How to Set a Flagstone Walk

Laying Out the Walk

• 1

  Decide on the size of your path. A walk should not be less than 3 feet wide because it is often difficult to walk on.

• 2

  Map out the direction of your walk and its distance from your home. The distance of your walk is often used to complement the size of your home. Keep your walk in closer for shorter homes; 6 feet long is often enough. Move the walk further away for taller homes; 12 feet long is usually enough.

• 3

  Draw up the path on a piece of graph paper and map out the pattern the stones are going to take on the walk. Decide on the pattern of the stones before you begin building so that you have a set guide to go by.

• 4

  Paint an outline of the walk on your yard and adjust your drawings if there is something about it you don't like.

Preparing the Site

• 5

  Dig up your perimeter so that you have a flat 11 1/2-inch trench between your outline. Place the soil onto a tarp for easy removal.

• 6

  Using a hand tamper, pound the bottom of your trench into a rock solid surface to create a strong base to build on.

• 7

  Pour in trap rock in 3-inch layers and rake it out so that it covers the trench uniformly. Tamp the trap rock down and add more until you have an 8-inch layer of solid tamped rock to build on.

• 8

  Roll out your filter fabric to cover all of the trap rock. Overlap any additional rows of the fabric by at least 3 inches if the walk is wide enough for more than a single run. Spread some heavy rocks along the fabric to keep it from blowing away in the wind.

• 9

  Lay down a 2-inch layer of stone dust and rake it into a uniform layer. Tamp it down and repeat the process until you have a solid layer of dust half an inch below the outline of your trench.

Setting the Stones

• 10

  Lay the stones in the pattern that you picked out. Try several stones before getting a set that fits the right way.

• 11

  Tap the stones with a mallet after they are set into position to create a tighter fit.

• 12

  Lay a level across rows of the flagstones to ensure that they are level and flush with one another. Lift stones up and add more stone dust underneath to fix level issues.

• 13

  Stand on top of the stones to make sure that they feel sturdy and that there is no rocking.

• 14

  Cut the stones to fit at the end of your path. To cut the stone draw a pencil line with a straight edge and then wet the stone down with a garden hose. Cut the stone with a circular saw equipped with a diamond blade. Continue to periodically wet the stone to keep the saw from overheating. Fit the last pieces in place to ensure a stable path.