How to Build Brick Edging: Step-by-Step for DIYers

Planting is only half of a good garden; the other half is definition. When nothing marks where the lawn stops, grass wanders into the borders, mulch drifts onto the grass and even generous planting starts to look untidy. A brick edge solves that with a clear, solid line. Bricks are heavy enough to stay where you put them, they suit both cottage and formal gardens, and they weather in gracefully rather than looking tired.

This guide concentrates on what makes brick different from other edging: choosing a brick that will survive in wet ground, deciding which way to lay it, working out how many you need, and cutting and turning corners by hand. The groundwork underneath is the same as for block paving, so those steps are kept short here; our guide on how to build paver edging covers the base, sand and jointing in more detail.

Before you start: safety

• Check for buried services. Garden lighting cables and irrigation pipes are often shallow. In the UK, check any plans for the property, use a cable avoidance tool or ask the utility companies; in the US, call 811 before you dig.
• Protect yourself when cutting. Splitting bricks by hand sends out sharp chips, so wear eye protection and gloves. Power cutting releases hazardous silica dust: cut wet, and wear eye and ear protection and a suitable respirator.
• Lift sensibly. Bricks add up quickly. Move them in a wheelbarrow, carry a few at a time and bend your knees.

1. Choose the right brick

This is the decision that matters most, and the one most often got wrong. Edging bricks sit in damp soil all year and freeze and thaw through the winter, which is about as harsh an exposure as a brick can face. A brick that is fine in a house wall can soak up water in the ground, then flake or crumble (spall) after a frost or two.

• Clay pavers and paving bricks: made to be laid in the ground and walked on. They are dense and hard-wearing, and the most reliable choice for edging.
• Engineering bricks: very dense and low in water absorption, so they cope well with wet, frosty ground. They have a plainer, more industrial look.
• Facing bricks: only if they are rated for severe exposure. In the UK, look for frost resistance category F2 under the brick standard; in the US, look for bricks graded SW (severe weathering). Avoid soft, low-fired facing bricks, common bricks and anything sold for internal or sheltered use.
• Reclaimed bricks: full of character, but you rarely know how they were made. Old soft or internal bricks can break down quickly in soil, so ask the reclamation yard what they are, or keep them for raised, well-drained positions.

If in doubt, tell your supplier the bricks are for garden edging in contact with the ground and ask them to confirm the product is suitable. Concrete blocks made to look like brick are another option and are covered in the paver edging guide.

2. Decide how to lay the bricks

The way a brick is turned changes the look of the edge, how much of it you dig in and how many bricks you buy. Brick terms are often muddled, so here they are in plain words:

• Flat, lengthways along the edge: the brick lies on its largest face with its long side following the line. This is the most subtle option, sits flush with the lawn easily and uses the fewest bricks per metre.
• Flat, crossways (headers): the brick still lies flat, but turned across the line so its short end faces the lawn. You get a wider band, which makes an excellent mowing strip, and use roughly twice as many bricks as laying lengthways.
• On edge: the brick stands on its long, narrow side. Laid lengthways on edge it gives a slim, slightly raised border; turned crossways on edge it creates a closely spaced, ribbed look.
• Soldiers: the brick stands upright on its end, with its long, narrow face towards you. Soldiers make a tall, formal edge, are good at holding back a raised bed and use the most bricks. A similar upright course showing the broad face of the brick is called a sailor course.
• Sawtooth: bricks set at an angle, half buried, so their corners form a zigzag. A traditional Victorian look that is best kept for borders you do not mow against.

As a rule, the more of the brick you bury, the steadier the edge. Upright bricks such as soldiers should have at least half their height in the ground.

3. Work out how many bricks you need

Measure the full length of the edge in metres, following any curves with a tape or a length of string. Then work out how many bricks fit in one metre for the orientation you have chosen.

A standard UK brick is about 215 × 102.5 × 65 mm. A US modular brick is about 194 × 92 × 57 mm (7⅝ × 3⅝ × 2¼ in), and pavers and reclaimed bricks vary, so measure one of yours. The method is simple: take the dimension of the brick that runs along the edge, add the joint, and divide 1,000 mm by the total.

• Flat, lengthways: 215 mm plus a narrow dry joint of about 3 mm is roughly 218 mm, so 1,000 ÷ 218 ≈ 4.6, or about 4–5 bricks per metre.
• Flat crossways or on edge crossways: the 102.5 mm or 65 mm dimension runs along the line, giving about 9–10 or 14–15 bricks per metre respectively.
• Soldiers: the 65 mm face runs along the line, so 1,000 ÷ 68 ≈ 14.7, or about 14–15 bricks per metre.

Worked example: a 12 m border laid flat lengthways needs about 12 × 4.6 ≈ 56 bricks. The same border in soldiers needs about 12 × 14.7 ≈ 177 bricks. Round up, then order a few extra for cuts and breakages, and so you have spares from the same batch if a brick ever needs replacing.

4. Mark out and dig the trench

For straight runs, set a peg at each end and pull a string line tight; it gives you both the line and the finished height. For curves, lay a hose or rope until the shape looks right from the house as well as the lawn, then mark it with line-marking paint. Bricks follow gentle curves well, but very tight curves leave wide gaps on the outside of the bend, so keep curves generous.

Dig with a square-ended spade or a half-moon edging iron, keeping the lawn side of the trench clean and vertical. Make the trench a little wider than the brick in its chosen orientation. The depth is the base plus the sand plus the height of the brick as laid, minus however much you want to show. Consistent with our paver edging guide, the base is commonly around 50–75 mm (2–3 in) of compacted crushed stone with about 25 mm (1 in) of sand above it, deeper on clay or where the edge will be walked on. Soldiers need a much deeper trench than bricks laid flat, which is worth remembering before you commit to them.

5. Lay the base and sand

Bricks set straight onto soil sink and tilt as the ground gets wet and freezes. Line the trench with landscape fabric, add crushed stone (MOT Type 1 in the UK, crusher run in the US) in thin layers and compact each one firmly with a hand tamper. Then spread sharp sand over it and screed it level with a short board, without compacting it. The paver edging guide explains these steps in full.

6. Lay and level the bricks

Start at one end, or at a fixed point such as a path or corner, so any cut brick lands somewhere less visible. Bed the first brick into the sand and tap it down with a rubber mallet until it meets the string line. Butt the next brick tightly against it; for dry-laid edging, the joints should be as close as the bricks allow.

Every three or four bricks, lay a spirit level across the tops and tap down any that sit proud. If one is low, lift it, add a little sand and reset it. On a slope, let the edge follow the ground in short sections rather than forcing it level, and keep each brick level with its neighbours. A dead-blow mallet, which has a weighted head that does not bounce back, makes these small adjustments easier to control.

7. Cut bricks with a bolster

Most runs end with a part brick. For edging, a hand cut is usually all you need, and the slightly rough edge suits the material.

• Mark the cut all the way round the brick with a pencil or crayon.
• Rest the brick on firm, slightly yielding ground, such as a sandbag or compacted soil, rather than on concrete, where it is more likely to shatter.
• Put on eye protection and gloves. Place the blade of a bolster chisel on the line, with the bevel facing the waste side, and tap it with a club hammer to score the line on every face.
• Return to the first face and give the bolster one firm, sharp blow. The brick should split along the scored line.

Very hard engineering bricks and pavers can be stubborn to split by hand. For those, or for a crisp mitre, use a wet masonry saw or an angle grinder with a diamond blade and water suppression, following the tool's instructions, and wear eye and ear protection and a suitable respirator.

8. Turn corners neatly

• Butt joint: for a right angle, run one line of bricks through to the corner and stop the other line tight against it. It is the simplest option and needs no cutting.
• Corner square: with bricks laid crossways, set a single brick at the corner to fill the square where the two lines meet, so the pattern continues around the turn.
• Mitre: cut the ends of two bricks at 45 degrees with a wet saw for a clean, picture-frame corner. It looks smart in formal gardens but takes care to get the joint tight.
• Soldier corners: stand one brick at the corner and run both lines into it, checking that the tops line up.

9. Make it a mowing strip

A brick edge earns its keep when the mower can run along it. Set the bricks flat, with their tops level with the lawn or a few millimetres below it, so one wheel can run on the brick while the blade trims right to the edge. Bricks laid crossways give the widest, most forgiving strip; a double row laid lengthways works too.

Tip: Before you lay the whole run, set five or six bricks dry and push the mower along them. You will see at once whether the strip is wide enough for the wheels and whether the height needs adjusting.

10. Backfill and fill the joints

Pack soil firmly against the border side of the bricks, and on the lawn side fill the gap with topsoil, then reseed or relay strips of the turf you lifted. Pressure on both sides is what stops the bricks drifting. Sweep kiln-dried or polymeric sand into the joints, tap the bricks lightly to help it settle and sweep again. If you use polymeric sand, brush every trace off the brick faces before wetting it with a gentle mist, and follow the bag's instructions.

11. Look after the edge

Walk the edge once a year, especially after a hard winter, and reset any brick that has sunk or lifted with a little fresh sand. Top up joints with kiln-dried sand when they settle. If weeds appear in the joints, pull them early or use a weedkiller according to the label, keeping it away from drains and ponds. Trim the grass along the brick regularly to keep the line sharp. If bricks start to flake, they were probably not frost resistant; replace them with a suitable brick from the same range if you can.

FAQ

Do I need mortar for brick edging?

Usually not. Dry-laid bricks on a compacted base and sand suit most garden edging, because they can move slightly with the ground and are easy to lift and reset. If you want a mortared edge, it needs a concrete footing beneath it, as mortar joints on a loose base tend to crack. That is a bigger job, and worth discussing with a landscaper.

Which bricks are best for edging?

Clay pavers, paving bricks and engineering bricks are the safest choices. Facing bricks can work only if they are rated for severe exposure: F2 frost resistance in the UK or SW grade in the US. Ask your supplier to confirm a brick is suitable for use in the ground.

How many bricks do I need per metre?

Divide 1,000 mm by the dimension of the brick that runs along the edge plus the joint. With a standard UK brick, that is about 4–5 per metre laid flat lengthways and about 14–15 per metre as soldiers. Order a few extra for cuts and breakages.

Can I use old bricks from my garden?

Possibly, but test them first. Soft or internal bricks absorb water and can flake after frost. Hard, dense bricks with a clean, ringing sound when tapped together are more promising, but if you are unsure, use them in a well-drained raised position rather than buried in damp soil.

Will the bricks sink over time?

Bricks laid straight on soil often do. A compacted crushed-stone base with a thin sand bed, firm backfilling and tight joints greatly reduces settling, and any brick that does move can be lifted and reset.

Final thoughts

A brick edge depends on choosing a brick that suits the ground, laying it the right way for the look you want and taking care over the base and levels. If you are still weighing brick against other options, read brick edging pros and cons or compare every material in how to build landscape edging, and for more detail on the base, sand and joints, see how to build paver edging. For help designing a garden or terrace where edges, paths and planting work together, explore our balcony and terrace decoration service or book a consultation.