How to set stone in your lawn...
My first love is flagstone…I share HERE how I created a little flagstone patio in the front of the house…
This was a massive project and required “excavating” a large area.
My project this week is the same process but “small scale.”
My mother offered my Granddad’s grindstones that my dad had set in their yard as a pathway.
There are a few things I have that make me see “old ladyish”…my grandmother’s china and hutch, an old camera collection, a few knick knacks here and there…and certainly a grindstone pathway in the yard would qualify. Truth be told, I can not pass up anything that is a family heirloom.
If you don’t know what a grindstone is, google it.
Nifty stones that were originally used to sharpen tools. I have no idea if my grandfather actually used them for their intended purpose but I believe they were set in his yard as stepping stones…and my dad got them and did the same.
So now I have moved them to my house…and this past weekend I set them in the yard.
I had already set a few of them when I realized it would be a great way to show you how I create a path set in the ground…no worries about having to mow around it.
Whether you use grindstones, slabs of wood, bricks or flagstone…this is the way to property set them individually to create a “stepping path.” I have found that this method creates the least destruction to existing turf. You can even do it before you seed or lay sod.
The first thing you want to do is lay them out where you want them.
Look at them from every angle…maybe walk on them to see if they “step right.”
Once you have them laid out where you want them, it is time to get down to the REAL work. (I will refer to “stone” because that is what I used…again, you can create a path with just about any durable material!)
First, take a shovel and go around the stone… about 1'“-2” from the edge of the stone…keep the shovel straight and go into the ground at least 4”. (My stones were about 2” thick and I want at least a 2” bed of sand and soil to set the stone on.) You are basically using the stone as a template.
Once you have gone around the entire stone, just flip it out of the way for the time being.
Since my yard was sodded, I wanted to salvage the sod and use it to fill in a few bare spots here and there…so I used my shovel to carefully remove the sod…
I used a little hand rake to remove the bulk of the dirt off the piece of sod and relocated it to the bare spots.
Then I used the shovel and my hands to remove all the excess dirt in the hole. I put it in a bucket and used it in an area of the yard that need a little fill.
I made the hole about 4” deep, then I added sand.
You can buy bags of “play sand” or even “paver base.” Just make sure you put some kind of sand or base in the hole to create a stable, level bed free of rocks and debris. .
I would suggest hosing down the sand just to make sure it is packed well…your goal here is to create a level, compact bed for the stone to set on.
Once the sand is leveled, replace the stone and make any adjustment by lifting and filling where needed.
I used the dirt I removed from the hole to fill in around the stone.
Once all the stones were set, I saturated them…this forces the dirt around the stones to seep under the stones and also lets you see which ones may need to be lifted and additional sand toss under.
Step on them and make sure they seem “firm.” I had one that “rocked” so I lifted it and added sand. As the dirt around the stones seeped underneath I added more and plugged in a few pieces of sod.
With a little water and sun I expect the grass to fill back in nicely over the next few weeks!
(You can see HERE how I dolled up the storage shed a bit!)
I saved a little dirt in the bucket because I know some of the soil around the stone may compact a bit. Also, this part of my yard is fescue so I may have to over-seed a bit…but that is okay! I like the look and even though it may be a little “old ladyish” I have a walking path that has a little bit of sentimental value.
Perfect!
