I have a very small patch of dirt (maybe 6 ft. X 4 ft.) that I'd like to put a few paver down on. Can I level off the dirt and simply place the pavers directly on the dirt or should I put some gravel down first? Thanks.
Sure you can put them down on the dirt, but that is not likely to last very long and it is likely to end up being muddy.
Like all things, you need a foundation. That means digging out like 6 inches, adding four inches of appropriate gravel and then two inches of sand.
The normal routine is 4 inches of rock dust, 2 inches of sand then pavers.
If you put the pavers on dirt and you don't like them that way, you can pick them up and set them again.
If your soil is soft and muddy the pavers will sink.
And don't forget to put weed barrier or landscape cloth between the excavated dirt and the gravel. And most importantly - compact the gravel every couple of inches.
The difference will be a job that lasts for decades - or a job that starts to look shabby after the first hard rain.
Jim [The manufacturer of your pavers is bound to have a website- or the retailer should be able to give you some DIY literature.]
A simple internet search will yield lots of websites with info on how to lay pavers.
We used pavers - or stepping stones - with river rock for some areas that don't grow vegetation very well. Thick ones, close to 2", come in round or square shapes, various sizes. Just flatten the soil and make sure it slopes the right way if next to the house or a walk. Lay down landscape cloth, put down the pavers, lay the rock in around the pavers. An edging is a good idea, to keep the rock out of the grass. River rock stays in place so you can clean it off with a leaf blower if needed. There is very little, if any, weed growth unless soil washes into the stone and stays on top of the landscape cloth. Cloth (not plastic tarps) allows rain to drain through into the soil. We have an area next to our patio done this way and keep our grill there.
There are small groundcovers that can be planted between pavers, and you would not use the landscape cloth in that application. Check with a local nursery.
Depends on what you're trying to accomplish. You can to a flagstone walkway with grass growing between the stones just by dropping flat rocks in the dirt, and lifting and re-setting them every few years. If you're trying for a more formal weed-free dry pavement, you need to arrange for drainage, and put down some combination of gravel, crushed rock, and/or sand.
Speaking of which, is there some industry standard terminology when you're talking about this stuff? Because different people seem to mean different things when they say "gravel", and "crushed rock".
I think not. It's not the same stuff. You can use gravel, crushed rock, probably lots of other stuff. It just has to drain and lock together.
If you want to slam it in, have it become uneven quickly, and overrun with weeds, just slam it in. If you want it to be right, and to look good for a long time, use the right stuff for a bed, compact it, and do it right.
No sense doing it again every few months, or having pavers sink and rise and be unsafe.
Steve
PS: "stuff" is the technical term for the proper fill as recommended by the seller of the pavers. It can be called sand, gravel, or more correctly, "stuff."
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