Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets

DIY Herringbone Brick Pathway

Tools Needed:
- Shovel
- Plate Compactor
- Bricks
- Landscape Fabric
- Gravel Base
- Leveling Sand
- Bonding Sand
- Level
- Rubber Mallet
- 2x4
- Angle Grinder w/dry-cutting blade
- Layout stakes & string (for straight pathways)

Step 1: Layout, Digging, and Compacting

First, layout the area of the pathway,either using steaks & string, or spray painting the dirt.  If there are any sprinklers in the way, they need to be relocated. (Relocating sprinklers will be another blog to be added.)  Dig about 5" down and make sure that the ground is generally level or is sloping away from the house or towards the landscape. I would say this portion is the most labor intensive.  Be sure to wear gloves, because you're bound to have some blisters.

After the 5" is achieved, use a plate compactor to compact the dirt. This step is very important.  You want to make sure you have a solid base, so that when it rains and the dirt settles, the ground won't sink and you won't have bricks sink out of place.  You can use a motorized plate compactor, although we thought we'd save money by just using the manual plate compactor, and it worked fine, just be sure to get all areas. 

Step 2: Gravel Base

Cover the area with gravel base about 1-2" high and compact with the plate compactor.  You want to compact at every layer to ensure a hard base.  Be sure to factor in the thickness of the brick to determine the depth of the opening, gravel and sand layers so that the brick will be level with the surrounding ground height.

Step 3:  Landscape Fabric

Lay down landscape fabric to cover the area of the pathway and up towards the edges.  This keeps weeds from growing in between the pathway.  Use a scissor or fold in the fabric to the needed areas.

Step 4: Leveling Sand

After compacting the gravel base, cover the area with leveling sand, approximately 1-2".  Use a 2x4 to spread the sand out and level the path. Be sure to check the slope of the pathway.  This will be the final layer before placing the bricks.  If it is off level, you can make adjustments, but better to have the foundation set as much as possible. We didn't compact this layer (although the directions do say it) the sand is pretty compacted as you level it,and using a manual plate compactor have caused the sand to just displace.

Step 5:  Setting the Brick

Start setting the brick in the herringbone pattern as shown, or any desired pattern.  When doing a herringbone pattern be mindful of the direction of the corners.  I missed this part, and it ended up going slanted, but we worked with that pattern and just cut the edges straight.  But if you want a 90 degree pattern straight for the door, make sure you place the bricks in that direction by setting stakes and string.

Step 6:  Cutting the brick edges

This was a first time for us.  We first did the manual way, because we didn't have an angle grinder at the time, so we used a brick chisel and a mallet.  (See link if you want to find out how to do this - here).  But we found that an angle grinder was totally necessary.  The manual way was very pre-historic and very rough.  Using an angle grinder with a dry-cutting masonry blade felt like cutting butter. (See link for how to cut brick with angle grinder - here.). Be prepared for a lot of dust. Gloves & a dusk mask is necessary.  I recommend also wearing a hat.  My bf had grey dusty hair by the end of it.

Cutting the edges was probably the most gratifying part.  It really finished up the look and made the path look complete.  I recommend also using a landscape edge to keep the bricks in, although we didn't use it here.

Step 6 1/2 (if needed): Leveling brick in specific areas

 If any bricks are not level adjust the bricks by adding/removing sand and tapping in place with a rubber mallet.  Use a weed puller to pry out the brick, and have rubber gloves to handle it.  This was very time consuming for us because we found that it wasn't level in certain areas, so you want to make sure you have that foundation set as much as possible.

Step 7: Back-fill edges

When all looks good, back fill and compact the edges with dirt.  Be sure that this is tight to the brick so that the bricks stay in place. 

Step 8: Apply Bonding Sand & Rinse

Pour the Quickcrete Bonding Sand over the final brick pattern and use a broom to sweep the sand into all the crevices.  Do not have any excess sand over the brick.  Use a leaf blower or broom to remove any remaining sand over the surface.When all seams are filled, spray with water and let settle. 

Step 9: Reapply

After a day or so the sand may sink a little and you need to re-apply, repeating step 8.

Step 10:  Enjoy your new brick herringbone pathway!