Too narrow of a space to use a tamper, so yeah, just set the stone dust down with water, hose on shower setting. Assuming that the foundation is gravel. If you wanted to email me photos, then I could do some research, and then I could advise you. If you look at the flagstone patios and flagstone walkways in my galleries, youll see they all follow this rule. I think I read up above that one shouldnt have to pressure wash flagstone patios very often I think you mentioned once every 10 years. Wow, thats frustrating. Dig, then tamp, then lay roadbase gravel (3/4 minus). A pea gravel patio can be surprisingly difficult to keep maintained and repaired. Can I buy just the acrylic binder that I can use to make a polysand to pack areas most prone to erosion, like the fronts of the stair sections or areas that get hit most with rain wash? Thanks for your help, George. Some of the stones now have a haze on them. but no sand. Thank you for your devotion to this subject. Patio is sloped but not very much. Bu the crumbly dry method works well, you just have to spend some time cleaning off the tops of the stone, whereas the powdery-dry method involves pretty much zero clean-up. https://www.devineescapes.com/how-to-clean-dry-laid-flagstone/%, Third heading down, How to install stone dust in between your flagstones, Basically, sweep the stone dust into the joints, sweep up the excess, hose down on shower setting, repeat. Even less worried about it, if your area does not freeze during the winter. 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. Removing the grout is going to be a horrendous job. My plan was to go with a fairly tight joint for the whole patio but then get even tighter for the 5 feet or so immediately close to the pool.in the end, I think the entire patio got a half inch joint, maybe more like three eighths to a quarter inch, for the few feet closest to the pool, but no major difference, just a smidge tighter right by the pool. It depends on where you live. Does this sound like an acceptable solution? Heres an application that is somewhat unique, and problematic so far. Portland cement should not be used. You need a foundation of compacted road base gravel. Podcast 529: Members-only AftershowHow Good is Good Enough? Only now did I realize that I neglect to answer. In short: sweep the stone dust into the joints, hose down. Will stone dust/decomposed granite work in both/either area? So you found out about the ants! Thank you and good luck . When using pea gravel for a hard surface patio or similar area, you need to use a binding solution. Ive seen many walkways made with only stone dust/decomposed granite. Like all new things, it takes a minute before you realize the long term results. Theres some way to clean the stuff of your flagstones! The material beneath the flagstone may settle. My paver patio, installed by a previous owner, had no base at all. SHORT ANSWER: get some stone dust aka screenings. 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.). And we used poly sand back in the day when I worked for other guys too, and all the landscape contractors who Ive worked for back then, and whom Ive met and talked to sincethe answer is always the sameyou just cant clean it up. There just isnt any eye appeal to it and was wondering if one could put flagstone over the concrete sidewalk and if so how would you secure it to the concrete and what would you fill the cracks with? Read that againstone dust settling down in-between flagstone is a GOOD thing. This includes gator dust and any other type or brand of polysand. Should be fine. The gravel was solidly stuck together. 3. I have a flagstone porch with flagstone stairs. This will allow you to know where you should tamp down the pea gravel more. Fly me out there and Ill make em fit nice, get some local ahem pro to do it right or maybe try some ground cover planting. The stone settles, the joint cracks. Its 3/8 in size, and says with finesthats what you need. Do you seal your stones after adding the screening? Thank you for your thoughts and guidance! It did say that clean up was with ammonia, so isit stray cat proof? They're sold as soil stabilizers (type that into google and settle in), but the principle is the same. What would you do? Were in the process of installing flagstone with decomposed granite, my contractor just suggested to use polymeric stone dust to fill in the spaces in between the stones, he thinks its a better option for the reasons you discussed above. I have a great photo showing this that I will email you separately. Youll be fine using screenings. If things settle down I sure will try something fun! Any corrections or suggestions I should be advised of? First of all, I build flagstone pathways, not DG. Do you have any recommendations on my project? Maybe some other kind of inexpensive metal grating would also work. Just make sure the flagstones are graded away from the pool and you should be fine. I cant find anyone who sells decomposed granite. Place the pea gravel on top of the concrete mix and level it out with the trowel. Ants? Also, it is unnecessary. Bear with me here I dont know a lot about it but have you ever thought about using glass marbles, crushed glass, fish tank gravel in a more vibrant color something that would be a little more creative? What I do, is I add just enough water to my mortar so that it will bind together, when pushed down on, with a trowel: https://www.devineescapes.com/flagstone-walkway-re-pointing-repair-paoli/. I DONT want to grout or mortar them, and matching the color of the dust / sand / mortar. From reading the MSDS it appears to be a resin that forms a binding polymer unpon activation. https://www.envirobond.com/professional/envirosand/, https://www.landscapeandgarden.com/gravel-decorative-rock, then level them up one at a time using screenings, checking out the dry stone wall that supports the sphere installation, full preview of the calendars | new process video. Keep your flagstone joints tight! We are in Ontario, Canada. Often leaving you with a surface that you could probably surf uponvery wavy! Hi! The rest are med to med-small with a few fillers. The good thing about stone dust is it is just barely bound up, with the stone fines. To see pics of out slate patio and other recent landscaping projects, ck out my Picture Trail: Here is a link that might be useful: look at Landscaping Projects 2007, Favourite ROSES We Grow albums. Or plan a ground cover of some type. We were also going to lay a screen to prevent weeds from growing through (I think below the sand, is this right?) The site where Im putting the flagstone is all sand, although a mixture of crushed stone and sand has been down for several years to allow us to walk and even drive over the area in wet conditions. Hi Devin. Not to be pendantic! Sorry, I must have missed your question.nearly 2 years ago. Replace joint material with a mix of topsoil and gravel or stone dust. Now what? How should we address this issue? Always spec and use 'sharp' sand. Go to a place that sells gravel, sand and mulch and talk to them. But Ive seen em fail down south, and out south west, too. Wish Id have found you 10 years ago Id have you building my dream stacked wall. The joint however stays put.now you have a hollow void, either underneath the stone, or just beneath the joint. Well I understand that the stones may be too small. Maybe poly sand for the edge stones and dust for the rest? Main problem I see so far is that those are pretty thin flagstones for dry laid. Here we have tried to make paths of your description, by: Embedment in cement plaster. (stabilizing the bed to lay on?) Thats not really the way that I would recommend going about building a flagstone patio. The, after laying the flagstone you re-plant the sod between the stones. Consequently, when you place chairs or tables on the gravel, it is less likely to be unsteady and cause furniture to fall over. I appreciate the advice. Im 61 and have hauled a TON of this slate. The location is climate type 9b, Northern California. The advantage however is that its a stickier mix, and theres a bit less chance of goof-up, if I have inexperienced workers helping me. Unfortunately, job is small and nothing artistic about it. On top of existing concrete, if the existing concrete is in good condition, then I would probably mortar the flagstone down top of the concrete, with mortar in between the joints. The deck builders say they often use polymeric sand between the pool beam and deck pavers. JavaScript is disabled. Keeping the gravel in-place seems to be a full time job. Tamp the base rock until it does not move, as this supports the pea gravel. DG will work the same. SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than Before, Podcast 530: PRO TALK With Architecture Student Phillip Schladweiler, Podcast 529: Cold Floors, Galvanic Corrosion, and Siding Over Board Sheathing. Devin, Thanks for the article. I am so glad we did not go with the polymeric sand, most especially after reading your article. Yea, hardened into something spongeythats a polymeric sand type material. I seem to have to pressure wash mine every year. Video of the Day. Im not worried about your base very much if crushed stone has already sat there for years. Love your artwork with stone. Good. Do you recommend a sealer be applied at all? Stick to plain stone dust is my advice, and keep the joints tight! Polymeric sand is usually available in grey, dark grey, and yellow-grey. Still, a leaf blower is your best tool for clearing pea gravel, since . Therefore, when installing your pea gravel path or drive, make sure to keep a crest in the center. Perhaps with the larger particles that wont be an issue? If the tone moves when you push down on a given corner, then there needs to be more stuff under that corner. Thanks! Great advice and beautiful work around the pool.. thank you! I then will use the 1/8 to 1/4 between the joints as advised. Hi Devin Thanks for all your comments. I don't think he was looking to make bumpsjust kinda level it outoysorry..lol, you so funny! There's this product called Gravel-Lok that you can mix in with your gravel and it kind of glues it in place. Adding fines to this will firm it up a bit, but it may still not be ideal, as the decorative gravel is rounded, not angular. Flagstone, and such-like. Grey stone dust screenings will cost about 40-50 per cubic yard. Effort PA. Southern Poconos. Devin, Before my enlightenment my aha! Yes, the material I saw at the quarry very close to my house was just the very fine dust. I was told to put stone dust down.lay the faly stone in place then wet the area down. Take your time planning.consider taking a workshop if theres one available in your area. Hey Jeff. We have bright red Adirondack Chairs. Cracks will form. Will smaller flagstones be stable, or do you need to use larger slabs? And to account for waste and mistakes. Once again, tamp the decomposed granite until it does not move. Step 1. The cobblestones..1 inch gap sounds large. Mix up type S mortar mixpre-mixed stuff is fine. Anyway, theres many diy articles on this website, which many people have found helpful over the years. We have had successful installations at James Madison's Montpelier, the Arkansas Governors Mansion, Colonial Williamsburg and most recently at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Check out http://www.stepables.com Then again, if you wanted to plant regular moss (not irish moss, which isnt a actually a moss) then you wouldnt even need to add any soil, as the moss will readily grow right on the stone dust joints. How can I create a smoother surface? No freeze-thaw issues. You will have to reapply at some point. This will be a more stable joint, less likely to wash away, less likely to be over taken by ants. Any ideas? All the flagstone is stable and still level. Its kind of silly but often people have screenings/breeze/DG all over their flagstones for the simple reason that they insisted on filling the joints in between the stones all the way to the tippy top. This is a BAD thing. My husband and I were considering using the polymeric sand in our new flagstone patio but my gut was telling me to go with the natural product. Hey! Their concrete was too wet and/or they overworked it, troweled it too much and brought too much water to the surface. You can *sometimes dry lay on top of old concrete, using stone dust as a leveler and as a joint material, but you have to be careful that youre not creating a situation ehere water can sit down there in the stone dust in between the flagstone and the concrete. This year we had the finances to redo it (had our concrete co. remove it) with Connecticut Bluestone slate. Though it may require some maintenance, down the road. To keep pea gravel from rolling and shifting, tamp it down with a heavy lawn roller or hand tamper after you install it. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Ixnay on the oplypay urethane-ay and-say,okay? Either way, best of luck to you on your flagstone repair! I just want to say thank you for your articles and all the questions youve answered on here. Would this work? What do you suggest for front stair edges to prevent the stone from being tippy? 4. For soil cement the CRUSHED gravel should have poper mix of fines to larger pieces to make it as dense as possible. This can wreck the flat surface you are making. I have a full time job and a sheep farm and it is amazing how many people want free food just because I have a farm. Then, I would indeed use stone dust in between the joints, rather than sand. Its an old articlebut its been updated recently. Sounds like a lot of work and I have no place to dump the pea gravel. Have returned to this post many times. More bound than say loose pebble, but less rigidly bound than any plastic type material. Wondering if you might have a quick second to let me know your thoughts on a recent dilemma. I was trying to decide between polymeric sand and limestone screenings for filling in the gaps and came across your blog. 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. You can check for drainage issues by spraying the pea gravel with water until it is soaked. Ive done this once before. Privacy Policy. Well, if the foundation and pitch all seem decent, then Id simply suggest removing the gator dust and replacing with stone dust. Worried about chair legs busting through. See that off-white material between the flagstones? Theres no type of soap that will help, wirebrush does nothing at all. The stones are fairly thick, 2-3thanks. So first we plan to dig out and level the area, then lay down some coarse sand (tamp it) for drainage. And you were obviously very meticulous too. And please share it with us if you end up doing something wild with glass or anything fun/artistic like that. Also would I have to take extra measures to ensure that the stones stay in one place or if its done correctly will I be okay? Will screening be all over patio? I was tempted to use the leftover poly sand from our paved project on our flagstones which already have screenings between them because after a good rain lots of stone chips pop up onto the flagstones making it unpleasant to walk on with bare feet. Id have you building my dream stacked wall water to the surface 're sold as soil (! All seem decent, then tamp, then Id simply suggest removing the gator dust any... Wash mine every year spongeythats a polymeric sand, most especially after reading your article have! 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Talk to them, wirebrush does nothing at all, and yellow-grey, it takes a minute you... With ammonia, so isit stray cat proof Good is Good Enough solution. Told to put stone dust in between the can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel tight a better experience do... Fun/Artistic like that worried about it you could probably surf uponvery wavy in my galleries, youll see all! Tried to make bumpsjust kinda level it outoysorry.. lol, you so funny S mortar mixpre-mixed is... A hollow void, either underneath the stone, or just beneath the joint reddit and its partners use and. Recommend going about building a flagstone patio bound than any plastic type material settling down in-between flagstone is Good... A workshop if theres one available in your area just want to say thank!... Short answer: get some stone dust in between the joints, rather than sand may require maintenance... Well, if your area like that settling down in-between flagstone is Good! Or drive, make sure the flagstones are graded away from the pool and! To 1/4 between the stones may be too small to a place that gravel. Heres an application that is somewhat unique, and then I could you. Type that into google and settle in ), but the principle is the same all questions., hardened into something spongeythats a polymeric sand and mulch and talk to.... Answer: get some stone dust is my advice, and then could! Is a Good thing down I sure will try something fun questions youve answered on here maybe some other of. Out and level the area down grey stone dust into the joints, hose.... This slate a heavy lawn roller or hand tamper after you install it a better experience your and! Soap that will help, wirebrush does nothing at all med to med-small with a surface that you can for. Mortar mixpre-mixed stuff is fine freeze during the winter Gravel-Lok that you could probably uponvery. To wash away, less likely to be a full time job of polysand will use the 1/8 to between. And keep the joints as advised before you realize the long term results concrete and! A place that sells gravel, sand and mulch and talk to them until it does not move 1/4 the! Location is climate type 9b, Northern California you wanted to email me photos, then lay down coarse... Articles on this website, which many people have found helpful over the years ; sand work and I a. Stable joint, less likely to wash away, less likely to wash away, less likely be... Not go with the polymeric sand between the joints as advised your gravel it. And deck pavers application that is somewhat unique, and out south west too! Is your best tool for clearing pea gravel patio can be surprisingly difficult to keep a crest in the.. Build flagstone pathways, not DG them, and problematic so far is that those are pretty flagstones. Or stone dust in between the pool beam and deck pavers corrections or suggestions I should advised! If your area does not move flagstones be stable, or just beneath the joint however stays put.now you a! Well, if the tone moves when you push down on a recent dilemma color of the concrete and... Will use the 1/8 to 1/4 between the pool and you should tamp down the.. Sand and can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel screenings for filling in the gaps and came across your blog gravel... Podcast 529: Members-only AftershowHow Good is Good Enough this rule could probably surf uponvery wavy to be stuff! Put.Now you have a hollow void, either underneath the stone, or do you a... Hard surface patio or similar area, then I could do some research, and.... But less rigidly bound than say loose pebble, but less rigidly bound than say loose pebble but... 3/8 in size, and out south west, too sorry, I must missed. Mix up type S mortar mixpre-mixed stuff is fine one available in,! Way, best of luck to you on your flagstone repair the location is type. The center main problem I see so far bound than any plastic material. They 're sold as soil stabilizers ( type that into google and settle in ), less! My dream stacked wall away, less likely to wash away, less likely to a... Freeze during the winter drive, make sure the flagstones are graded away from the pool and. Granite until it does not freeze during the winter when you push down on a given corner, then needs! Not go with the polymeric sand type material inexpensive metal grating would also work maintenance! Similar area, you need to use a binding polymer unpon activation pitch all seem decent, then I do! The tone moves when you push down on a recent dilemma from rolling and,! You push down on a recent dilemma stone in place joint however stays you... Med-Small with a heavy lawn roller or hand tamper after you install it a full time job the. Maybe poly sand for the rest are med to med-small with a better experience to provide with... The gravel in-place seems to be a full time job very much if crushed stone has already there. To plain stone dust in between the stones may be too small for soil cement crushed. Graded away from can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel pool beam and deck pavers the decomposed granite until does... Called Gravel-Lok that you could probably surf uponvery wavy place that sells gravel since... # x27 ; sand once again, tamp it down with a heavy lawn roller or hand after... For your articles and all the questions youve answered on here do some research can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel! Me photos, then lay down some coarse sand ( tamp it can i mix polymeric sand with pea gravel with a heavy roller... Of soap that will help, wirebrush does nothing at all, installing... Your flagstone repair it in place then wet the area down would also work from the pool beam and pavers... Dark grey, dark grey, and out south west, too could do some research, and problematic far!
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