Do it Yourself - Krystal Gardens - Natural Stone Distributor and Wholesale Nursery

(Edging) (Patios & Paths) (Garden Walls)

EDGING

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Measure
Estimate
Get Ready
Installation

MEASURE

Determine the length of your edging area. For curved areas, use a hose or rope to mark off the space and then measure the total length of your measuring tool.

ESTIMATE

***When the length, width, and height of the edging material varies from stone to stone, the most effective way to determine the amount of material needed is to hand select and physically lay out stone prior to purchase. For cobblestones or other precut material, estimating is a little easier. You can use the following estimation chart as guide. Don't forget to estimate the other materials you may need such as sand.

Estimated Linear Foot Coverage Per Ton:

Ashlar 3-4" Rise 120-140	River Rock/Chalet 90-110
Ashlar 5-8" Rise 75-100	Small Building Stones 40-80
Cobblestone 4" Length 80-90	Cobblestone 12" Length 60-65
Cobblestone 9" Length 70-80

Tips:

Space between stones will affect coverage per ton.

A base of 2" of stone dust is recommended to promote drainage.
You will need about 15 lbs. of dust per linear foot at a 6" width.

GET READY

Materials & Tools:

Stone for Building

Stone Dust

Tape Measure

String Line and Marker Stakes or Hose

Wheelbarrow

Work Gloves and Safety Glasses

Pick and Shovel

Rubber Mallet

Carpenter's Level

Spade

Safety:

Since adding stone edging to your landscape involves repetitive lifting, you should consider wearing a back-support belt and practice safe lifting techniques. Work gloves will help protect your hands and safety glasses are recommended if you will be shaping your stone. Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described here or with any do it yourself project.

INSTALLATION

The following demonstrates the installation techniques for garden edging constructed without mortar. While edging can be mortared, many people prefer the flexibility of being able to move edging material as their gardens grow or change shape. Mortaring edging for patios, walkways, and driveways is a more complex project and will require additional labor, materials, and time. The following demonstrates the technique for installing edging material in an in-ground application without mortar. Many people choose to simply lay their edging material directly on the ground, therefore no installation is required.

(1) Prepare the site
If you are not working against an existing surface, establish the line of the edging by setting a string line or marking the area with a rope or hose. Remove all surface vegetation.

(2) Prepare the foundation
Dig a narrow trench about 4-6" deeper than the path, patio, or flower bed and wide enough to accommodate the width of the stone. The depth of the trench will depend on whether your edging material will be flush or raised with respect to the ground or landscape.

(3) Add the base material
While this is an optional step, a base material of 2" of stone dust is recommended to promote drainage and make placing and leveling the edging much easier. Dig your trench deep enough to accommodate this additional layer. Rake the dust flat and smooth.

(4) Set edging material
Work from one corner and against the string line. Make sure stones are solidly placed and do not wobble. If they do, remove stone and dig away a bit of the stone dust until the stones are flat and evenly spaced. If desired, use a carpenter's level as you work. Spacing between the stones is optional and can be filled in upon completion with sand, dirt, or plantings.

Patios & Paths

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Measure
Estimate
Get Ready
Installation

MEASURE

Determine the length and width of the finished space.

SELECT

Flagstones are a wonderful material for patios and paths - they're beautiful, durable, and can achieve a variety of effects, depending on whether pattern, irregular, or tumbled stone is used.

ESTIMATE

Estimating your stone needs is relatively simple, and we've provided some basic guidelines for the different types of flagstone available. Purchasing a few extra stones up to 1/4 ton more than you think you will need will save extra trips to Luck Stone and allow you to pick the best stones as you build. Extra pieces can always be used in another project or scattered around your garden as landscape accents. Don't forget to estimate other materials you may need such as stone dust.

For Irregular / Tumbled Flagstone, Calculate:

L ' x W ' = ___ Square Feet
___ Square Feet ÷ 100 Square Feet = ___ Tons Needed
Tip: Irregular and Tumbled Flagstones average 100 sq. ft. per ton; coverage will vary depending on product selected, joint size, and installation technique.

For Pattern Flagstone Estimations:

Simply determine the square foot coverage of your project. Pattern Flagstones are sold by the square foot and are available in different sized squares and rectangles.

Pattern Flagstone Sizes Available:

12" x 12" = 1.0 sq. ft.	18" x 24" = 3.0 sq. ft.
12" x 18" = 1.5 sq. ft.	18" x 30" = 3.75 sq. ft.
12" x 24" = 2.0 sq. ft.	18" x 36" = 4.5 sq. ft.
12" x 30" = 2.5 sq. ft.	24" x 24" = 4.0 sq. ft.
12" x 36" = 3.0 sq. ft.	24" x 30" = 5.0 sq. ft.
18" x 18" = 2.25 sq. ft.	24" x 36" = 6.0 sq. ft.

Tip: Sketch out your project on graph paper first to design the pattern of your patio or walkway and then determine the different sizes of flagstone you will need.

For Base Material Estimations, Calculate:

L ' x W ' = ___ Square Feet
___ Square Feet ÷ Coverage Per Ton = ___ Tons Needed

Square Foot Coverage Per Ton:

1" Deep 218

2" Deep 108

3" Deep 72

4" Deep 54

5" Deep 43

6" Deep 36

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Materials & Tools:

Flagstone

Clean Crushed Stone

Stone Dust

4" x 4" Treated Lumber or Other Edging Material

Hand Tamper or Tamping Machine

Weed-Proof Fabric

Safety:

Since building a patio or walkway involves repetitive lifting, please consider wearing a back-support belt and practice safe lifting techniques. Work gloves will help protect your hands, and safety glasses are recommended if you will be shaping the stone. You will be on your knees a lot while placing the stone; knee pads or a kneeling pad is recommended. Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described here or with any do it yourself project.

INSTALLATION

The following demonstrates how to install a patio or garden path without mortar. Unless you are planning a very elaborate patio design or want a mortared surface, you probably will not need to hire an outside contractor. Mortared patios are laid in a mortar bed on top of a concrete pad and require more advanced installation techniques and time to complete.

(1) Prepare the site and foundation
Use stakes and string, rope, or hose to mark the desired size and shape of your patio. Excavate the surface vegetation and soil and then remove 8-10" of soil in the designated area, taking care not to hit any underground lines. You may need to install drainage or grade your area so that runoff will not collect where it will cause problems - against a house foundation, for example. If drainage or runoff may be a problem, consider consulting with a landscape contractor or architect.

(2) Form the edges of the patio
Use sturdy edging material, such as cobblestones or 4" x 4" treated and predrilled lumber, secured with rebar. For irregular or curved areas, use heavy vinyl or aluminum edging. Refer to Luck Stone's Edging Brochure for more information on installing edging materials.

(3) Add the sub-base
For increased drainage and reduced settlement, add a 3-4" layer of clean crushed stone. Tamp firmly. Check with local county codes for sub-base requirements or recommendations. As an optional step to help prevent weed growth, lay down weed-proof plastic. Puncture it every foot or so to assist with drainage.

(4) Line the excavation with damp stone dust
Place 1-2" of stone dust in the area. Wet and tamp the dust as you go to within 1" of the top of the border material.

(5) Set the stones
Start laying the stone beginning at one corner, along the side of the edging, and then work evenly across the patio. Vary the size of the joints between stones to accommodate the variance in the stone pieces. Try not to slide the stones onto the stone dust - you'll displace the dust from the bed and trap it between the stones. Lightly tap each stone into place with a rubber mallet. Level stone by adding or taking away stone dust to adjust height and use a carpenter's level often to check whether the stone is level. Keep joints close and fairly uniform for a like appearance.

(6) Fill joints
Finish by sweeping stone dust into joints and wetting them down. Repeat the process several times until the dust is completely settled and about 1/4 inch below the tops of the stone. Leave edging in place for a border and mowing edge.

Garden Wall

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Measure
Estimate
Get Ready
Installation

MEASURE

Determine the length, width and height of your wall. You can either measure the space or make a drawing of the project and calculate from the drawing.

SELECT

There are several different products that can be used to build a garden wall. The finished look you want to achieve will help determine what product you should select.

ESTIMATE

Estimating your stone needs is relatively simple and we've provided some basic guidelines for garden walls.

Calculate:

L ' x W ' x H ' = __Cubic Feet
__ Cubic Feet x 125 lbs.* = __ lbs. Needed
*Stone averages 125 lbs. per cubic foot.
__ lbs. Needed ÷ 2,000 lbs. = __ Tons Needed

Tips:

On average, 1 ton of material will construct a wall 1' wide, 1' high, and 14-18' long.

A base of 2-4" of stone dust is recommended to promote drainage. You will need about 25-28 lbs. of dust per linear foot.

GET READY

Materials & Tools:

Stone for Building

Stone Dust

Tape Measure

String Line and Marker Stakes, Rope or Hose

Wheelbarrow

Work Gloves and Safety Glasses

Pick and Shovel

Rubber Mallet

Tamper or Vibra-Plate Compactor (available from a rental store)

Carpenter's Level

Safety:

Since building a stone wall involves repetitive lifting, you should consider wearing a back-support belt and practice safe lifting techniques. Work gloves will help protect your hands and safety glasses are recommended if you will be shaping your stone. Always use caution, care, and good judgment when following the procedures described here or with any do it yourself project.

INSTALLATION

The following demonstrates the installation techniques for a retaining garden wall constructed without mortar. While walls can be mortared, a traditional drystack stone wall requires no mortar or footings as long as the wall is less than 3 feet high. Stone walls more than 3 feet high may require special construction techniques and permits and are best left to an experienced stone mason.

(1) Prepare the site and foundation
Use a string line, rope or hose to layout the wall location and mark with chalk, sand, or marking paint. Remove and discard all the surface vegetation and dig a trench about 6-8" deep and level the ground about 18" wide or 4-6" wider than your largest stone. The base of the wall should be 1.5 times wider than the height. Stockpile the excavated soil nearby and set aside small stones as you unearth them. You can later use these pieces as part of the backfill. If building against an existing bank, remove the soil to 4 inches behind where your wall will stand and sculpt the bank so that the foundation for the wall pitches backward, toward the slope.

(2) Add the base material
While this is an optional step, a base material of crushed stone and/or stone dust is recommended to promote drainage and help with placement of the first course. Stone dust will also be used throughout the project for backfill and leveling. Two to four inches of base material should be placed and compacted with a hand tamper or a mechanical vibratory plate compactor. Check for level. If you are adding a drainage system, it should be installed before building the wall.

(3) Lay the first course
Select the largest and flattest stones and lay them in the trench to create a sturdy foundation. Position the stones with the flat side upward. Adjust the stones in the dust to mold them into place, and use small shim stones to stabilize wobbly edges. Fit the base stones together as tightly as possible end to end, especially near the ends of the wall. You can stack stones of varying thickness in the middle sections of the wall, but use your largest, bulkiest stones at ends or corners. Set aside additional flat pieces for wall capping. Before laying the next course, fill the area behind the first course and in every crevice with stone dust and small stones. The stability of your wall depends largely on the stability of the base course. Check for level from front to back and from side to side. Irregularities in the base become bigger as the wall stacks up. Minor adjustments may be made with a rubber mallet or shim stones.

(4) Work your way up
Always begin at edges or corners and orient a flat edge facing out and a flat surface facing up. Fill large gaps left between stones with small pieces of stone to help prevent soil from washing out beneath the wall. Continue laying stones on top of each other, using a variety of small and large stones to break up continuous horizontal and vertical joints. As in brickwork, the principle of overlap is important. As you work, be sure that the vertical joints are staggered; there should always be an overlap with the stone above and the one below. Keep in mind the stone mason's basic rule, "one stone over two, two over one." Each stone should be laid so that it will stay in place without mortar. Always check for level and fill gaps as you go. To adjust the stones' angles or position, add or remove stone dust or shim stones.

(5) Add remaining courses and backfill
As you proceed, batter or slightly slope the wall back toward high ground so that the stone tilts inward about 2" for every 12" in height. Every other course, turn a long "bond" stone into the compacted soil to act as an anchor. Place small flat rocks underneath unsteady stones. Periodically check the batter of the wall and examine the composition that is emerging as the stones are placed together. If a section doesn't look right, take it down and restack it. You don't need to stop and add backfill as you lay each course, but do pack stone dust and small stones behind the wall after each 6 to 8" gain in height. If you wait until you are almost finished to backfill, it will be difficult to pack the dust and soil in firmly and you may end up with weak areas behind your wall.

(6) Finish the top
When finished, use flat pieces to cap the wall off on top. Like the base stones, the stones you use for the top of your wall should fit together tightly end to end and be broad enough to completely cover the top of the wall from front to back. Be flexible.

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