How to Build a Stone Path

Creating a stone path is a terrific way of enhancing a yard. This project, while a simple one overall, may require some heavy lifting depending on the materials you select. You should try to find the largest and flattest stones that measure about three inches thick. Greater mass means better stability. You may need to allow one day for every 10 to 12 feet of path. You will also benefit from working with at least one partner.

Things You'll Need

• Natural stone and two wheelbarrows (one for hauling stone, another for sand/soil)
• Garden hoses and a can of bright spray paint or 2 balls of string and wooden stakes
• Landscape fabric
• Back brace and gloves
• Sand
• Shovel and spade
• Tamping tool
• Carpenter's level

Instructions

Build a Stone Path

1. 1. Choose the path that your stone path will take. Will it be straight, or curved? Once you decide, mark your chosen route. A path that is three feet wide (enough for two people to stroll side by side) is common, but it’s up to you. For straight stone paths, stand at one end with a ball of string. Have a partner begin to unravel the string, while walking to the other end of the projected path. Decide whether this will be the left or the right side of the path. Now each of you will drive a stake into the ground at your end, tying the string to the stake. For curved paths, wind a garden hose in graceful curves from one end of your path to the other. Take another hose and repeat the process for the other side of your path. Keep the width consistent along the path.

2. 2. Walk the path and see how it feels. Stand back and judge the look. Does it curve in the most opportune places (such as around a statue, fountain/water feature, or flower bed)? If the winding is excessive, go back and tweak the layout until the curves feel and look right. Take a can of bright spray paint (white, yellow, etc.) and mark the lines with paint. Allow the paint to dry.

3. 

   3. Use a spade to dig five inches deep along the course you've plotted out for your stone path. Switch to a shovel and excavate all the sod and soil marked by the spade, down to a depth of five inches. Make the base as even and flat as you can. Moisten the soil in the excavated area with water and tamp it down with a tamping tool.

4. 4. Place landscape fabric down over the base you’ve created for your stone path, to prevent weeds later. Shovel two inches of sand over the landscape fabric. Tamp the sand down firmly. This will leave you with an excavation three inches deep.

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   5. Begin to set down some of your larger rocks on the sand base. Keep the gaps between abutting rocks as small as possible. Continue laying the rocks along the center of the path. Keep in mind that this first alignment is only temporary, so don't spend too much time on it. Now walk down your stone path with your normal gait. Your objective is to see if your feet fall in the middle of the rocks, so that you can walk comfortably. You will probably need to adjust the pieces.

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   6. Make the necessary adjustments to the larger rocks. Plug the gaps with your smaller pieces. Again, keep the gaps between abutting rocks as small as possible. Use a carpenter’s level to check the level from left to right (width) between the rocks you're laying. Length can be made level only if you're working on a level piece of land. If a stone is resting too low in the sand, remove it and place more sand beneath it. If a stone is sitting too high, do the opposite: remove some sand from underneath. Finally, apply layers of sand to the few remaining gaps and tamp it in as well as you are able. Brush or sweep off the surface of the stones lightly and moisten the path with water to add firmness to the sand between the stones.

Tips & Warnings

• If your stone path will be cutting across a lawn, keep the surface of the stone path on the same level as the surrounding lawn, so that you'll be able to mow right across the path. When the rocks are allowed to stick up higher than the lawn's surface, you'll have to go back after mowing and trim along the path’s edges.

• Laying stone walkways in sand, as opposed to mortar or concrete, is known as "dry construction." Dry construction is easier for non-pros than wet consruction. Not having to worry about rushing the placement of your rocks before a layer of mortar hardens makes for a better DIY project. You can make adjustments as you go, on your own time. Nevertheless, wet construction is more permanent and requires less maintenance.

• For wet yards, additional drainage may be needed under stone paths. Simply dig deeper at the beginning of the project. Apply a layer of crushed stone or pebbles before adding any sand.

• Avoid having paths run under large trees. Not only may the tree roots eventually damage your stone path, but the latter may also damage the tree roots. Some tree species in particular are incompatible neighbors for hardscapes like stone paths, since they extend roots near the ground’s surface. Maple is an example.

• Rocks laid in sand will have to be re-adjusted over the years. If you don't mind tinkering with a project after it's "done," this shouldn't present a problem. Just make sure you stay on top of it, so you don't end up with a lawsuit after someone trips over a loose piece!

Resources

• More landscaping tips!