How You Can Install A Backyard Walkway With Precast Paving Stones

Using precast paving stone as a paving material in your landscaping can give visual interest to your yard without a great deal of work. With the right process and materials, you can install paving stones to build a walkway that will look great and last many years. Here are the instructions to help you complete this project.

Mark and Excavate the Walkway

First, determine the location in your yard where you want to install your paving walkway. To outline the border of where you want to build the walkway, you only need a sack of flour and a scoop to mark it. Scoop up the flour and sprinkle it onto the soil or grass to mark where you will dig the foundation for your walkway. If you make a mistake, flour is easily swept away so you can pour a new line and it won't harm your vegetation, and with flour you can easily mark straight or curvy lines.

Now you can excavate the area where you will be installing your walkway. Measure the height of your pre-selected paving stones, then add five inches to figure out how deep you will need to excavate into the soil. Use a bobcat or other earth moving machinery to excavate larger areas, or you can do the digging by hand with a shovel for a smaller area. 

Install the Walkway Foundation

Pour a three inch layer of crushed gravel, which will provide a compacted and interlocking layer when you compact the gravel with a compacting machine. You can also use a hand tamp to press the gravel together. As the gravel becomes compressed, the sharp crushed edges of the gravel "grip" one another to create a strong base. 

Next, spread a layer of landscaping fabric over the top of the gravel. This fabric layer will prevent weed and vegetation growth from coming up through your paving stones and also keep the paving stones from settling unevenly over time. Overlap the landscape fabric over the edge of the gravel and secure its edges into the surrounding soil with evenly spaced landscape fabric stakes.

Pour a layer of sand two inches deep over the landscape fabric and smooth its surface. Arrange the paving stones in your choice of pattern onto the layer of sand. When you have the paving stones set to your preference, shovel additional sand onto the pavers. Use a broom to sweep the sand across the surface of the pavers until the sand settles into the gaps between each of the paving stones. Continue adding sand and sweeping the sand until the cracks between the paving stones have been filled with sand.

Now you can enjoy your newly-installed precast paving stone walkway. For more information, contact local professionals like Harristone Pre-Cast - Merrillstone Natural Stone Products - G. S. Harris Co., Inc.

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