How to Make a Flagstone Path on a Sloping Yard

Pathway

• 1

  Spray paint lines on the ground where you are installing the path, marking the location of the steps. Place the steps on the steeper hills.

• 2

  Place the flagstones on the ground along the path, except for the location of the steps. When placing the stones, keep them close enough that you can easily walk between them.

• 3

  Drive an edging shovel straight down into the ground around the perimeter of the flagstones to mark their location.

• 4

  Move the stones out of the pathway, keeping them in the order you placed them. Numbering the stones in sequential order on the bottom can make this easier.

• 5

  Remove the sod inside the score lines, digging deep enough to remove the roots of the grass.

• 6

  Pour sand inside the holes and level it out. Use enough sand that when the stones are placed on top, the edges are higher than the surrounding ground.

• 7

  Place the stones into position in the holes, and tap them down with a rubber mallet until the stones are even or slightly higher than the ground around them.

Steps

• 8

  Hammer 3-foot tall stakes into the ground at the top and bottom of the area where you're installing the steps.

• 9

  Tie a string between the stakes, and slide the string on the top stake down until it's on the ground. Attach a line level to the string, and move the string on the bottom stake until it is level.

• 10

  Measure the rise of the steps. This is the length between the ground and the string on the bottom stake. Then measure the run, which is the distance between the two stakes.

• 11

  Divide the rise by 6 inches for shallower slopes, or 8 inches for steeper slopes, to determine how many steps the staircase needs. Determine the length of the steps' treads by dividing the run by the number of steps. The treads are the part of the stairs that you step on.

• 12

  Mark the location of the steps on the ground with spray paint. Remove the stakes from the ground.

• 13

  Dig a hole at the bottom of the steps to install the first riser. Dig the hole deep enough that 2 to 3 inches of the riser will extend from the ground. Check the riser stone for level, and tap it down with a rubber mallet to level it if needed.

• 14

  Excavate the soil behind the riser to reach the mark for the second step, leveling the soil with the first riser.

• 15

  Place the next riser onto the ground, keeping it at a distance equal to the height of the risers, so if the risers are 6 inches high, set the stone so the back edge is 6 inches away from the trench's edge. Tap the riser down with the rubber mallet to level it, if needed.

• 16

  Continue to install the risers until they have all been placed into position.

• 17

  Place the flagstone treads into position on the staircase. Place them so that the front end of the flagstones hang about 2 inches over the risers, while the back edge buts up against the riser behind it. Cut the flagstones with a heavy maul to fit the space, if needed.

• 18

  Lift the front edge of the flagstone treads up and glue them to the risers with polyurethane construction adhesive. Place small pieces of stone between the risers and the treads to act as shims to stabilize the treads if necessary.

• 19

  Dig up the sod in the area next to the steps in pieces that measure 16 inches square. Remove the dirt where the sod was until it's even with the staircase, then replant the sod. Water the sod thoroughly after you remove it and after you replant it.

• 20

  Fill any gaps in the risers with a 50-50 mix of topsoil and compost, or small stones.