We stock all sorts of different paving stones and slabs. One of the more intricate paving projects is a stepping stone project, which delicately balances the elegance and aesthetics of a landscaping project with a practical walkway around your garden.
Combine both of these features in an effective way, and you’ll create a long-lasting and unique garden feature that’s sure to complement the rest of your property. In today’s blog post, we’ll show you how to put stepping stones in your garden with minimal fuss and maximum impact. You’ll learn exactly which steps to avoid (no pun intended) and the best places to lay your new stepping stones.
For all your paving and stylish stone needs, our RV Paving team can help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
What Are Stepping Stones?
Stepping stones are used to create a natural walkway in your garden. They’re a less intrusive, gentler alternative to fully paved walkways, and they can make your garden feel much bigger instead of smaller. You can use just about any type of stone to create stepping stones, and there’s no real limit to the design you can incorporate.
They’re also a cheaper alternative to full paths and, since they’re so easy to lay, they’re a simpler DIY paving solution. Follow these straightforward, easy-to-apply stages, and you’ll have a beautiful and quaint set of stepping stones that required little time and even less stress.
Plan Your Path
Don’t grab your shovel or your tools just yet! Before you dig anything up, it pays to plan your project, even if it isn’t really detailed. Walk the path as you expect to once it’s completed, taking note of where you make contact during each stride. These are the best places to place your stones, and now you’ll know how many you should be placing.
Lay down your flagstones and walk across them again, tweaking their position until you’re happy that they’re in the correct place. Try getting a few different people to walk across the path, and settle on a spacing that suits everybody.
It always looks tidier when the stones are the same distance apart. Bear in mind that, if your path is curved, they’ll need to be tight on the inside curve.
Remove the Turf
Cut around the shape of the stone with a turf edger, leaving a perfect imprint of the stone in the grass. Move the stones and then remove the turf without ripping into the grass surrounding your path.
Note that these instructions are strictly for stepping stones that are placed on grass walkways. If your stepping stones are over gravel, then you’ll need to follow a different set of instructions entirely.
Dig a hole to the depth of your stepping stone, adding an additional 2cm.
Fill the Holes and Place the Stones
Next up, mix your mortar (three parts sand with one part cement) with enough water so that the mortar begins to stick to your spade. Fill the hole with a flat, evenly-coated, 2cm deep layer of mortar.
Then, fill the hole with the stepping stone! This should slot in perfectly, and make sure that the stone makes a good connection with the mortar below. Grab a piece of string to double-check that the stone is sitting below the rest of the turf. It doesn’t need to be too deep in the hole, but it should be deep enough that there won’t be any issues when you’re cutting the grass.
Use a mallet to tap each corner of the stone and ensure that it’s sitting flush.
Finishing Up
And that’s pretty much all there is to it! To finish the job, fill in any gaps with loose soil, and press the soil into place so that the spaces around the edges of the stone are gone.
Allow 24 hours for the mortar to try, then tidy the area and enjoy your new stepping stone pathway.
Stepping Stones with RF Paving
There’s no paving project that our team hasn’t seen before, and there’s not a lot we don’t know about garden landscaping projects either. Whatever project you have in mind, and whatever you need for your new stepping stone feature, we can help.
Contact us today to find out what colour, style, and design of stepping stone we can provide you with. Our friendly team are always happy to answer your questions, point you in the right direction, and assist you with all of the expert advice and information you need.