Interested in making a brick patio? Standard 4 by 8 bricks can create a wide variety of patterns if you know where to start. Before you try any of these, make sure you plan out the size and pattern of your patio completely on paper to avoid an error that may cost you quite a bit of working time to fix. Interested in making a brick patio? Standard 4 by 8 bricks can create a wide variety of patterns if you know where to start. Before you try any of these, make sure you plan out the size and pattern of your patio completely on paper to avoid an error that may cost you quite a bit of working time to fix.

Stack Board

Stack board is by far the simplest brickwork pattern out there. Simply line up your bricks at the edge of your patio and lay them down one next to the other. Put a brick on top of each brick, trying to keep them even, until you reach the far side. You'll end up with a pattern that looks like simple columns of brick. Unfortunately, since bricks are not generally perfectly formed, this pattern will probably look awkward in a few places and should only be used with a great deal of caution.

Running Bond

When people think of a brick wall, the pattern that comes to mind is generally called a running bond. In this pattern, you lay one row of bricks side by side and then lay the next row exactly half a brick inward. The ends that will end up sticking out can be filled with half bricks cut from a wet saw. Running bond is one of the simplest and most popular brick patterns out there because it looks good with almost any style and color of brick and can be formed easily and without much fuss.

Running Bond Variation

For this variation on the running bond theme, you should start in the center of your patio by placing two bricks side by side. Take bricks and make a square around your center two, and continue outward doing the same thing. What you will end up with is a running bond pattern that circles outward to the edge of your patio. This is a great way to get a beautiful and complicated look for a square patio area without a lot of planning.

Basket Weave

Creating a basket weave pattern out of bricks is as simple to lay as the stack board style with a beautiful finish that makes the patio look great. Go ahead and make columns of bricks, only instead of allowing each brick to face the same direction lay two horizontal, then two vertical until you've filled up the column. Now repeat the pattern throughout your patio, alternating the brick position to create a checkerboard look.

Basket Weave Variation

This variation on the basket weave pattern creates a much more complex design. Create a rectangle of two horizontal bricks with a vertical brick next to them. Alternate the placement of the vertical brick to create a column, and follow it with a standard two brick column, then another three brick set to create the pattern.

Herringbone

A herringbone can end up looking quite beautiful, but you do need to be careful when laying it to avoid errors. To make the herringbone pattern, you are creating a zigzag of bricks laid like a flipped "L" shape. Start in one corner and work down, and then work out from the corner you started. You'll need half bricks available to fill out the edges, which should end up looking like reverse "L" shapes turned inward toward the center of the patio with a spacer half in between each one, with two half bricks on the bottom right corner. This pattern is complicated, so try it on something non-permanent first.