How to measure a patio or walkway
Paver projects are measured by surface area. For a rectangle, measure length and width in feet. For a round patio, measure the diameter, the straight distance across the widest point. For more complex shapes, find the total area with the square footage calculator, then enter it here as a rectangle with a width of 1.
Then measure one paver. Use the actual face size printed on the pallet or product page, in inches. Many "4×8" bricks and pavers are close to but not exactly 4 in × 8 in, and some have built-in spacer nubs.
The formula
Each paver covers length × width ÷ 144 square feet. Pavers = area ÷ coverage per paver, plus your waste percentage, rounded up. For a circle, area = π × (diameter ÷ 2)².
Worked example
A 12 ft × 10 ft patio using 4 in × 8 in pavers:
- Area: 12 × 10 = 120 sq ft
- Each paver: 4 × 8 ÷ 144 = 0.222 sq ft, or 4.5 pavers per sq ft
- 120 × 4.5 = 540 pavers
- Add 10% waste: 594 pavers
For a 12 ft round patio with 12 in square pavers and 5% waste, the area is about 113 sq ft and you need 119 pavers. Round patios cut a lot of pavers along the edge, so many people raise that to 10–15%.
Waste factors by pattern
- Running bond or stack bond, square edges: about 5–10%
- Herringbone and 45° patterns: about 10–15%
- Circles, curves and lots of corners: 10–15% or more
Also keep a few spare pavers after the job. If one cracks or stains years later, matching the color from a new batch can be hard.
Do not forget the layers underneath
A typical paver installation has a compacted gravel base, a thin bedding layer (often about 1 in of coarse sand or fine aggregate), the pavers, an edge restraint, and joint sand. Use the gravel calculator for the base and bedding layers. Follow your paver maker's installation guide for depths, since they vary with soil, climate and whether cars will drive on the surface.
Common mistakes
- Using nominal paver sizes instead of the actual dimensions.
- Skipping the edge restraint. Without it, pavers at the edge creep outward over time.
- Thin or uncompacted base. Most paver failures, like sinking and heaving, start below the paver.
- Not sloping for drainage. Patios next to a house are usually pitched slightly away from the foundation.
- Mixing pallets. Pull pavers from several pallets as you lay them so color variation blends evenly.
Buying tips
Pavers are usually sold by the piece, by the square foot, or by the pallet, and the label lists how many square feet a pallet covers. Divide your total by that number to see how many pallets you need, and ask whether partial pallets are sold. Delivery is often charged per trip, so buying all your pavers, base and sand at once can save money. Polymeric joint sand is sold in bags with coverage listed by joint width and paver size; check the bag chart.
Set pavers