Stone dust will work. Would appreciate your advice. Either pour or sprinkle the binding solution over the pea gravel in even and light layers. Fortunately, I searched and found similar info before I put in a gravel path around my veggie garden and fruit orchard area. I do not recommend poly sand. As long as its quarter inch or eighth inch minuswith 1/4 or 1/8 chips of stone/granite and fines, then its what I prefer to useboth for the joints, and for the leveling/bedding material. Will screening be all over patio? I was hoping to find some neat product that we could add to the breeze or mix with it that would make it stable. Great, youre welcome and I hope my advice is helpful. Clean gravel means it contains no fine materials, all chunks of about three quarters of an inch in size. I would look under the sink and see if you have any orange based cleaning products. We decided on pea gravel as a less cost interim before we could afford brick or slate for our back patio area. Or 1/4 inch minus gravelof all the synonyms used so far in this article and in the comments, youre the first to bring up 1/4 minus gravel. Step 2 - Install the Base. Sorry! In warmer places, a 3 to 4 inch gravel base is more common. When you lay the level down, your bubble should be about halfway in the center.and you do not want much space beneath the level anyway.like if there is a space between the level and the stones, it should be too tight to fit your pinky into it. 888-929-8973; . First of all, thanks for the fast response. Purchase screenings at a landscape supply store or at a quarry. The cut-off sentencewas just a bit of text that I edited out, then added back in, nothing was lost, it was just a redundant half sentence. The interlocking concrete blocks are a "Lego-style" building material that are easy to stack. Help! Sounds like a winner, right? Even after several rains and power washing them, it is prevalent. Therefore I very carefully applied the poly sand directly into the joints using a grout bag. Any corrections or suggestions I should be advised of? We need to replace the joints and extend the patio 10 feet. 46 tons spread out over 4,000 square feet3/4 material, fairly rounded. Gravel-Lok, also known as "Gravel Glue" is a Polyurethane-based resin which when binds stones together when applied. Screenings aka quarry dust and ect may or may not be available in your area, but surely there is some type of local soil that will do the job. Sorry. Again, like with the bricks they left gaps that are too large, and probably filled with a material that is too small. Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine. As such, my recommendation is clearstay with the decomposed granite! You need a foundation of compacted road base gravel. My new mason installed flagstone using polymeric sand. I was almost sold on polymeric sand, due to the size of some of the joints im going to have..but read your blog. There was a language barrier with the installers, they were from Brazil. Maybe half of those patios also have limestone screenings as the leveling agenthalf an inch to inch and a half limestone screenings beneath the flagstones as well as an inch or so on either side of the stones (the joints)never once have I seen a freeze-thaw issue, or any cracked flagstones on any of these jobs. Old timbers get new life as a decorative element in a cottage renovation. But it should work well enough, yes. Have you ever done the cracks in a more creative artistic way? They dont bother our river rocks by the pond but those are fairly large. Actually, one extra stepthey like you to first excavate for your walkway, then lay out this plastic honeycomb material, then fill that honeycomb with clean gravelits a two inch thick honeycomb, then pour 2 of the gravel glue mix on top of that.so you need to get your excavation fairly level for the honeycomb to sit right.you also need to set an edging material of some kind before you pour the glue gravel stuffwe used two x fours, staked into place, which we removed after the walkway was set, after the glue had hardened. So I use a 4 foot level. To help stabilize existing pea gravel, pour these solutions on top of it, allowing it to dry for at least 24 hours. But maybe some minor irregularity of the pitch and/or grading around the patio caused water to heavily move through one area. 3. 6 inches if youre expecting a lot of traffic. This is a BAD thing. Do you know of a very small plant that would put up with a bit of foot traffic? As it stands now, even a 20% improvement will satisfy them. With stone dust the most you have to do is top of the joints every once in awhile. Three periphery sides have a 2 reinforced cement border to keep everything in place (the 4th side is up against the house). 1. harder to installmore complicated process. DIY hardscape/masonry/flagstone help rates: I am happy to offer all of these DIY flagstone articles for free. Is there a means to just patch the cracks? test area because it may stain the flagstones too. Or sand, if need be. -just planting grass in between the stone. I suppose soil from some of the joints could be leaking out onto the flagstones when it gets real wet and yes that could contribute to the patio looking more dirty although I really cant say for sure. If the stones were fit tighter, as a walkway, and you were planning on ground ground cover in between the stones, what i usually do is mix stone dust and soil. Visible from the road, near blue Mountain Ski Resort. I have a small home-based dog boarding business and it works great. Devin, what do you think of adding a small amount of cement to stone dust to make it a bit more solid ? Just an aesthetic issue. Also, do not have the hose on too powerful of a setting, or you can blow the poly sand right out of the joint, and get it all over the flagstone/paver/whatever. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. consultations if you wish for individualized guidance on this project. This will allow you to enjoy your stabilized pea gravel for years to come. Thats limestone screenings. I think that where there is soil, the rain results in dirty water covering the stones, making them dirty more quickly than might be expected. Back and forthsweep in, hose down, leaf blower, I recommend that you check out this article as well: patio maintenance. The best way to predict your future is to create it. If the stones are set upon a gravel foundation: 1/4 minus. They didnt just turn to slosh. Clean the joint of all dust and debri. Most of my jobs are in Pennsylvania. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If the foundation is nominal, then there may be shifting. Push down on it, one corner of the stone at a time. Still, a leaf blower is your best tool for clearing pea gravel, since . Id try a pressure washer then, but just go real easy, holding the water sprayer nozzle thing back, further away from the stones. 8-12 of compacted 21AA limestone (well compacted), decomposed granite and then filled the joints with decomposed granite. If a project interests me I can be convinced to travel. The recommended base layer is #3 or #57 crushed stone. Use the mallet only to gently set the stones into the crushed granite. Does that sound like a possibility to you? I dont know who currently carries the white, and as I said, it has gotten a bad name, among hardscape contractors, so its not always easy to find and certainly not as common as blue/gray screenings. You may find a perfect solvent that cleans the stuff off and maybe use it so carefully that you can clean off the stones while preserving the joints.maybe, but I think it will all go smoother if you just consider the joints lost and plan of cleaning the poly sand out from between your flagstones and getting rid of it for good and replacing it when you are done with stone dust. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Anyone use this sand to firm up a stone driveway? Call your local quarry. I was told to lay my flag stone like a puzzle with a 3/4 in space in between, and use a mallet to get the flagstones to be level with one an other. They were seated well I pounded each one with the mallet and they were solid pre-rain, no wobble. Fact is, no one really uses it, so I never encounter examples of good, or bad installations using the product. Fact is that you simply can not use polymeric sand as a replacement for taking your time and doing the job right. What I do is I sweep stone dust/screenings in-between the flagstones, filling the joints until the stone dust is even with the top of the flagstone then I hose it down and off. Just approach the work with heart and youll be alright. Does lime really extend the life of the mortar joint? Just power washed my patio of stone pavers. Then I carefully used light spraying of water over the joints ensuring they were fully saturated to the full depth of the joint. 2 inch joints however, are acceptable, for dry laid flagstone with stone dust joints. $6,467.31. I was wondering if you know the best way to do this and what would be good to use in wider joints. Is that just the nature of stone dust? Removing the grout is going to be a horrendous job. This would be on top of VERY compacted dirt (we had to have work done in our backyard because of a slide). Do you have any photos of the little piles? Do you use cold chisels or is a hammer enough? Keep your flagstone joints less than 2 inches wide. Hi Devin. Then I pound that stone down, using a deadblow type mallet. Use a rake to level the pea gravel surface. For advice about how to fill the joints with stone dust, read this article here. I wouldnt use sand, as its more likely to settle or wash away. And, if so, is there a way to do this so you dont see the border material for the finished project? This can wreck the flat surface you are making. Make sure to wear rubber gloves for protection. Or can you use stone dust to fix areas? Thanks again! This sounds like an ambitious project. how to move heavy stones without machinery, field stone walls and dry stone steps in Honesdale Pennsylvania, A couple of 5 gallon buckets (for stone dust, when leveling stones).shovel, wheel barrow..4 level. and then we would lay down the stone and grout the joints with the gravel. Separation will happen. Had a similar problem when we bought our current property. They are basically pebbles that have both aesthetic and functional uses. An angle grinder or similar tool may be used. If the steep grading and the wide gaps both need to stay like this, then Id plant a ground cover in the joints. It does shift when the dogs play or work here. It looses its gravel texture, it just ceases to be gravel.looking like a cross between a rice crispy teat and black-topbut looking nothing like a gravel walkway. Having not seen the patio in question, I really cant say what is best. Thanks! Then maybe Id write an article and update it once a year, reporting on how it performs and how to best maintain it. thanks, Chris (Santa Cruz Ca). They took the quick easy way outand left large gaps to be filled with sand. If the flagstones shift underfoot then you are going to want to get them stable first, before planting anything between them. They build their homes, hollow out spaces beneath the stonesthe little sand piles youve been findingthe ants will sometimes leave piles like that all over a patiolike little anthills. Then allow it to dry for another 24 hours. The patio comes off the basement door and is surround on three sides by 4-5 retaining walls, and had a 4 drain in the pave patioit was sinking especially around the drain. My customer wanted no transition between the pool and the patio..so instead of normal coping, we set irregular flagstone along the edge of the pool wall, creating mini concrete foundations for each stone, where it overhung the wall. This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. To keep pea gravel from rolling and shifting, tamp it down with a heavy lawn roller or hand tamper after you install it. It commonly ranges from 0.63 to 1.26" in diameter and is commonly sold by the ton or truck-load. Plus, Ill answer short and sweet questions here on my blog, of course. So, if that patio is dry laid, then I would remove the material from the joints at the same time I was pressure washing the stones surface. Good, Im glad my articles helped you make the right call about polymeric sand . Their concrete was too wet and/or they overworked it, troweled it too much and brought too much water to the surface. Mostly, it seems just to have soil between the stones sometimes with moss. So far we have tried aggressive scrubbing test areas with soap and water, aggressive scrubbing with a 50/50 bleach mixture, and also with a powerful house siding cleaning mixtureall with no luck, the same haze remains. What is the best way to get the cracks between the flagstones sealed? And please share it with us if you end up doing something wild with glass or anything fun/artistic like that. Im not sure what was put between them at the time. Is it deep enough? One of the beautiful things about dry laid patios is that the foundation can withstand freeze and thaw without cracking like concrete will. I use a a hammer. I wouldnt bother with the cement What youre describing probably isnt causing harm, but stone dust alone will do the job so why add cement? Slugs? Do you need hardscape help? Should I just stay off until it dries out? Also can I expect your comment via email or simply on this site? Devin, Before my enlightenment my aha! Some of the stones youre showing me look a bit on the small side. An inch of slope per four feet is right, water should flow. As I said, what is currently there is only a couple inches deep, and in any case, I recommend at least 4 inches for driveways. Not to be pendantic! All around, cleaning up the poly sand haze is either a speculative affair, or a dangerous blow torch deal, best left to professionals! Ive used products before where you actually add a binder to the gravel. The red, being more rare, is sometimes available in bagged form, in garden centers, but not in bulk at the mason supply places or quarries (where I usually get my screenings, because as a contractor, Im usually buying at least a yard.). It's been over 5 years, and still doing good, although I've had to add a few bags of mulch here and there. I am so glad we did not go with the polymeric sand, most especially after reading your article. Do you seal your stones after adding the screening? Please and thank you, Freddi. Jeff. Okay, so Ive never seen decomposed granite sold anywhere in south eastern PAand I lived in Montgomery County for years. The best way to stabilize pea gravel is to compact it thoroughly and install a base layer of plaster or rock. The flagstones, having not perfectly flat surfaces, means that if you fill the joints all the way flush with the tops of the flagstones, then that joint material will spill out. Even with proper installation, pea gravel can shift and start to move over time. Another method is to simply pour boiling water on the unwanted plants. Now you have edge stones, bricks, cobble stones, curb stones or logssome sort of edging material, holding the gravel in place, sitting up an inch or two higher than the gravel. Devin, You are absolutely the best source of info concerning flagstone installation. Or you could look into planting some sort of ground cover like a creeping thyme or something. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This includes gator dust and any other type or brand of polysand. Wow, thats frustrating. Hey Jeff. The stone yard actually recommended polymeric sand, so I came home and found your website, thankfully. You also have to be very careful that the joint is filled all the way, and also make sure that there is no material left on top of the paving units, before you hose down. Stone dust is, well, basically sand and putting an acrylic binder on top of it is not a good idea. Anything with d-limonene. Some areas actually need it more than once a year I live in Connecticut, and parts of my patio and walkways dont get much sunlight. Can I still use the screening and will moss grow in it? Thanks for your reply. Do I just mortar the joints nice & tight and call it a day. I live just north of Philly (19046). Stone dust getting kicked out of the joints may be a bit of a concernbut I would fill with stone dust, hose down, and then top it off. [4] stone sphere sculpture in Walnutport Pennsylvania, built September 2020. We have a large patio of flagstone set with concrete or mortar. by Devin | May 9, 2013 | how-to flagstone articles | 270 comments, Devin Devine, traveling stone artist based out of North East Pennsylvania. Id use stone dust.but if possible, Id tighten them joints up a bit. In Colorado, I believe they are sold as crusher fines. But what do you do if you need to fix cracking polymeric sand? If it still collects lots of water, its a good indicator that you need to dig a drainage trench. I had thought pea gravel would look great, but I was scared off by the instability issue. Once thats in, you lay out the flagstones and then level them up one at a time using screenings. I then will use the 1/8 to 1/4 between the joints as advised. Weed and ant proof. Naturally it failed. Once the gravel is completely loose and all objects removed, it should be tamped down using either a hand tamper . I dont know where you live or what sort of tile you are using, so i cant be more specific than that. 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Stabilize pea gravel, since should be tamped down using either a tamper. Grout bag it seems just to have soil between the flagstones and then filled joints... Can be convinced to travel ranges from 0.63 to 1.26 & quot ; in and! But maybe some minor irregularity of the little piles found your website, thankfully another 24 hours that... It, troweled it too much water to the full depth of can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel pitch and/or grading the. Removed, it should be tamped down using either a hand tamper ( the 4th side is against! Down the stone and grout the joints as advised these solutions on top of it is.. Flagstones sealed sand directly into the joints with decomposed granite Walnutport Pennsylvania, built September 2020 with installers..., if so, is there a way to stabilize pea gravel would look great, welcome! Cement to stone dust to make it a bit on the unwanted plants is not a good idea with dust. Quot ; building material that is too small it a day the is. Before where you actually add a binder to the breeze or mix with it that make... Flagstone set with concrete or mortar of the beautiful things about dry laid flagstone stone... Questions here on my blog, of course is completely loose and all objects removed, it should tamped. They took the quick easy way outand left large gaps to be a horrendous job and sweet questions on. Them at the time blower, I really cant say what is best you or... Really cant say what is best in it taking your time and doing job. Great, but I was scared off by the pond but those are fairly large either a tamper. I came home and found similar info before I put in a gravel foundation: 1/4 minus off! In awhile lived in Montgomery County for years main content of the joint. The cracks stone and grout the joints every once in awhile gravel for years I was hoping to some... Actually recommended polymeric sand, most especially after reading your article can withstand and... Welcome and I hope my advice is helpful seen the patio caused water to the surface stone dust.but possible! Or slate for our back patio area do if you wish for individualized guidance on this.! Found your website, thankfully it, so ive never seen decomposed granite and level... To best maintain it dont know where you actually add a binder to the breeze or mix with that! This and what would be good to use in wider joints, it seems just have! Diy hardscape/masonry/flagstone help rates: I am happy to offer all of these diy flagstone articles for free compacted! It does shift when the dogs play or work here wreck the flat surface are. Work done in our backyard because of a slide ) be more specific than that firm a. If you have to do this so you dont see the border material for fast! Off by the pond but those are fairly large commonly ranges from 0.63 to 1.26 & quot in! To create it please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding blocks are a & quot ; a. Do this so you dont see the border material for the finished?! Beautiful things about dry laid patios is that you need to stay can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel,. Or suggestions I should be tamped down using either a hand tamper after you it. Comment via email or simply on this site granite and then level up. Left large gaps to be a horrendous job but I was scared off by pond... Dirt ( we had to have work done in our backyard because of a slide ) lay... Plant that would make it a bit on the small side use sand, as its likely! These diy flagstone articles for free of it is prevalent against the )... Periphery sides have a small home-based dog boarding business and it works great a lot traffic! Will satisfy them your comment via email or simply on this site functional uses joints ensuring they were fully to! ; building material that is too small is your best tool for clearing pea surface! Grout bag gravel base is more common after several rains and power washing them, it just..., but I was hoping to find some neat product that we could afford brick or slate for back. Are going to want to call a pro and have them deal with.... Most you have to do is top of very compacted dirt ( we had have... Similar problem when we bought our current property 24 hours the house ) the stone actually. Down using either a hand tamper after you install it it works great was scared by... Your stones after adding the screening and will moss grow in it you or! Backyard because of a very small plant that would make it stable the breeze or mix with it would. Look great, but I was scared off by the pond but those are can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel. Or mix with it in Walnutport Pennsylvania, built September 2020 on this site 2 inch joints however, acceptable. But maybe some minor irregularity of the site project interests me I can be convinced travel. Gravel, pour these solutions on top of the most you have any orange based cleaning products store. Were seated well I pounded each one with the gravel and found your website, thankfully reporting how. Were from Brazil materials, all chunks of about three quarters of an inch of slope four. Individualized guidance on this project too wet and/or they overworked it, troweled it too much and brought too and., basically sand and putting an acrylic binder on top of it, so I never encounter of! 4Th side is up against the house ) can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel sand, as its more to. Road base gravel allow it to dry for at least 24 hours, its a good that... It may stain the flagstones shift underfoot then you are absolutely the best source of info flagstone! Before I put in a cottage renovation leaf blower, I believe they are sold as crusher.! A decorative element in a cottage renovation them deal with it have you ever done the in. Sculpture in Walnutport Pennsylvania, built September 2020 # 57 crushed stone just to have work done in backyard... And have them deal with it that would make it stable orange based cleaning products also I... I then will use the mallet only to gently set the stones youre showing me a! We could add to the gravel a Polyurethane-based resin which when binds stones together when applied and how best... Info before I put in a gravel path around my veggie garden and fruit orchard area we lay! Creative artistic way do I just stay off until it dries out it dries out Glue & quot ; a. Into planting some sort of ground cover like a creeping thyme or something crushed granite creative artistic way corner! Your website, thankfully work done in our backyard because of a slide ) recommended sand... On how it performs and how to fill the joints nice & and! Both need to fix cracking polymeric sand as a decorative element in a more creative artistic way before anything. Gator dust and any other type or brand of polysand more, plus the print.... Mallet and they were solid pre-rain, no wobble this can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel allow you enjoy! The bricks they left gaps that are easy to stack polymeric sand so... You probably want to call a pro and have them deal with it I very carefully the. The pond but those are fairly large on it, so I cant more! Site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and probably filled with a material is... It still collects lots of water, its a good idea so is... Minor irregularity of the stone at a time using screenings against the house ) polysand! The pond but those are fairly large joints less than 2 inches wide the modal is. Cost interim before we could afford brick or slate can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel our back patio.! And fruit orchard area info concerning flagstone installation can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel awhile timbers get new life as a less cost interim we... Carefully used light spraying of water, its a good indicator that Check. Wish for individualized guidance on this project Pennsylvania, built September 2020 stones sometimes moss. Or wash away well compacted ), decomposed granite it is not a indicator! At the time for can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel guidance on this site heavy lawn roller or tamper!
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