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HomeBuildDo It Yourself Stone Patio

Do It Yourself Stone Patio

Layering And Screeding The Sand

How to Install a Natural Stone Patio – Do It Yourself

Now that we had the gravel base down, it was time to layer in the sand. The sand fills in the gaps of the gravel to provide a stable base for the stones.

To ensure we evenly covered the space, we made little piles throughout the area before spreading it out. We screeded the sand, alternating between using a 2 x 4 and a piece of cardboard. .

Some sources I read suggested doing another layer of sand after the initial screeding . They also suggested being careful not to walk on the screeded arealike not walking on a mopped floor.

Once we got the gravel and the sand down, we optimistically thought it would only be another weekend or so for us to lay out the actual flagstone.


Laying the stone would be easiest and most rewarding part, right?

How wrong we were.

Catio Kit Types Shapes & Sizes

Catios come in many different sizes and shapes.

A Catio Kit refers specifically to an outdoor cat enclosure that comes in an off the shelf, ready-to-construct kit format.

But, depending on what youre looking for and the space you want to place your catio in, youll find catio kits can also be sold as:


See any of these links above for more info on each type of catio design.

Any catio kit will come with detailed, step-by-step plans, all the materials you need, and often include all the necessary assembly tools.

Depending on the model you select, they can be very long, tall, short, or any other dimension you desire!

Different cats like different enclosures, so make sure you choose one that you know you cat will love to play in.

There are also a few catio kits that are simply an outdoor area for your cat to rest on or in.


They can be an open play area that allows your cat to go in and out freely as they please. A nice relaxing catio kit is also a great place for your cat to sleep if theyre an 100% outside cat!

Outdoor cat enclosure kits are always meant to be used as a fun/safe zone that your cat will learn to love and enjoy.

Once theyre accustomed to their environment, you can sit back and relax knowing that your beloved cat is safe and having a good time enjoying nature!

Order The Base Materials And Stone

It’s what’s underneath that counts. Stone and brick are what you see, but the landscape fabric, gravel and sand are what hold them together and make your patio last.

Landscape fabric stabilizes the soil underneath the gravel base by keeping them apart while allowing water to drain through. We used 12-1/2 ft. wide, heavy, woven stabilization fabric purchased from our stone supplier. If this isn’t available, use the widest landscape fabric you can find.


Class V limestone forms the foundation of our patio, but there may be different materials available in your region. Any granular fill will work as long as the size of the granules ranges from 3/4 in. down to a powder and they’re angular, not smooth and round. These qualities allow the fill to be tightly packed for a firm base that allows water to drain through. A mixture of recycled concrete and asphalt is widely available and is a good substitute for Class V.

Depending on your soil, you’ll need a4- to 10-in. thick layer of gravel. Sandy soils require less gravel than soils with organic matter or clay. Gravel is sold by the ton or cubic yard. One cubic yard covers about 50 sq. ft. at a 6-in. depth by the time it’s compacted and weighs 1-1/2 tons. We used 12 tons of gravel.

Coarse washed sand is spread over the gravel in a 1-in. layer to form a setting bed for the stone and brick, and later to fill the cracks between the bricks and stone. We used 5 tons of sand.

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Lay The Concrete Pavers

Cut your spacer down to the size you have planned for your joint width.


In the photo above, my metal bars are diagonal because I needed to slope my patio in two directions. I thought it would make it easier this way, but I ended up pulling them out and keeping them straight. It was easy enough to follow the slope lines with the strings.

Lay one the first spacer down, and use a squaring tool to lay down a crossing spacer. Then carefully place your first concrete paver against the two spacers.

Repeat, using the spacers to lay more concrete pavers. Remember, you can walk on these as you lay them.

My metal bars are lying diagonally in the photo above because I needed to slope my patio in two directions.

I thought it would make it easier this way, but I ended up pulling them out and keeping them straight. It was easy enough to follow the slope lines with the strings.


Lay one the first spacer down, and use a squaring tool to lay down a crossing spacer. Then go ahead and carefully place your first concrete paver against the two spacers.

Repeat using the spacers to lay more pavers. Remember, you can walk on these as you lay them.

The Top 39 Stone Patio Ideas

Do

Using stone to build the external structural elements around your home elevates the look and increases the value of your home. Having a brick patio encourages you to embrace the outdoor living lifestyle.

If bricks arent your style, you can modernize the look with paver stones. They come in endless shapes and sizes for complete customization of your new patio.

Check out these stone patio ideas and start planning your brick patio home improvement project.


Contents

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Excavate The Patio Area

Remove all grass and other vegetation in the patio area , then excavate the soil to a depth of 6 inches plus the thickness of the flagstone. For example, if the flagstone is 2 inches thick, excavate a total of 8 inches. This is to make the patio flush with the surrounding ground you can dig less deep if you want the stones to lie higher than the ground.

Measure down from the strings to gauge the excavation depth. It’s usually easiest to dig to full depth right under the strings, then clear out the soil in between, checking with a long, straight 2×4 and a level to make sure the ground is level from side to side . Tamp the soil with a hand tamp or a rented plate compactor.

A Simple Rectangle Paver Patio

Since you can basically build your backyard patio in any size or shape you want to, its easy to get distracted by all the different possibilities. However, the best option is most often the simplest and most obvious one. A simple rectangle might not seem very exciting but can end up looking amazing once all the pavers are in place. We really like how this design turned out and if you want to find out more about the process theres a video on that you can check out.

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Set And Level The Line

To set the final height and pitch of your patio, it is essential to set a proper guide. Its basically a giant plus sign with the cross at the middle of your square patio.

A. Run a taut nylon masonry line between two metal spikes 12 feet apart. Create another taut 12-foot-long line across the midway point of the first line. The line should be at the level you want the finished pavers.

B. Attach your line level to the line running out from the house if your patio is not against a house, attach it to the line that runs in the direction you want water to run off. Using your level, create a pitch that will have approximately a quarter of a bubble pitch away from level. The perpendicular line should be level. Periodically throughout construction, check the line to make sure it hasnt moved.

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  • Jazmine BullionJune 2, 2020

    Mulch and Dirt yards sell crushed granite. Google it or look it up on the map, and call one close by. One place quoted $65, and another quoted $85 per yard and should fill the back of a pick up truck.

    We are putting in an above ground pool, and I accidentally bought masonry sand, and then had to by bank . Bank sand is $18, and masonry sand is $25 per yard. The place I ordered the sand from will deliver in a dump truck if your within a short miles distance near them for $75.

    Can I use the masonry sand under the flagstone? And then the granite on top? Or is the masonry sand to pose-able? Like it will slip and move too much. I dont know what I can use the masonry sand for thats in the back of my pick up.

  • Jeff MathewsFebruary 25, 2018

    Dan where have you been? Ive been searching for a practical way of laying flagstone since my first home purchase in 2010. My feverish search waned over the years but the fire never went out and now here you are. Thank you so much for the information, demonstration, ideas and video. My flagstone project can now begin.

  • Mohammad KashkiMarch 6, 2018

    Very formative instruction. I got a question: can I fill the flagstone gaps with cement/mortar? I want a match with other laid area.

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    How To Create A Rock Patio

    The thing about a rock patio is that it has to be practical so using the exact same strategy from a garden pathway project is not always the best idea, especially if it means placing a bunch of flagstone pieces or stepping stones on a bed of gravel. The alternative would be using a special type of sand which is sort of the equivalent of the grout used on backsplashes and counters. Find out more about this on gingersnapcrafts.

    Build A Patio From Scratch

    The finished project only shows a small portion of what the patio is actually made of. The brick or pavers that you see are only added at the very end and theres actually the least important part of the project. The base beneath is pretty complex and its important to have a basic understanding of all the layers and the prep work that go into it in order for this to be a successful project. Check out this video on to learn from professionals how to build a patio from scratch.

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    Dont Bulldoze With Your Pavers

    Another common mistake is not using the method for placing the paving stones.

    The trick is to line up the next stone flush with the previous stones front until you hear a little click of the stones tapping onto each other. This is your signal that the pavers are straight you can then drop the stone. Not using this simple method can result in crooked pavers or gaps in your patio layout!

    Read our article, 6 Common Paver Installation Mistakes to learn more.

    Sunroom Kit Or Professional Sunroom Design And Installation

    Bluestone Patio Backyard Crushed Stone Rock Depth And ...

    At Maryland Sunrooms, we want to work with you to give you the perfect sunroom design and installation that you can enjoy every day, all day long. We are the most experienced and trusted sunroom installation company serving residents throughout the Mt. Airy, Bethesda, Baltimore and Central Maryland area. For all of our customers, we provide a wide variety of sunroom designs and offer free in-home design consultations to explore your options and find styles that best suit your needs and budget. For added assurance, we even provide several product warranties as well as a lifetime labor warranty.

    To learn more about our sunroom installation services, call us at or complete our online contact form. Or, start designing your new sunroom today by requesting a free design consultation with one of our sunroom specialists.

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    What You Will Need

    It is essential to think about what tools you should have on hand to install hardscape properly.

    At a minimum, you will need some essential tools like a shovel, a wheelbarrow to haul materials, and stringlines to make sure everything is straight. To get the complete list of tools and supplies, read our tutorial on How to Install Pavers.

    Level The Ground For Your Paver Stones

    Take the four stakes and hit them into the ground 12 outside of your patio area using the rubber mallet. Hammer them in until they are at least a foot into the earth. They should be nice and tight and not move if you pull at them.

    Once theyre secure, measure each stake from the ground up to 4. Mark this. This will be your level line and also the top of your compacted base layer.

    Reminder- due my patio being boxed in on all four sides, my photos show the stakes placed inside the patio area.

    Make sure when you put the stakes into the ground, that they are at least a foot down. They should be nice and tight and not move if you pull at them.

    Measure from the ground, up the stake to 4 and mark this. This will be your level line and also the top of your compacted base layer.

    Take the nylon string and wrap it around the mark you made. How you tie the string is important, so take a moment and read this article that explains how to do this so that you get the proper tension.

    Keep the string as one continuous string and repeat this for all four stakes, using the tying method linked above. When you return to the first stake, tie it off and cut the string from the spool.

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    Layout And Site Preparation

    Because flat stones are sold in standard width and length dimensions, you can create just about any pattern from a simple all-one-size approach to a more complicated pattern like the one we used here. Just keep in mind that stone dimensions can vary by as much as 1/2 in. from the nominal designation. A 12 x 12-in. stone could be 11-1/2 in. on one side and 12-1/2 in. on the other. These differences in size are accommodated by the grout joint between stones, which is usually 3/8 to 1/2 in. wide. Work out your pattern on graph paper before you place an order. Try to minimize the number of stone pieces that will need to be cut to size on-site. If you’re laying a patio that is going to abut the house, like ours did, plan to slope the installation away from the house so water can drain off. A 1-in. drop for every 8 ft. of run is a good minimum figure.

    Proper base preparation is a matter of some debate. A plurality, if not a majority, of sources recommend at least a 4-in.-thick layer of compacted gravel covered by a 2- to 3-in. layer of compacted sand. If a patio were to be completely exposed to the weather, we would omit the sand and just use a 6- or 7-in.-thick gravel base because it has better drainage.

    On this job we used the sand layer because the patio was covered by an enclosed porch above, and because it made it much easier to fit the stones in place.

    Begin site preparation by removing the sod in the patio area. Then spread gravel on the site using a shovel and rake.

    House Projects: Should You Diy Patio Pavers

    DIY How to Build a Patio with Concrete Pavers

    Lets face itlandscaping can be intimidating. Most of us know for sure that we would love to have a beautiful yardone that is attractive and easy to host friends inbut its hard to know where to start.

    Do you want a pergola? Should you install a firepit? Or, does a lovely patio do the trick? Is there a way to install pavers easily not have to spend so much money?

    The answer is yes. You can! They arent as tricky to install correctly as they might seem.

    Pavers, also known as hardscape, are meant to compliment your landscape and are an excellent option for a usable and attractive patio area. There are many ways you can incorporate paversin your driveway, in your garden, in your grill area. This article will focus on teaching you some of the things to consider and research before you jump into the project.

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    Diy Vs Contractor: It Takes An Artistic Eye

    The naturally occurring irregular shapes and colors of flagstones mean that putting together a patio is more like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. It takes time and an artistic eye to know what pieces should go together and how to shape the stones to match the desired area. If your patio has a lot of border areas, it can take skill and time to shape the stones to fit them correctly.

    One solution is to use a less defined pattern and put more space between the stones. By letting the size and shape of the stones dictate the pattern, you will have less trimming and shaping to do. This will save you time on the installation and give your patio shape a more natural look.

    Breaking stones isnt as difficult as it may sound . A light hammer tap on the edge should break off pieces fairly easily. Or you can try dropping the larger stones on a hard surface and let the pieces fall apart naturally. A chisel and hammer can assist when more precise shaping is required. The key is dont try to take off too much at one time and you should be able to shape the stones to meet your design.

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