How to Remove Grass to Build a Patio With Pavers

Stone or concrete pavers provide a quick option for installing a paved patio area. The pavers are sturdy and permanent like a concrete patio but they don't require as much time or specialized skill to install. Paver patios require a flat, bare surface for successful installation. Grass and dead turf is too uneven for successful patio installation. You must also remove all the existing plants and grass so they don't grow between the pavers and overtake the new patio area.

Garden hose

Stakes

Twine

Glyphosate herbicide

Shovel

Wheelbarrow or tarp

Rake

Mark out the patio area with a garden hose. Alternatively, install a stake in each corner of the site and stretch twine between the stakes to mark out the edges.

Apply a non-selective glyphosate herbicide to the marked-out patio area two weeks before installation of the pavers. Follow the package application directions and precautions for the herbicide.

Push the blade of a shovel 6 inches into the turf around the edges of the patio after the turf has died. Form a trench around the edges of the entire patio area, using the shovel blade.

Slide the shovel beneath the turf, beginning at the edges where you formed the trench. Lift the dead sod out of the patio bed and place it in a wheelbarrow or on a tarp for later disposal. Repeat until all the turf is removed from the patio.

Dig out and remove any remaining roots in the cleared patio once all the turf grass is removed. Rake the area to level the soil surface.

Rent a sod cutter from a hardware store, if desired. A sod cutter removes large strips of grass more quickly than digging out the turf with a shovel.

Do not get herbicides onto surrounding landscape plants. The herbicide kills all plants.