Rules To Follow When Laying Paving Stones

Paving stones are perfect for beautifying your yard. But if you're planning to DIY your sidewalk or patio, you want to avoid mistakes that could cost you time and money down the road. With just a little careful planning and preparation, you can have the yard of your dreams. Here are some simple rules to follow when laying your paving stones.

Go Big

A common mistake many homeowners make when planning a patio or walkway is underestimating how big the space should be. Then once they get the table and grill in place, they've run out of room to move about. Similarly, they may think that that the standard three feet is plenty wide enough for that sidewalk, but once it's finished, they wish they'd gone with four or five feet. It's worth the investment to go a little bigger and purchase more stones than you think you'll need, just in case.

Store the Stones

Whether you're using natural or manufactured stones, you need to be aware that storing them incorrectly could cause staining. For instance, if they're stacked in your yard in such a way that parts of the surfaces are exposed to the elements while other sections are hidden, discoloration could occur.

Be sure to keep them stored either inside a shed or garage or keep them covered with a weatherproof tarp. They should be kept dry and out of the sun until you are ready to lay them down.

Prepare the Base

Whatever you decide to use as a base—whether sand, crushed stone, or compacted soil—you'll need to tamp it down it in stages. If you wait until all the layers have been added, your compacter will only work on the top layers.

And if you use sand as the top-most layer, which is highly recommended, don't tamp it down at all. Let it remain loose so that it can navigate between the paving stones and help set them in place.

Lay the Stones

The first rule here is don't expect perfection. Lines and edges are rarely perfectly straight, and that's okay. However, you do want it to look as straight and neat as you possibly can so you don't have to go back and shuffle things around.

Since you'll need to leave a little space between the stones and the foundation wall, using a string line that comes off the edge of the wall can help. Also, be sure to leave some space between the stones for the sand to fill in.

Lastly, don't forget the edge restraints. Without those, your paving stones will move during heavy traffic and extreme weather conditions. Edge restraints can be made of plastic, stone, wood, or metal. To learn more, visit a website like http://www.tmlandscapedesign.com

About Me

Making Over My Yard

After we purchased our first home, I realized that there were a few things in the yard we needed to focus on. In addition to going through and weeding the entire area, we also started thinking about things that we could plant that would add a little interest. It was really incredible to see how much of a difference our efforts made, and pretty soon our yard was one of the nicest ones in our neighborhood. Believe it or not, we even had people asking us who did the work professionally, which was hilarious because we were just doing the best we could. This blog is all about making over your yard with the right landscaping.

Search

Categories

Latest Posts

28 February 2024
When it comes to landscaping, there are many materials you can use to enhance the beauty of your outdoor space. One material that often gets overlooke

1 February 2024
Landscaping services play a significant role in enhancing the beauty and value of a property. They're about more than just maintaining a neat lawn; th

16 January 2024
As a business owner, creating a work environment that is conducive to employee productivity and satisfaction is of the utmost importance. One way to a