A Guide to Your Garden Path Pavers

A gorgeous garden path is much more than a practical feature in your outdoor space. With a range of styles and paving materials available, a path brings so much character and visual interest to your home’s exterior. 

In this guide, we’ll delve into the different style options and paving types that you can use to create a stunning garden path. We’ll also provide instructions on how to lay a garden path, practical tips for cleaning garden path pavers, and more. So, if you think a pathway is the final touch your outdoor area needs, our expert advice can help.

Why Build a Garden Path?

A garden path provides a practical and safe way to cross your garden space in wet or frosty conditions, offering a surface with a strong grip. A path also protects your lawn. Heavy and frequent foot traffic can cause your lawn to become compacted, while strong and durable garden path pavers handle the pressure with ease.

On an aesthetic level, a garden path breaks up the lawn space or flowerbed area, bringing a contrast in texture and colour. This helps to make your garden even more beautiful and characterful.  

“Garden paths are a practical area of the outdoor space, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring! Paths can be installed to catch the eye, and not only lead people from A to B, but visually create a flow from one area to another. Various materials can be used to create a path, and those materials often can contrast or complement the materials being used in other areas of the garden. As well as using Paving Slabs, there are a multitude of different products including Cobble Setts, Stepping Stones, or maybe even loose gravel that can be used to create an aesthetically pleasing and practical feature of any garden.” – Andy McLaughlin, Sales and Operations Director.

Garden Path Design Ideas for Your Garden

There is a range of garden path styles and types to choose from, each offering its own practical and aesthetic benefits. Before choosing a garden path, consider the overall style of your garden.

For example, a straight garden path has a formal and smart look, ideal for a neat and uniform garden. However, we don’t recommend it in a smaller garden as it can make the space appear short and narrow.

A curved path, on the other hand, can make your garden appear larger. It also offers an elegant and fun style, which is wonderful for a cottage garden. A cobbled path is rustic and charming, while stepping stones are whimsical and popular in Japanese-style gardens.

Gravel paths are also a much-loved choice, offering fantastic drainage and grip. Why not create a combined path using gravel and garden path slabs for a stylish contrast in a modern garden?

What Materials to Use for Garden Path Slabs

We love natural stone garden path pavers for their durability and weather resistance. Whether you choose the natural grip of porous sandstone, the strength of granite, or the temperature-regulating properties of limestone, our natural stone pavers are perfect for a garden pathway. 

Porcelain garden path pavers are another superb option. Porcelain slabs also offer strength, durability and weather resistance without the need for a sealer. Our guide to porcelain paving can further explain the benefits of this material. 

How Wide Should a Garden Path Be?

The width of a garden path should never be less than 80cm to allow for comfortable single-file walking. However, if you wish for your path to be wheelchair accessible or suitable for walking in pairs, aim for a width of over 90cm. 

How Do You Lay a Garden Path?

To lay your garden path slabs, first measure the length and width needed, ensuring you have the correct number and size of pavers. 

Then, use pegs to mark out the pattern and width of your path. The steps that follow depend on the type of path you have decided to lay. Below, we will cover the steps for laying garden path pavers and the steps for laying a gravel path. For a stepping stone path, see our separate guide to laying stepping stones. 

How to Lay Garden Path Pavers

After measuring and marking out your garden path shape, follow these steps to lay garden path slabs: 

1. Dig the turf where the pavers will be placed to a depth of 150mm plus the depth of your garden path slabs.
2. Edge the area with treated timber boards.
3. Drive in treated pegs at 1.2m intervals, fixing these to the edging boards with external screws.
4. Ensure your pegs are level using a spirit level.
5. Add a 50mm layer of MOT Type 1 sub-base, then rake and compact.
6. Add another 50mm layer of sub-base and compact.
7. Lay 25mm of mortar where the first slab will go and level with a rake.
8. Dampen the underside of the first slab, lay it and tap it into place with a rubber mallet, ensuring it is level.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 as you go, ensuring a 10mm gap between slabs. 
10. Leave to set for 24 hours.
11. Fill gaps with grout.

How to Lay a Gravel Path

If you are instead creating a gravel path, follow these steps after measuring and marking:

1. Dig your turf to a depth of 100mm.
2. Install an edging of treated timber boards.
3. Drive in treated pegs at 1.2m intervals, fixing to edging boards with external screws.
4. Ensure your treated pegs are level using a spirit level.
5. Cut landscaping fabric to an appropriate size, allowing a 50mm overlap at either edge and a 150mm overlap at the ends.
6. Lay landscaping fabric.
7. Add a 50mm layer of MOT Type 1 sub-base, then rake and compact.
8. Add 25mm of decorative gravel, which you should rake and compact.
9. Ensure the edging is 25mm higher than the gravel surface.

How to Edge a Garden Path

Adding edging to a garden path defines the space, prevents plants and grass from encroaching on the pathway and keeps the path neat.

Select edgings that match your garden path pavers for a cohesive look that makes your path appear wider and more spacious, or choose edgings that contrast with the garden path slabs for a bold and eye-catching style. Pale-hued pavers against deep grey or even black edging can create a stylish and contemporary aesthetic. 

See our guide to garden edging for more inspiration, plus practical tips for laying smart and secure edges. 

How to Clean a Garden Path

Garden paths see a lot of foot traffic, meaning dirt from shoes will accumulate over time. Moss, weeds, weather markings, and more will also inevitably build up on outdoor paths.

Luckily, garden paths are easy to maintain with our guidance. Simply wash away dirt with a stiff brush and our stone cleaner or porcelain cleaner solution. For trickier cleaning, our paving aftercare guide can help, with expert hacks for managing moss, algae and more. 

Struggling with weeds popping up between your garden pathway pavers? Our weed removal guide can help, too.

Whether you choose porcelain pavers or natural stone slabs, we have high-quality garden path pavers for you at RF Paving, plus a beautiful selection of decorative aggregates if you prefer a gravel path. Buy your garden path paving supplies with us today and explore our blog to discover more expert paving and landscaping advice.