If you’ve got a rich, lush garden in your yard, you know how important it is to keep everything pruned and taken care of. Many people enjoy thick gardenscapes that cover a large amount of their yard. But getting in there to care for your plants, without trampling over precious greenery, can be tricky.
Pave stones can easily remedy this challenge in a wonderfully attractive way. Whether you need a bit of walking space in your garden, you want to lay a nice deck, or you simply want a pleasant walkway through your yard, natural stone paving slabs are an excellent addition to your landscape.
Let’s take a look at a few different styles that are available:
Concrete
Concrete paver stones will offer long life and are quite sturdy. However, they are typically brick-shaped, requiring several of them to complete a deck or pathway. There may also be a limitation in available colors.
Brick
Brick pavers are equally sturdy, and may come in a larger variety of colors. But again, you may need to purchase several of them, depending on the size of your project.
Travertine
Travertine pavers are larger squares with a marbled appearance. They come in a variety of attractive colors, and easily cover more surface area than bricks. These are a great option for decks and broader walkways.
Wall Blocks
Wall blocks come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. They’re generally a bit thicker than bricks, so additional digging may be necessary to keep them even with your terrain.
Stepping Stones
If you’re looking to lay down a simple walkway through your yard or garden, classic stepping stones may be the best way to keep the project simple. They’re typically a bit larger than an adult’s feet, and they can be spaced either back-to-back or a few inches apart. Classic stepping stones are available in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and materials.
Now let’s review the process of adding pavers to your yard:
- Measure it out.
Decide exactly how much of your yard you will be covering with your pavers. Check the length and width of the materials you’ve chosen, and determine how many you need.
You want to be sure you’ve got enough stones to complete your project, without buying unnecessary material. At the same time, it’s also good practice to have a few extra in case a few of them break or you realize you needed more than anticiapted.
- Make room.
You need to dig up the area where you’re planning to place the stones, so that they’re even with the surface of your yard. Measure the depth of the stones you’ve chosen, and be sure to add extra depth if you’ve chosen to add sand or gravel as a base. Use appropriate tools to clear out the necessary space.
Watering your lawn/soil can assist with this task, making it easier to remove unwanted dirt. Be sure the space you’ve cleared out is even. Again, using sand or gravel can assist in leveling the surface, but be sure you account for that in measuring the depth.
- Lay your base.
Not all pavers need a base. For instance, if you’re laying a simple path through your yard, you may simply need to create enough space in your topsoil to lay the stepping stones.
But if you’re covering a broad area, you want to be sure you’ve laid the gravel and/or sand in an even manner. Doing so can prevent unwanted shifting, as the base will absorb extra moisture.
- Lay your stones.
Now that your yard is prepared, you can begin laying your pavers. Be sure you pay attention to the measurements you took earlier, so that you lay them correctly. If you’re using different sizes, or laying a deck, make sure you double-check your calculations to ensure they cover the surface area accurately.If you used a base, it may be advised to use a tamper and some hose water to even things out. This allows everything to “settle” into the topsoil, ensuring a level surface area to walk on.
Conclusion
Laying pavers can add utility, charm, and color to your yard and garden. Be sure you select top-quality products such as these if this is a project you’re looking into.
