How to Create a Rock Patio
When it comes to building an outdoor patio, there are several different ways to tackle the project. You can lay a simple concrete slab or try your hand at laying out stone. While some patio stones can be a bit expensive, laying a flagstone patio in a sand bed can sometimes be easier than pouring concrete. It's also a cleaner application because it doesn't require mixing concrete or mortar. For this project, just select the type of rock you like, or use patio bricks. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Patio stones
- Tape measure
- Wood stakes
- Twine
- Shovel
- Gravel
- Power tamper (optional)
- Landscape fabric
- Wire stakes (optional)
- Sand
- 2-inch-thick piece of wood
- Rubber mallet
- Garden hose
- Broom
Instructions
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1
Measure out the dimensions for your patio. Then place a wooden stake at each corner of the proposed site. Connect each of the wooden stakes with string or twine. This roped off area is the area you will be working in exclusively for the patio construction.
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2
Dig up the area inside the roped-off section. Remove all grass and soil to a depth of at least 6 inches, which will accommodate 4 inches of gravel and at least 2 inches of sand. If you are working with thicker pieces of rock or brick, you will need to add more sand, which in turn means the hole should be deeper. Measure the width of your stone and make the necessary calculations for the depth of the area and the amount of sand.
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3
Pour 4 inches of gravel over the bottom of the excavated site. Use your shovel to tamp the gravel into place to create a flat surface. If you are working on a large area, consider using a power tamper to pack the gravel.
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4
Add a landscape fabric over the top of the gravel. This fabric will stop weeds from growing through the gravel and up through the sand bed. Roll each section out over the surface. For some of the areas, the fabric will need to overlap. Allow at least 6 inches of fabric overlap. Cut the fabric to fit. If you are having trouble getting the fabric to stay in place, tack it down with wire stakes.
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5
Begin pouring the necessary amount of sand. If you are placing flagstones, you will only need 2 inches of sand. To make sure that you have the right amount of sand in the area, place a 2-inch-thick piece of wood on top of the fabric. Then pour the sand. Once the top of the wood has been covered with sand, you will know you have 2 inches. Remove the piece of wood.
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6
Lightly wet down the sand bed with a garden hose. Once the sand bed is damp, use another piece of wood as a screed to smooth out the area.
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Begin installing pavers that are all the same size and dimension in the sand bed. Start from left to right, placing them in the sand bed next to each other. Leave approximately 1 inch between each stone. Use a rubber mallet to lightly pound the stone into the sand. Then use a straightedge to make sure that the neighboring rocks are all level.
If you are installing stones that are all different shapes, such as flagstone, do a dry run next to the excavated site. Put the pieces together like a puzzle, and then transfer those stones to the sand bed. Again, leave about an inch of space between each stone. Then use a rubber mallet to gently pound the stones into the sand.
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Add more sand to the area in order to fill the gaps between stones once all of the stones are set. Use a broom to sweep the sand into the cracks. Spray the area with more water to make sure that the sand is compact.
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