How to Make a Walk With Pea Gravel and Concrete

Make an outline of your path with garden hoses or rope. Spray paint along the lines so you know where to dig. Excavate the path to a depth of up to 10 inches -- you need at least 4 inches for the concrete slab and between 2 and 6 inches for the compactable gravel. The looser your soil is, the more gravel you will need.

Tamp down the soil with a tamping tool to make the surface level. Pour down between 2 and 6 inches of compactable gravel. Tamp the gravel down until it is perfectly level across the surface.

Install concrete forms along the perimeter of the pathway. You can either purchase these from a hardware or home-improvement store, or build them yourself out of 2-by-4-inch boards. Drive stakes next to the forms at intervals of 3 feet and secure the stakes to the forms with duplex nails.

Check the forms with a carpenter's level to make sure they are even. Spray the forms with form oil so the concrete won't adhere to them when it dries.

Pour the concrete powder into your mixing bucket or wheelbarrow. Read the manufacturer's label for detailed information on how much water to use and any further mixing instructions as these vary from product to product.

Pour the mixed concrete into the forms. The concrete should be just about 1/4-inch below the top of the forms. Level the concrete with a screed -- a flat board or aluminium tool used to smooth concrete -- and then smooth the surface with a trowel. Allow the concrete to set until you can place a bucket full of stones on the surface without it sinking in -- if it sinks in, lift it out and smooth the concrete over.

Pour the pea gravel over the concrete. Spread the pea gravel out in a single layer with a broom, then level the gravel with a trowel. Run a lawn roller over the gravel to press it evenly into the concrete's surface.

Pour sand over the gravel and concrete. Allow the concrete to set, then sweep the excess sand off the gravel. Remove the forms once the concrete has fully set.