Making a Wall out of Large Pebbles

Base Trench

• You'll need to start by measuring the where you want to place the wall. Once you measure the length and width of the wall, mark the area. Dig a trench the length of the wall that's at least 12 inches deep and filled with 6 inches of coarse sand tamped down to create a level surface. The width of the trench depends on the width you want to make the wall.

Securing the Base

• Once you have a base trench dug and half-filled with sand, begin laying the large pebbles with which you want to build the wall. Lay a row of large pebbles across the bottom of the trench first, then pour small gravel followed by coarse sand around the row of large pebbles to fill in all of the spaces left at the pebbles’ edges. Continue building upward with pebbles, one layer at a time, filling in the spaces with small gravel and sand, to the top of the trench.

Building Upward

• When the entire trench has been filled solid with large pebbles, small gravel and coarse sand, begin laying layers of large pebbles to build up the wall above the ground. As you build the wall, try to use a number of different large pebble sizes. Choose the best pebble size for each space as you build upward. Keep the exterior edges of the wall as free of holes as possible as you build and pour small gravel into interior holes.

Adhesive

• Generally, a wall crafted out of large pebbles should sit no higher than 2 feet. With walls of this height or shorter, you don't need adhesive to keep the pebbles together. If you extend a wall to a height beyond 2 feet, use some form of adhesive. You can use mortar during the wall’s installation or a concrete bonding adhesive on the exterior of the wall. Mortar is best option if you want to keep the adhesive hidden.