without cutting the pavers. You just have to space out the pavers in such a way that they naturally create a curve, and then fill the joints in between them using polymeric sand. The issue is of course that this is like a game of Tetris in the sense that you need to make all the pieces fit together properly without cutting them.
How to Make a Curved Paver Walkway Without Cutting
Let’s go through a quick step-by-step tutorial on how to make a curved paver walkway without having to cut any paver.
1. Outline the Walkway and Dig
First, you need to outline the path that your pavers will follow. Therefore, take a good amount of time to determine exactly where you want the path to start and where you want it to end.
You then want to use some kind of marking utensil to outline the exact path that you will be setting the pavers in.
Some people choose to insert small sticks into the ground along the perimeter of the path, and then connect those sticks with string or rope, just for a good visual reference.
Once the path has been outlined, you will need a shovel to dig down around 6” from the surface. You need to have around 6” of space because you will need to create a bed for the stone pavers to sit on.
2. Create the Bed and Compact It
you now need to put down around 4” of relatively fine gravel along the path that your pavers will follow. This gravel will allow water to drain away from the pavers, therefore preventing it from pooling and causing damage.
Once the gravel has been laid, you want to use a long board or something similar to screed it and make sure that it is completely flat and even.
Once this has been done, you then want to apply a layer of sand. You want there to be around 2” of sand. The sand will provide the pavers with a stable bed to sit on. With that same board, you now also want to screed the sand to make sure that it is flat and even.
Before you can move on to the next step, ideally, you want to use a plate compactor to compact the gravel and sand down so that it forms a relatively solid surface for the pavers to sit on. Start on one side with your plate compactor and slowly move to the opposite end of your walkway.
3. Lay Down Your Pavers
Now comes the tricky part, actually laying down the pavers so that they form a curved path without you having to do any cutting. Therefore, you want to start at one end of the pathway so that you can lay all of the long ends of the pavers flat against the start of the path. With this pattern, you are going to be laying the pavers down with their long sides touching the beginning of the walkway, and the short ends touching the sides of the walkway.
Just keep laying the pavers until you get to a curve. The trick to creating a perfect curve with pavers is to leave a little bit of space between multiple pavers on one side of them.
For instance, if you are creating a left-hand turn, you will lay down the pavers so that the short ends on the left side touch each other and the side of the path, but the short ends on the right side, towards the inside of the path, have some space in between them.
Visually, you can imagine a small triangle or piece of pie being in between the two pavers. The tighter the curve is to be, the less space you will leave in between the pavers. Keep following this methodology until all of the pavers have been laid down.
4. Apply Polymeric Sand
To fill all of the gaps in between the pavers, especially where you had to make adjustments for the curve, you will now apply a good layer of polymeric sand.
Dump the polymeric sand onto the pavers, and then use a broom to sweep it around so that all of the cracks get filled. Once all of the cracks are filled, move on to the next step.
5. Compact Everything Together
Now, once again you want to use your plate compactor to compact the pavers down into the ground, and to make sure that the polymeric sand is compacted in all the joints. You can then use your broom or some pressurized air to blast away any remaining polymeric sand that is not in between the pavers.
6. Apply Water and Wait
Polymeric sand needs to get wet in order to harden so that the paver joints will be sealed. Therefore, use your hose and wet the polymeric sand, using the amount of water according to the directions as indicated on the product’s packaging.
Once the water has been applied, you will need to wait anywhere between 24 to 72 hours for the pathway to be stable enough to walk on. Remember, that polymeric sand needs to dry and cure before the pavers will be able to handle any foot traffic.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
Let’s go over a few tips and tricks to help make this process easier for you:
- Never lay down pavers without first creating a bed out of gravel and sand. Putting pavers directly on soil will create a variety of issues.
- If you are having trouble with rectangular pavers, it might be easier to use square pavers.
- Always let the polymeric sand fully dry and cure before walking on the path.
Summary
Now that you know what this process looks like, you can make your own curved paver walkway without cutting.