Home Improvement Ideas Patio Design Ideas and Makeovers Patio Installation How to Set a Diagonal Herringbone Brick Pattern Thinking about laying a new brick patio? Read this first. We'll show you how to lay a trendy herringbone brick pattern. By Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole Instagram Caitlin Sole is the senior home editor at BHG. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of interior design expertise. She has vast experience with digital media, including SEO, photo shoot production, video production, eCommerce content, print collaboration, and custom sales content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on June 29, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Gordon Beall Project Overview Working Time: 1 day Total Time: 1 day Skill Level: Beginner A diagonal herringbone brick pattern is one of the most difficult to lay, not so much because the pattern itself is complicated, but because it's difficult to keep the units properly in line. It requires a substantial amount of cutting to fit into a rectangular space. That being said, the effort is well worth it. The diagonal herringbone brick pattern will add major style and elegance to your patio. What You'll Need Equipment / Tools Pencil Straightedge Measuring tape Materials Bricks Stakes String for stakes Instructions Better Homes & Gardens Measure and Mark To gauge the starting point of the pattern, mark a 45-degree angle on the corner of one brick. Then set out nine bricks. Line up the leading corners of the brick with a straightedge. Then measure the distance between the 45-degree line and the straightedge, and note it. Better Homes & Gardens Lay Next Set of Bricks Using the measurement from Step 1, stake a line inside and parallel to the edge restraints. Lay the first two bricks so the outside corner of one and the inside corner of the other fall on the line. Lay two more bricks and square them. Better Homes & Gardens Continue Starter Row Continue laying bricks on this starter row of the herringbone brick pattern, making sure the inside and outside corners are lined up as in Step 2. Continue the starter row to the other end of the site. Better Homes & Gardens Lay Second Row Starting at the beginning of the starter row, lay the second brick of this row against one leg of the starter row, then lay the first brick against the edge restraint. Lay the remaining bricks in this row; do not lay the next row until you finish this row. Better Homes & Gardens Continue Laying and Checking After you've laid two more single rows as in Step 4, stretch a line along the corners. They should line up. Reposition them if they don't. Continue laying the herringbone brick pattern. Check to make sure the bricks line up, and then cut bricks to fit the edges and finish the site with sand.