Even though bricks and pavers are rectangular and tape measures are straight, walks and patios can have curves and angles. After you've laid a patio or walkway, you can use a handheld portable masonry saw to shape the edges. Lay the patio as you normally would, laying the bricks right up to or just past the layout line. Cut the edge to shape and install the edge restraints as the final step.
There are 5 steps to completing this project:
The curve may be the focal point, but the work begins on the straight sides. After you excavate for the patio and fill and level the foundation, put in edge restraints along two adjoining straight sides. Check that they’re square using the 3-4-5 triangle method.
Lay out the curve with a compass made of mason’s line, a landscape spike, and a squeeze bottle of powdered chalk. Using the compass will give you a perfect arc—each point on the curve will be the same distance from the center of the patio. OPTIONS. Other methods mark the ground in a separate step. You can sprinkle chalk or flour along the pipe or hose to mark the ground. Gardeners like to lower the pH of the ground by marking it with lime. You can also buy marker spray paint, which comes in a can designed to be held upside down. It works well, but expect to get some on the hose.
Start in a corner of the patio and lay pavers as you ordinarily would, snap a few reference lines across the surface before you begin so you know if the pavers are staying in a straight line. Don’t try to cut the pavers to match the curve. Lay pavers so they either reach to layout or go just past it, as the pattern dictates. In a couple of steps, you will cut the curve while the pavers are on the ground. Your work has cover up the layout line, which you’ll need to cut the curve. Lay out the curve the way you did before and mark it in pencil, which gives you a more distinct cut line.
Spray a clear lacquer over the layout line so it won't rub off before you finish cutting. The lacquer will wear off with use and when you compact the pavers into the sand bed. Rent a masonry saw with a diamond blade. If the saw has a hose connection for running water to cool the blade, don't use it. Run the saw dry so the water and concrete residue don't stain the pavers. The saw creates a lot of dust, so wear safety glasses and a mask. Avoid working when the wind will blow the dust through house windows or onto cars.
After you cut the curve, put edge restraints around it immediately. Get flexible restraints and bend them to the shape of the curve, one short section at a time. Spread sand across the surface of the pavers and compact it with a power tamper to fill the spaces between the pavers.
