How to Make a Stone Walkway

A stone walkway is an easy way to add both elegance and function to your yard. Fortunately it is a relatively strait forward procedure to make a stone walkway.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stakes
• Rope
• Shovel
• Sand
• Stone
• Baby sledgehammer
• Chisel
• Broom

1. Begin laying out the stone walkway. Most walkways are 2 1/2' - 3' across. You can make a stone walkway both strait and curved. Outline the path with stakes and rope. Move the stakes until you are happy with the placement of the stone walkway.

2. Using a shovel remove the soil to a depth of around 5" along the path of the stone walkway. Next lay down a weed barrier over the soil. You can buy these at the landscaping section of the hardware store. Follow the directions on the box.

3. Next add about 3" of sand on top of the weed barrier. Level the sand and tamp it down as you go.

4. Now order the stone if you haven't already. Order it at a thickness of 2". A ton of stone will cover a path 3' wide and around 30' long, so order accordingly.

5. Take your time placing the stones into the sand. Try to arrange the stone so that there is an 1" gap between the stones. Once you have the stone where you want it press the stone into the sand.

6. If you need to brake a stone use a chisel and baby sledgehammer to make a series of chips on the break line, before shearing the stone.

7. Once you make a stone walkway take a 2x4 and use it to tamp down the stones to make them even.

8. Walk along the stone walkway and scoop sand onto the surface. Next go over it and sweep it, pushing the sand into the cracks between the stones. Repeat until the sand is even with the stone.

Tips & Warnings

• Always use safety glasses when you are using a chisel to shape stone for your walkway.

[leduncan]

on 6/23/2009 Good info. We built a stone walkway around our pool out of recycled materials! Check out our recycled deck at: http://www.ehow.com/how_5100240_build-deck-recycled-materials.html