Brick patio

There are two ways to install a brick patio:

Laying brick in a bed of sand and building a mortared brick patio, the key to success for both styles is a well defined layout. It is wise to finalize the site dimensions before you lay out the site so it will accommodate an even number of whole bricks and minimize the number of bricks you have to cut. After installation of the gravel base, you install the sand base make sure that it is spread evenly on the entire surface you continue with setting the bricks by starting it in the corners and set the pattern in all directions outward from the corners. In the end, you will fill the gaps by using fine sand in the joints, that will compact and keep the bricks tightly in place.

When Building a mortar and brick patio you build one patio – the concrete slab – then add another, the brick surface. It is recommended to make the dimensions of the slab equal to an even multiple of your brick pattern, including grout. You start with the layout, excavation and pouring gravel, then you set the forms and pour the slab. You continue with laying the bricks by re-installing masons lines at the finished surface level of the patio. You spread mortar in approximately a half-inch bed, when you have laid the entire surface, let the mortar cure for three days, then fill the joints with mortar and clean any spilled mortar with a wet sponge.

Tile patio

Tile can look rugged or refined and It will last for many years if you install it correctly on a leveled concrete slab. There are many tile designs available. Generally, you will want as many complete tiles as possible in the central part of the site and the smallest amount possible cut tiles on the edges. After marking the lines spread a thin coat of mortar and install the tiles, once you have set all the tiles, remove the spacers, and let the mortar set for approximately a day, then fill the joints with grout, clean it and seal the tiles.

Flagstone patio

Sand set or mortared flagstone has a gorgeous rustic charm that brings a timeless appeal to any landscape. Because of their irregular shape, you cannot predict the flagstone pattern until you have the stone on site. Building a sand set stone patio starts with applying gravel base and laying landscape fabric the weeds down, Then shovel sand into the site and spread it. After laying the flagstones, fill the joints with sand.

 When building a mortared flagstone patio, you construct a concrete base that includes a gravel bed, re-enforcement and pouring the slab, after that you apply mortar on the concrete slab surface and set the stones on the mortar, Then let the mortar cure 3-4 days, remove any temporary forms, and then fill the joints.

Flagstones are available in several colors,  if  your design already uses variations in shapes and textures, you may not want to add more contrast using color.

Pre-cast paver patio

Pre-cast concrete pavers include the design versatility of tile with the easy installation of brick, they are made of cast concrete and come in many sizes and patterns. They are designed to be set in a sand bed over a gravel base. To keep them properly spaced most pavers come with molded lugs.

Concrete patio

Concrete is one of the most common construction material, it can assume almost any shape when it is wet, and when it is cured it will stand up to hard  use and extreme weather conditions. It costs less than any other building material, and accepts color and texture treatment. When building concrete patio you need to plan for drainage, sloping the slab 1-inch every 4-feet. After you have decided about the layout, begin to excavate the site. The forms can be assembled in the excavated site, wet concrete must be contained by forms. You continue with preparing the gravel base and re-enforcing it as needed then pour the concrete screed it and float the surface.  Smoothing the slab surface to its final finish, can take as little as an hour or as much as half a day, depending on the weather conditions. The most common ways to produce decorative concrete surfaces are floating, troweling, and brooming, other ways are the seeded aggregate finish, the hand-patterned finish and the stamped finish. Concrete reaches its full strength after it has cured for at least 3-7 days. To help your slab cure properly, you can cover it with plastic or you can keep it wet with water.