Place the boards so that the top is exactly at the edge where you wish the paving to begin, with the stakes on the outside. After the first board is set, do a trial run with the units (we are thinking particularly of bricks, but the principle holds good for any modular unit paving material) to see how many you can place across the width of the walk with good tight joints. Then place the other board on the other side of the walk and level it, stake it, and make ready to start work. With terraces or pavings broader than garden paths, you may have to set some intermediate boards to assist you in leveling; or put in stakes at intervals driven to the exact depth desired, so that the top of a stake can be the guide for a good straight board or a mason's line, which will help to keep things going well and to keep the paving level. Note that all terraces should have a slight pitch for drainage in wet weather, even though the paving units when laid on sand will allow rain to drain into the joints and disperse in the sand and drainage layer below.

A minimum of 2 inches of sand should be used for the bed, placed either on the soil or on the aforementioned 2 to 4 inches of well-tamped cinders, gravel, or well-crushed stone. Level the sand roughly with a board and then soak it thoroughly with a hose, the nozzle adjusted to a medium fine spray so that it will not dislodge the sand too much. After the soaking it may be necessary to refill any low spots and soak it again. The sand should then be leveled with a screed board, which may be cut to rest on top of the side form boards and shaped to crown the walk, or used as a square leveling board if a terrace is being laid. A 2X4 is frequently used, but a 1X4 or a 1X6 may be used if desired.