0

I have acquired many reclaimed solid clay bricks and plan to use them as a patio. I will likely lay them in a herringbone pattern. The edges will be side-by-side held in place with plastic edging. Similar to this:

brick pavers.

My question is... should I leave a gap between the pavers to allow for expansion and/or to allow for a sand-filled joints? If so, how much gap should I leave and what would you recommend to use to keep the gaps uniform?

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

Yes, you should leave a small gap, but not for the reasons you are asking.

You will be concerned with evenness. Reclaimed bricks won't have a chamfer on the edges the way paving bricks will, so small differences in your sand bed will be very noticeable to feet and patio furniture.

Your gap size will be mostly aesthetic, but wider gaps will make your bricks less stable. To space it, just use anything that is the right size, e.g. scrap wood or screws, and fill in your joints every few feet.

Improve this answer
1
  • And fill the joints with polymeric sand, which sets a bit and will help stabilize the array...
    – Jimmy Fix-it
    May 9, 2019 at 4:42
2

I use 16p nails, they are readily available, about the right width and have the head to keep them easy to remove.

Improve this answer
2
  • I assume you mean 16d nails right?
    – Andrew
    Jun 4, 2019 at 21:43
  • Yes. I originally spelled out the word "penny", then backspaced it out to add the "d", but apparently fat fingered it and left the p in there...
    – JRaef
    Jun 5, 2019 at 19:39

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.