The concrete walkway to the front door was past its prime. The poorly prepared, uneven base led to extensive cracks with vertical displacement; water undermined the concrete in several spots; and the surface was pitted and spalling. Rather than replace the walkway with another of poured concrete, the homeowners and I opted to install concrete pavers. Pavers are widely available, highly durable, and most important, more visually interesting than an ordinary poured-concrete surface.

Concrete pavers are also easy to work with, but the key to a successful project is in the prep. Set on a well-prepared base, a paver walkway can easily last 50 years or more. Cut corners on the preparation, however, and a year or two later, you’ll be pulling out the pavers—and your hair.

There are two base layers to prep: the subbase and the setting base. The subbase can be either existing well-drained gravel 6 in. to 12 in. deep, or processed stone or gravel brought in to replace unsuitable soil. On top of the subbase is a setting base of coarse stone dust between 1 in. and 4 in. deep. Grading, compacting, and regrading each layer in succession accounts for three-quarters of the work of building a new walkway. But the extra effort you put into this part of the project that no one ever sees gives you a stable foundation for a durable installation. It also makes the remaining 25% of the work of setting the pavers a cinch.