April 29th, 2010 by admin

How To Lay a Flagstone Patio:

Laying flagstone patios in sand is not difficult, although the stone can be heavy and you should wear a back brace, gloves and goggles. The stone used for this flagstone patio project is 2” thick. Since the shape of this stone is irregular, laying a flagstone patio is like putting a puzzle together. The thickest, widest pieces will give you the most stability. I’m making the finished flagstone patio surface level to the ground in this project (one less thing to trip over!).

Stone Patio Supplies
Here are the supplies you’ll need:

* shovel
* rake
* landscape fabric
* sand
* large level
* long board
* enough paver stone to cover the area

A variety of paver stones can be found at most home supply retailers.
Preparing the Patio Surface
First, you need to prepare the area where you want your patio. You’ll want to dig approximately the thickness of the pavers you’re using. The area should be a few inches down from where you want the top of the stones to be.

Dig out any high spots and add extra dirt to fill holes. A rake can be used to smooth and flatten the area. Use the board and level to get the ground as even as possible.
Lay Out the Landscape Fabric
Now, lay out the landscape fabric. This is used to prevent grass and weeds from growing up through the stones. Cover the entire area with the fabric.

Spread some sand out on top of the landscape fabric. You are going to need about 1 inch of sand spread out evenly.
Set the Patio Stones
Lay the stone into the sand. Push it back and forth to settle it. The back and forth motion on the stone will settle it so that it can be leveled quite easily.

Lay the next brick about a 1/4 inch away from the first one. Use the same motion to level out the stones. Add or remove sand underneath the brick to raise or lower it to the correct level.
Fill in the Patio’s Edges and Cracks
Add extra dirt to fill in the edges. Spread extra sand in between the stones to fill the cracks. Sweep the excess sand and dirt away, being careful not to clear out the cracks.

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