Chapter 15 Hardscapes 415 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Tools As with any task, using the proper tool makes the work more effi cient and enjoyable. Hand and power tools that are commonly used when installing hardscapes include the following (Figure 15-22): • A 4′ level for determining if a surface is level. • A string level to determine approximate elevation changes over long distances. • Screed boards to move sand or other materials into smooth and level surfaces. • A paving screed tool with a long handle for leveling small areas of sand or gravel. • Grading poles or rods are graduated rods used to determine differences in elevation. They are set for the screed board to move across. Once they are used, the remaining gaps are fi lled with sand or other material using a trowel or small shovel. • A variety of shovels, including trench, fl at, edging, round-pointed, pointed, square-pointed, and scoop shovels, for digging and moving materials, such as soil, gravel, and sand. • Hard rakes to roughly level materials. • Scoops for moving larger amounts of material from one location to another. • Push brooms for leveling topdress material after it is applied to the fi nal surface. • A laser level for accurately determining elevation changes and dimensions. • Hand chisel for scoring and creating break lines on stone, brick, or concrete. • A mallet for driving the hand chisel into various materials. • Paver breaker/splitter for making breaks in pavers. • A bench or handheld cutoff saw for making cuts in pavers. • Dust control saw for cutting pavers. • A bundle buggy or paver cart for moving paver bundles. A B C R. Lee Ivy Figure 15-21. A/B—A vibratory tamper can be used to compact the subsoil and gravel base and over the installed paving materials. C—A hand tamper can be used for areas not accessible with vibratory tampers. JPL Designs/Shutterstock.com Figure 15-22. Required hand tools include shovels, rakes, push brooms, dead-blow hammers, breaking or cutting tools, kneepads, and tampers.