How to Install a Natural Rock Patio

Natural rock creates an attractive paving material to match the exterior home decor and landscape of almost any building style. Also known as flagstone, natural rock has an irregular shape that makes the paving material a bit trickier to install than stone cut into uniform geometric shapes. Although the procedure involved is different from installing cut stones, homeowners lacking prior masonry experience can still build patios from natural rock gathered on their own properties to offset the cost of materials, as well as the expense of an installation team.

Wooden stakes
Rubber mallet
String
Spade
Level
Manual soil tamper
Gravel
Filtered sand
Garden hose
2-inch by 4-inch boards

Instructions

- 1
  Mark the area where you wish to install the natural rock patio. Place a wooden stake in each corner of the patio space and every 4 feet along the edges of the patio. Hammer the wooden stakes into the ground with a rubber mallet and tie string between the stakes to create a definite outline of the patio.
- 2
  Excavate the soil inside the stakes and string down to a depth of 8 inches. Check the base of the excavation site with a level and remove soil until you create a perfectly level surface. Compact the soil at the bottom of the site by pounding the flat end of the soil tamper against the soil until the ground hardens so that it no longer shifts under your footsteps.
- 3
  Create a drainage bed for the patio surface by applying two 2-inch layers of gravel. Compact both layers before applying any cover materials.
- 4
  Apply a 2-inch layer of filtered sand over the top of the gravel layers. Smooth and level this layer of sand with the edge of a 2-inch by 4-inch board. Do not compact the layer of sand; only smooth it until it's level.
- 5
  Locate the center of the patio site and begin setting stones into place at this center mark. To determine the center of the space, stretch lengths of string between opposite corners and locate the spot where the strings intersect.
- 6
  Set the first stone into place in the center of the patio site. Level the stone using a rubber mallet and level set across the top of the stone. You may need to excavate a bit of the sand to create an individual bed for some of the stones. Try to place the smoothest side of the stone facing upward.
- 7
  Work outward from the center-most patio rock. Carefully choose each rock you place into the patio space by fitting the irregular outlines together as close as possible. Leave a gap between each stone that measures no more than 2 inches wide. Continue placing the rocks until you fill the entire patio site.
- 8
  Pour filtered sand into the gaps between the stones or directly onto the patio surface. Use a garden hose to spray and push the sand into the gaps between stones.

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