DIYprojects.info

0tterbot · Guest

hello.

i'm making a garden path - not a big-deal one, more of an access path - by
setting stones (of which we have many) into the dirt. the path has a slight
slope.

however, even though it looks really lovely (when not full of weeds) i have
the practical problem of:
1: progresses very slowly, as the spaces between stones needs to be
hand-filled & all pressed & watered in, otherwise the stones come out. it
takes so bloody long that i'm not getting very far at all
2: some stones coming out _anyway_, despite my best efforts, as the clay
shrinks when the weather's dry, & dirt washes out downhill when it is wet.
3: full of weeds, which wastes my time getting rid of them, & renders the
path irrelevent (as it was just weeds before i put the path in!! ;-)
4: not very safe to walk on for anyone who's not me - (the stones-coming-out
problem). about the last thing i want is some visitor tripping & breaking
their nose

my new plan is this:

dig out all the stones & make an even, shallow trench (perhaps 5-10cm
deep?). then fill in short sections with quick-set concrete, stones at the
ready, & then press the stones to an even depth into the concrete. my
intention is to have the stones set as closely as possible - so i assume
some concrete displacement will occur (?).

i was hoping someone here could offer a few practical tips, as i've never
concreted anything in my life.

do i need to somewhat underfill the trench to allow room for stones, or does
it just magically work out? i really want the stones set as absolutely
closely as i can manage.

is 5-10cm deep enough to last for this application? too shallow? too deep?

does one really need expansion space for heat in summer (like concrete
footpaths have), for such a thin bit of concrete? if so, i'm not sure how i
would do that(???) at it's widest point, it's only 70cm wide or so.

the stones i use are anywhere from 3cm to 20cm in diameter. they all seem to
have at least one flattish side, which goes upwards. the undersides aren't
necessarily flat, of course. is any sort of cleaning or preparation
necessary, or will they just stick where they are put?

thank you VERY MUCH for any forthcoming tips. i don't really want to get
started as cluelessly as this post sounds <g>, but clearly, filling between
stones somehow is the only way forward, as what i've been doing so far just
isn't going to work out. however, breaking it all up & starting again, if i
stuff it up, is not a desirable idea, either. :-)

ta!
kylie

Vampyre · Guest

On Nov 5, 10:21 am, "0tterbot" <s...@t.com> wrote:

Terryc · Guest

0tterbot wrote:

HC · Guest

G'day Kylie

While I'm far from expert in stone paths I have just completed a small
(600 x 600mm) one and was advised not to use quick set as it would go
off too quickly. Instead I bought sand and cement mix and found that it
allowed more time to place the stones individually. These were 10-15mm
tumbled pebbles I bought from Bunnings because I didn't want plain,
boring concrete. The finished job looks OK and even though I used a
stiff brush to clean the top of the pebbles before the cement was fully
set, I still needed to clean them with Hydrochloric Acid at the weekend.

As an underlay I used crushed concrete and also used this on some steps
I cut into a sloping area to give access to the new vegie garden. I
found that when I watered it lightly, then trowelled over the top, it
makes a cement slurry and then sets quite firm. Wondering if this would
work between your stones?

Bronwyn ;-)

0tterbot wrote:

0tterbot · Guest

thanks for your input, everyone. looks like at the very least, quick-set
concrete is not a good idea ;-)

i'm re-thinking the whole thing; & wondering if i can't incorporate some of
the ideas here together & end up with a much more successful result. not to
mention, putting steps in as well because the slope is one thing making the
whole business more difficult. the original, fairly flat bit that i did very
carefully hasn't washed away or moved with all the rain we've had this week,
& it's always good. the newer bits won't hurt my feelings so much to remove
& re-do a bit differently.

also, i have a ground-covering verbena growing which is exceedingly vigorous
& prolific, & could be planted in the path to suppress weeds/hold the
soil/etc... so i might keep thinking about how to incorporate that....

thanks again for your help.
kylie

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