How to Edge a Sidewalk with Brick

• Shovels
• Spade
• Rake
• Knife
• Wheelbarrow
• Push broom
• Knee pads

• Bricks
• Edging and spikes
• Sand

Before You Begin

Follow the instruction steps to complete the project. Don't want to do this job yourself? Find a landscape contractor who has the skills and tools to do it right, just click Home Advisor, a free referral service that connects homeowners with local, prescreened contractors.

• Step 1 : Lay out the trenches for the bricks

  Make a paper sketch of the walkway to calculate how many bricks you'll need. Then determine how deep and how wide to dig a trench on both sides of the walkway based on the size and shape of the bricks.

  Lay the bricks down on the sod to check the position and layout. Use a flat or sod shovel to lift the sod up and roll it back away from the walkway about twice the width of the bricks. Later you'll unroll and cut the sod to fit against the new bricks after they're installed.

• Step 2 : Dig the trenches

  Begin digging the trenches for the bricks and occasionally check the depth and width of the trench so the bricks and edging will fit.

• Step 3 : Level the trench

  Use a shovel to level the soil in the trench so the bricks have a level surface to sit in. A tamping tool, which you can rent, will make this job easy.

• Step 4 : Lay sand and bricks in the trench

  Spread a level layer of sand in the trench and then place the bricks so they lay close together and tight against the side of the walkway.

• Step 5 : Install the edging and sand

  Place the plastic edging under the bricks and secure it with spikes about every foot. Then fill in the gaps with sand using a push broom.

• Step 6 : Replace the sod

  Unroll the sod and cut away the excess. Trim with a knife and fill in dirt to keep the sod level. Then water the sod.