Laying out your own flagstone walkway
One kind of walkway that looks good in almost any backyard is a flagstone walkway. Another thing about flagstone walkways is how durable they are. In fact, flagstone is the most popular choice of rock for laying walkways. The reason that it is so popular is that the rock itself is relatively flat, but you can also get the rock in a variety of shapes and sizes, which allows you to put the walkway together like a puzzle.
Before you can layout, a flagstone walkway you are going to need to order the flagstone. Flagstone can be ordered from garden centers or from landscaping companies, either local or online. When ordering flagstone you needs to remember that it is measured by the ton or in cubic yards, so have the right measurements when you place your order.
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Once you have received the flagstone or even before you have received the flagstone, you are going to need to prepare the area that you are using for the walkway. The first thing that you will need to do is to excavate the entire area that you will be using. When excavating the area keep in mind that you do not need to dig down very deep for the path. You mainly want to just dig down deep enough to get rid of any sod and weeds that are growing. With the weeds, pull them up by the root to prevent them from growing back in your pathway. You can dig down deeper, but how deep you go depends on how you want the walkway to look.
Now that you have excavated the area, you can prepare to lay your walkway. One thing that many people find helpful is laying out sand before they put down the flagstone. The sand provides a cushion for the flagstone, which can make it easier to fit together. The sand also helps to provide you with a level surface to work with.
Once you have laid down some sand, and landscape edging, you will need to level the sand. To level the sand you can use a metal rake to smooth the sand out until it looks level.
Now that you have the sand or dirt leveled out, you are ready to start laying your flagstone. When laying the flagstone you will want to pick out pieces of rock that you think will look good together. Keep in mind that laying out a flagstone walkway is similar to putting pieces of a puzzle together. You can twist and turn the pieces of flagstone until they fit together how you want them to. The one thing to keep in mind is that you do not want to have uneven rocks or pieces of flagstone that overlap because then the stones will not lay flat. Instead of overlapping the flagstone, you will want to leave a gap or choose a different piece that fits better.
Step back and look at the flagstone walkway to see if you are happy with it. If you are not happy with how it looks, keep playing with the flagstone until you are satisfied. Once you are satisfied, you will need to fill in the gaps of the flagstone walkway. You can use peat gravel or small pebbles to fill in the gaps or you can use more sand. You just want something that is going to be able to fill in the spaces so that you have a flat walkway rather than gaps in your walkway. To fill in the gaps what you need to do is pour the stuff on top of the walkway and sweep them into the cracks with a broom.
