what productscan i use to make peagravel stay in place with flagstone

April 07, 2022 Post a Comment

Devin Devine, contractor based out of Blakeslee Pennsylvania, projects competed across the U.s.
contact devin@devineescapes.com

This DIY commodity; and the rest of the how-to section of my web log, cover much of the basics of how-to properly build flagstone patios. These volition be of much utilize to the hobbyist, DIY landscaper/builder, and to professional builders equally well. If y'all need guidance for site-specific issues for your rock hardscape installation

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Flagstone: what to use, sand, cement, or gravel?

branching pattern in stone art

flagstone patio with branching mosaic, stone fine art….in former San Francisco!

Then getting right to information technology then, what type of foundation are nosotros going to build for our flagstone patio: sand, cement, or gravel?

Short answer: well it depends. Quarry screenings are generally best for under the flagstones. Screenings are also one of the best options for in between the stones. However, at that place are other options bachelor which can be utilized to reach different aesthetic effects. First we will address the structural issue "what to use beneath the flagstone".

Cement—it volition (probably) crack, at some point. May final for quite awhile, but when it does neglect it will exist much more than work to repair information technology and so to repair dry flagstone piece of work.

Sand—ants will dig it upwards and get information technology all over the place…likewise the sand may wash abroad, causing stones to settle.

Gravel—actually no problems here, simply use the right blazon of gravel. Amend withal, use road base gravel for the foundation and so use stone dust aka quarry screenings aka grit aka quarry dust as the final leveling agent.

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Okay, let'due south get more specific then.

Why is gravel the best choice for your your flagstone patio's foundation?

Cement will (probably) crack. Especially grade level cement. Specially in a climate with winters similar ours in Pennsylvania. A worse style to get about it would be to lay the flagstone upon a bed of gravel and then cement the joints between stones. Horrible idea. The gravel base is flexible and volition movement ever so slightly during freeze-thaw. Well, if the base of operations was done poorly the movement might be more then slight, just allow'southward presume the base was washed well. A gravel base volition definitely movement a bit—looking at any of my patios, y'all'd never know that, but the motility does happen. Cement is rigid—if you put a rigid summit on a flexible base of operations and so systemic cracking is inevitable.

Cement based mortar is a fine joint filling material if the flagstone happens to remainder upon a concrete foundation. Only why on earth would yous want to have a concrete foundation anyway? The physical itself volition crack, eventually. In a northern climate it will likely crack within ten years—and the chances of it bang-up within the adjacent three years are pretty high too. Environmental impact of concrete production is no small issue either. Anyway, I personally prefer dry stone work. More harmonious, warmer, just meliorate. The feeling you get from a well done dry laid flagstone patio, in my humble opinion, is just better than a flagstone patio set in cement.

flagstone re-pointing and repair

A flagstone patio set in cement can of class await skillful and concluding a long time. I've built many that look great,–many years later too. But if in that location is cement betwixt the joints, at that place simply had better be a concrete foundation. I mean it.

stone dust is the answer…

Sand….well, if you employ a actually heavy sand you might become away with it. Near of the sands that are packaged for sale however are way too fine. Y'all can use a course sand for nether the flagstones, sure. Back when I used to lay brick patios I would use course sand or quarry screenings inter-changeably and it was fine. Them patios still expect good. Those are brick patios all the same, where the space between the paving units is about a quarter inch wide. The problem with sand is that information technology washes abroad past activity of h2o, blows away by activeness of wind, and gets carried away past activity of ants. That'due south why stone dust AKA screenings AKA decomposed granite works much better, for underneath flagstones, than sand.

Larn how-to use the stone dust as a leveling agent: the process is described HERE.

flagstone walkway

Not every bit good as my flagstone patios though! Problem with using even grade sand beneath flagstone is this: Bricks are of uniform thickness. Thus it's not too much trouble to just go your gravel foundation pretty close to perfect, then go alee and screed out one inch of sand for your bricks to remainder upon. With flagstone nevertheless, the thickness will vary too greatly—y'all may need half an inch of sand for one rock, just 2 inches for another. If you lot are using sand, then that variation in thickness will cause problems. Screenings are about the same affair every bit modified gravel—they are indeed i of the two ingredients in modified gravel…they are heavy enough that it really is no trouble to utilise 2 inches on one stone and half an inch on another—ten years downwardly the road, that patio will all the same look sharp.

flagstone patios that are prepare in sand are vulnerable to ants and launder-out

Occasionally I've seen a paver patio messed upwards by ants. But with flagstone patios that are set in sand ants always attack. I suppose it's because the joints are inevitably wider with flagstone and/or because the flagstones are varying in thickness meaning you cease upward with deeper sand in some places. Whatever the exact reason, I can tell you that all of the flagstone patios that I have seen that are set in sand eventually become run amok by ants.

Some other reason to apply screenings is because screenings besides make an first-class joint filler.

You lot practice non want to use sand, even course sand between your flagstone joints because information technology can wash away—unless of course your flagstones are absurdly tight. For pattern-cut flagstone, yes, you can maybe get away with using sand every bit the articulation-filler. Only make certain the base is course sand, not fine. You will need to employ fine sand for the joints however because of how tight they are. Again, ants honey fine sand—just in this application, pattern-cut stones, tiny joints—fine sand will non be the cease of the world—and so long every bit the base is course, of grade. That's for pattern-cut flagstone–or whatsoever flagstone where the joints are super tight–in those cases y'all can maybe get away with sand, so long as y'all follow the guidelines that I've set earlier in this paragraph. For irregular flagstone, or any flagstone with a joint wider than a quarter of an inch, you really actually should try and avoid sand, and instead employ stone grit.

Can yous set flagstones down on your own native soil?

Your own native soil –This one would exist great, if your own native subsoil consists of almost 20-40 percent clay and the rest by and large sand and gravel. And hadn't been disturbed in 10 years. And then you'd have a good solid base already 🙂 Y'all could nigh certainly take clay from your subsoil, figure out how much sand and gravel it already contains, so calculate how much gravel ought to be added, and and then fetch some gravel from elsewhere nearby.

What I am talking near hither is using the onsite materials, to endeavour to mimic the performance characteristics of road base and/or to create a gravel cob-like mixture of soils, well draining, compactable and stable. This type of work is still in the r&d stage for me. More than on this, as the enquiry progresses. Suffice it to say that yep, information technology can exist done, simply it's a bit complicated and beyond the scope of this nowadays article.

Okay, so allow's stick with gravel for the foundation, and screenings AKA rock dust every bit the leveling amanuensis

Dorsum to screenings—when y'all use screenings for both the leveler and the articulation filler for in-betwixt your flagstones you are creating a good scene. If in that location is ever any minor outcome with the screenings underneath the stone information technology shouldn't thing too much because the joint filler will settle downwardly and fill the void beneath the flagstone. Having screenings upwards pinnacle and down below, it just works out well.

Y'all can wait to top off the screenings one time inside the beginning twelvemonth—a small-scale bit will settle or wash away. No problem, simply sweep in some new fabric and you're good. After that, in future years, you'll exist fine. My best recommendation is that clients hire me to do maybe a couple hours maintenance once a year—by no ways is this necessary, simply I like my work to sparkle.

And it does. Bank check out what my past clients have to say about my work.

One affair I have non gotten into in this article is polymeric sand. I betoken you now to some other hardscape how-to blog post, if you are curious about poly-sand. If you are poly-curious, that is.

I don't know what you do with your leftover flagstone, simply here'south what I practise with mine:

Stacked stone spheres and garden sculptures, by Devin Devine.

I should possibly too add that using the in a higher place arrangement I have never one time had a single flagstone patio neglect. Okay, peradventure 1 stone with some small settling—fixable in a few minutes (and rare, very rare that ever happens) but never any major bug. Been doing this a little while too(since 1997). On my largest flagstone patios I generally would recommend 3 hours of maintenance work should be done, every few years or so. This will keep the patio in optimal shape. I'm picky and want my piece of work to await perfect forever. Ofttimes I'll return to a customer's house years and years subsequently and information technology will still be in perfect shape. Without whatever maintenance needed!

Tools needed to build your rock patio on a gravel base:

grabo, the hot new vacuum lifter that makes lifting flagstones a bit easier. My review can be plant Here. Practice you need one? No, but on a larger patio it will save fourth dimension and save you lot some strain on your fingers. Bigger than 200 square foot–maybe get one. Bigger than 400 square pes–yea, probably go two.
dead accident blazon mallet. Many types to choose from….lately I more often than not use my rawhide mallet, but the rubber headed modern style deadblow is in my tool bucket too, and I'll use whichever is closer on hand.
brick hammer, for cutting flagstone.
Angle grinder. Same one I utilise. Keep this on mitt for cuts that the hammer won't successfully brand, or that volition take too long with the hammer
Diamond blades.
Brick chisel.
A couple of 5 gallon buckets (for stone grit, when leveling stones)…shovel, wheel barrow…..4′ level.
Choice maddock. All-time way to dig. Break up soil with this, then use shovel.
Knee pads–essential.
Mitt tamper and/or plate compactor. For 100 foursquare foot or less, I'd merely use the hand tamper. Bigger than that–y'all might want to rent plate compactor.

Looking for Expert Advice from a flagstone professional? Telephone Consultations now bachelor!

If you still have questions and would like some assistance, that's okay considering I at present offer consultation services. Shorter questions and comments are nigh welcome in the comment section below. Donations are appreciated.

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Source: https://www.devineescapes.com/flagstone-what-to-use-sand-cement-or-gravel/

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