How to Build Sidewalk Stepping Stones With Rocks

Decide where you want your path. Avoid being too close to shallow rooted trees. The roots can disturb the path in the future.

Stake out your path. Use the garden hose or the string and stakes to mark your path. The hose works well for a curved path.

Select your rocks. Those with a flatter and wider surface area are ideal as they each cover more space and require shallow digging during the laying process. Aim for rocks about about 3 inches deep.

Prepare your path. Dig out your path using a shovel and keep the dirt in a wheelbarrow to make disposal easier. The depth should be about 3 inches for flat style rocks. The rounder rocks may require a deeper base.

Flatten the surface of the path, keeping it as level as possible. Use the flat-edged shovel to smooth out any inconsistencies.

Add a thin layer of sand to the bottom of the path. Tamp it down with a tampening tool. Smooth and level it out.

Place landscape fabric over the layer of sand. This will help with future weeds and keep maintenance down.

Lay out your rocks in the desired pattern along the path about an inch from each other. Laying with natural rocks is like a puzzle. You may need to readjust the placement as you go. Line the edges of the rocks up along the sides of the path to give it uniformity.

Fill in the spaces between the rocks with dirt. Press the dirt in with your fingers, checking the stability of the rocks as you proceed. Stand on them to tamp them down.

Check the level of the rocks as you go with the carpenter level. For each new layer you add across the path, check the levels to maintain unity.

Wash the pathway down with a hose to help settle the dirt between the rocks. After you do this the first time, you may need to add more dirt, since the base will settle.

Plant moss, baby's tears or other groundcover between the rocks to keep out weeds and add a completed finish to your pathway.