Complete Edging With Landscaping Bricks by Scott Fromherz

You can create beautiful and structurally sound designs in your yard through the use of landscaping bricks. Available in numerous designs, colors and styles, they can be used for short walls, flowerbed retaining walls and for paving a sidewalk or even your driveway.

Landscaping bricks are also available in many sizes to meet the needs of whatever project you are working on. Additionally, larger blocks are manufactured to look like landscaping bricks, making the installation for larger projects faster to complete. Bull-nose landscaping bricks look nice surrounding small flowerbeds and two-edge bricks can be used when both edges will be visible.

Building a sidewalk, for instance, is fairly easy with landscaping bricks, but be prepared for some physical labor. You can begin your project by lining the area in which you plan to site your sidewalk. Straight walks are easier to work with and will require no cutting of the bricks as will a curved walk. Dig down at least eight inches and insure your path is level and square.

There should be a minimum of two inches of extra space on both sides of your dug area to allow for the placement of edging bricks. Place the edge landscaping bricks in place by using a rubber mallet. They should be set tightly together with no extra space between them.

Make Allowances For Drainage

Pour gravel into the dugout for the sidewalk to a depth of four inches to allow for water to be absorbed into the ground instead of lifting your bricks up. Once it is level, allowing at least one-quarter inch slope, running away from house, add a layer of fiber material to stunt weed growth. The type of fiber issued in flowerbeds will work fine.

Now pour two inches of sand on top of the fiber and using a piece of wood, such as a two by four, cut to length to match the width of your sidewalk, scrape it over the top of the sand to form and even, level surface. If it not even or has low spots, your landscaping bricks will not be level.

Begin placing your landscaping bricks on top of the sand at one corner. The best design for a sidewalk made of landscaping bricks can be obtained by placing two bricks side-by-side and two more running the opposite way. Pack them down by using a rubber mallet. This will give a basket-weave effect and adds to the appearance of the finished project.

Once all the landscaping bricks are in place, pour sand over it and sweep to fill in any gaps between the bricks. Clean off excess with water and you're done.

Author Resource: For more information on landscaping bricks visit http://www.LandscaperBasics.com/ or http://LandscapingBasics.blogspot.com/

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