If you really want to make a home look spectacular, use Mexican pavers. These colorful bricks add a nice splash of delightful beauty to complement a home.

Mexican pavers, or call them bricks, are usually used to create walkways or patios. The colors and the way they are laid will add a touch of something extra special to your home; something that does not happen when you use asphalt or concrete. Yes, both asphalt and concrete do have their uses, but in decorative terms, they tend to miss the mark.

While you are able to install Mexican pavers on your own, it’s often best to discuss how this is done and what you want to achieve with a professional who is used to handling stones. You may also want to rely on their expertise to find out how you can take advantage of very different color schemes and unique patterns.

Generally speaking, if you do plan to try this type of work yourself, create a walkway plan – much like a blueprint for a house – and then follow it faithfully. On the other hand, if you aren’t certain you are able to handle laying stones properly and having them look good, then call a professional with experience laying pavers.

No matter who ultimately does the work, the key to having a stunning end product is to carefully prepare the area where the bricks are going to go first. This means you need to dig out at least one foot down and take away all the topsoil and clay. You will want to use string lines on either side of the path that will indicate the finished height of the path. It’s a good guideline to make sure your project is on track.

After the initial digging is completed, you need to pour in at least ¾ inch gravel stone and compact it tightly. After that, spread 2 inches of sand or stone dust over the gravel and compact it once again. The ideal thing to be using here is the stone dust and when you are done, the height of the tamped down material and the string line ought to equal the thickness of the bricks/pavers.

Before proceeding any further, make sure your base is stable. If it is, then place a 1" pipe or board the length of the path on either side of the path. Then you get a 2 x 4 flatedge board and slide it over the pipes. Now you have a level surface to lay bricks. Next, put down your plastic brick borders on both sides of the path. This will help you keep the shape of the walkway intact. Anchor these well with 12" galvanized nails and do it at least every foot.

Done? Now you can start laying bricks, the fun part. Herring Bone is a fairly popular pattern, but it’s up to you to choose what appeals to your sense of style. Always make sure the bricks you place interlock with one another, which means that you need to stagger adjacent rows of bricks by ½ of a brick to interlock them. You may need to cut or split some of the bricks and you can accomplish this with a brick splitter. Just take your time and you won’t ruin the bricks.

To finish off, add more sand to the outside edges and shovel in the topsoil and pack it down tightly. Use the leftover stone dust to "dust" the sidewalk and sweep it into the cracks. Do this several times, as it will fill the cracks and keep the weeds at bay.