How to Make A Gravel Patio

Spreading Patio Gravel

Wanting to lay your own gravel patio, seating area or landscape space? It's easier than you think! Read on for simple instructions to create your own gravel oasis... in minutes!

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Ideal Location
• String
• Marking chalk or spray paint
• Newspaper
• Gravel

1. Choose Your Location

   HAVE AN IDEA. PICK A LOCATION. Maybe you want a patio. Or a weed-free flower bed. Or a circle bed around a tree. Or a nice place to put a bench. Maybe you want a grass-free area for a kiddie pool. Whatever you're after, this method will work. Get an idea of what (and where) your landscaping needs are and then choose your location. My patio began here, at the back of the historic house I'm restoring.

2. Clear Your Space

   MARK YOUR SPACE AND REMOVE VEGETATION. It helps to measure off your desired space or shape and then draw out your boundaries. String helps, especially if you're doing circular or complicated patterns. Mark your boundaries with marking chalk, spray paint, string, even an outstretched water hose.

   Once you've delineated your space, clear it out. You may need to transplant or remove grass or plants. You may need to hack things out with a hoe, shovel or rake. But you need to start with a dirt foundation. Remove any large stones debris, etc. (By the way, this is the point where many people will bring out the Round-Up. If that's what you like, go for it here. Since I grow a lot of my own food and flowers, I'm anti-chemicals. Do what works for you.)

3. Supply Up

   SUPPLY UP! For my patio, I wanted to use brick reclaimed from my house as a border. I also wanted to use pea gravel. Pretty basic, but I wanted visual focus to be on my container garden and outdoor furniture. Gravel and bricks may not be in keeping with your house or garden. You may want to use landscaping edging or stone... or a flower or herb border. And for your base, you don't have to use gravel. Use tumbled sea shells. You can use flattened-looking marbles from Mega Glass (www.megaglass.com). You could even use landscaping glass. American Specialty Glass (www.americanspecialtyglass.com) sells it in all colors. No matter what you decide to use, ask around. I went to my local hardware store and asked for leftover and broken bags of pea gravel. I got 800 pounds of it for $16.99.

   After you've secured your gravel or other material, look for a weed barrier for underlay. I rounded up family's, neighbors', and friends' discarded newspapers. You could do the same, or you could purchase inexpensive weed barrier cloth from a local home improvement store. No matter what you choose, make sure you have ample material to cover your space.

4. Lay Weed Barrier

   EDGE AND PAPER. If you're adding an edging to your space, install it here. Place your stones, dig in your edging, or plant your border plants along the lines you marked previously.

   Once you have your outer perimeter defined, install your underlay. If you're using newspaper, carefully unfold it. Using stacks of approximately 8-10 black newsprint sheets (no color ads or glossy American Profiles, please), lay it out over your space. Watch for any rocks or sticks that could perforate the paper; you don't want that. The newspaper acts as an organic and inexpensive weed smother/barrier under your gravel. (Plus, it works. My mother uses this method in her garden and layers several inches of mulch over the paper. She calls it "lasagna gardening". No weeds. Little money.) As you layer your newspaper, be sure to tuck edges under edges. This helps prevent weeds from growing up between your stacks of newspaper.

   If you've chosen to use a weed barrier product, install it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Spread Your Gravel

   GRAVEL TIME. Instead of the "bend and snap" (remember Legally Blonde?), we'll call this the "dump and spread". Now's the time to pour and spread your gravel, taking care that you spread it liberally enough to cover the area, ideally between 1-2 inches thick. As you rake, check for any holes or large rips in your newspaper or weed barrier and fix them before adding gravel.

   When you're finished spreading the gravel, lightly tap down with a shovel or gravel packer. Water lightly to help settle the gravel.

6. Finished Gravel Patio

   PATIO PARTY. Clear your space of materials, taking care to save leftover weed barrier and gravel to fix areas that pets, children, activity, or water run-off may displace or remove.

   You've done it! You've created an inexpensive place for you and yours to relax. Go ahead and add your plants, your table, your bench, your hammock, your kiddie pool, your fire pit... whatever... and enjoy your new space.

   Happy patio creating! I hope you enjoy your space as much as I'm already loving my mine.