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Patios & Walls
Patios, landscape walls, and walkways are simple to build, beautiful, and enduring if done right.
Laying a Patio
Use our step-by-step instructions for laying your own patio.
Patio Tools & Materials
Learn which tools to buy, which to rent, and what materials you'll need.
Building Masonry Walls
Stone and block walls can reshape your landscape.
All Topics in Patios & Walls
Planning: Choosing a Site and Style
- Plan Your Patio To Fit Your Lifestyle
- Planning Walls for Landscaping, Wind and Privacy
- Planning a Walkway or Path
- Choosing and Assessing Your Site
- Making Patio Access Easy
- Choosing a Size for Your Patio
- Choosing a Location for Your Patio
- Creating a Style for Your Patio
- Design Your Patio with Color Texture and Form
- Planning a Small Space Patio
- Patio Furniture and Furnishings
- Accents Add Personality to a Patio
- Landscaping a Patio with Plants
- Creating Privacy and Enclosure with Your Patio
- Patio Lighting, Storage and Other Feature Ideas
- Drawing Plans
Patio & Wall Installation: Tips, Tricks & Techniques
- How to Prepare and Lay Out the Site
- Excavating
- Building Forms for a Patio or Walk
- Forming and Pouring a Wall Footing
- Providing Drainage
- Installing Edging
- Building a Sand Base
- Working with Concrete
- Working with Brick
- Working with Concrete Block
- Laying Concrete Block
- Working with Stone
- Working with Tile
- Laying the Tile
- Working with Stucco
Sand-Set & Mortared Patios
- Brick-in-Sand Patio
- Setting a Running Bond Pattern
- Setting a Basket Weave Pattern
- Setting a Parallel Herringbone Pattern
- Setting a Herringbone on the Diagonal
- Sand-Set Flagstone Patio
- Precast Paver Patio
- Preparing an Existing Slab For Mortar
- Mortared Brick Patio
- Mortared Flagstone Patio
- Tile Patio
- Grouting Tile
- Saltillo Tile Patio
- Sanding, Sealing, and Grouting a Saltillo Tile Patio
- Pouring a Concrete Landing Pad
- Building an Outdoor Kitchen
- Pouring a Concrete Walk
- Setting a Paver-in-Sand Walk
- Building a Mortared-Brick Walk
- Flagstone Walks
- Stepping-Stone Paths
- Poured Concrete Steps
- Steps with Timbers and Brick
- Finishing Steps With Mortared Brick
Building Masonry Walls
- Building a Running-bond Brick Wall
- Building a Common-bond Brick Wall
- Building a Concrete-block Wall
- Building a Concrete-block Retaining Wall
- Building a Interlocking-block Retaining Wall
- Building a Dry-set Stone Wall
- Building a Mortared Stone Wall
- Building a Brick-veneer House Wall
- Building a Stone-veneer House Wall
