1. Planning & Design

The easiest part...  You probably have a natural way of walking through your garden, which is usually the perfect place for a path.  However, you need to account for these factors:

• Drainage.  The pathway should be well-drained and not be subject to washout.  Avoid placing it at the bottom of a long downslope where heavy rains will wash it out or pile sediment atop it.  Avoid also allowing the pathway to go straight downhill: your path will become a riverbed.
• Grade.  Perhaps surprisingly, the path can cut across fairly steep grades, as shown above.  For now, try to keep the pathway at level grades, meaning that it is usually better to go around hills rather than over them. More later.
• Flexibility.  A stone path does not have a zero-degree turning radius, so it can't do lots of curly-Qs.  However, a long straight pathway is boring. Try to include as many slowly-arcing turns as possible rather than straight-aways. Remember that your path is not a highway. The goal is not to get from pt. A to pt. B, but to enjoy the trip from A to B! Thus, "S" shapes are better than "|" shapes.
• Plants.  Prune trees or move plants to facilitate the best layout.  Go around homogenous clusters of plants rather than shooting straight down their middle unless this is the intended effect. The path can be a physical dividing line between heterogeneous plants. Also, avoid trees with surface root systems such as some maple varieties: their roots will rise to the surface and tear the path apart.
• Sprinklers and utilities.  Make sure your path stays at least six vertical inches away from all underground sprinkler systems.  The stone can settle down and rupture the pipes. If you don't know where your sprinkler lines run, call your maintenance company beforehand. The steps in the top picture weren't necessary except to raise the pathbed above a sprinkler line I discovered as I was excavating the bed! Avoid areas under utility lines and public rights-of-way because they may be subject to unannounced digging. Because the utilities hate to have diggers disrupt their lines, they will cheerfully mark their lines (usually free) if you call ahead a few days.
• Width.  In order to be walkable, the path should be 18 inches or more wide.  You will also want to account for a 3" shoulder on each side.  In places where the path cuts across a steep grade, account for an additional 6" on either side.

The grade falls to the right of the path in this picture. A somewhat more rustic look is created by planting a row of hostas between the path and a row of stones supporting the pathbed as the grade falls. This path can be found in the remarkable gardens of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Click the image to enlarge; I did not design or build this path.)

Plenty of plants are needed to hold back the soil on this slope to prevent runoff over the path.

2. Tools needed

• 2 large shovels: flat and spade-style.
• Handheld trowel and spade
• Wheelbarrow
• A large pushbroom and a small handheld broom for spreading sand and clearing stone surfaces.

Optional Items

• Handtruck or dolly to move stone
• Hammer, chisel, and metal pipe for breaking large stones.
• Hose with jet nozzle for cleaning stones

The stone you chose is your choice.  I have used a rough middle-grade Wisconsin flagstone about 1" thick, although slate and other stones are also attractive.  Visit a local stoneyard and inspect their material to determine the best choice.  Costs range from $150/ton to $600/ton, depending almost entirely on how close you are to the quarry and the stone chosen.  I recommend not buying from superstores like Menards, Home Depot, or Lowes for several reasons (1) their stone is much more expensive, (2) their selection of stone is extremely limited, (3) their selection is often of inferior quality (it's the junk culled from what the stoneyards get), and (4) your local stoneyard employees are knowledgeable enough to customize your order and its delivery to your exact needs, including custom cutting of stone. Trying to save a few bucks at the home improvement superstore is just asking for a headache!

You will also need a supply of sand underliner.  The cheapest you can find will more than suffice.  Some companies give you the sand free with delivery of the stone.  Cost is $8/ton in my area, which is cheap because sand mines are only a few minutes away. Sand also comes in bags, but you're going to need a big pile, so have it delivered in bulk with the stone.

The path featured here is 130 feet long, so about 3500 lbs. (1.75 tons) of stone and a ton of sand was used.  Base your decision on square footage covered by a ton of stone using the formula

(Tons of stone to purchase) = (length of path in feet* width in feet)/(sq footage covered by one ton of stone)

Your local stoneyard can give you the approximate coverage of a ton of various stone types.

4. Beginning the Labor

Even before your stone arrives, you can begin excavating the site.  Dig out 2 or 3 inches of dirt to create a bed. Remember that the stone will settle down about an inch or so the first year, and you don't want your path to become a canal if you dig too deep.  Once the sand arrives, you will put it into the bed to allow the stones to settle into place.  On places with steep grades, you will need to dig about 2 inches below the lowest point on the fall line (i.e., slope of the soil) that the path will cross. A stone commercially called "colonial cobble," a 5" x 5" cobble stone, can be placed along the high edge to hold it back. Fortunatly this is also limestone here in Indiana, although in many areas granite is popular.

Just as an artist puts all his paint colors on his palette, you should spread your stone out around the worksite in order to have as wide a selection as possible: you want the best combination of colors, shapes, and sizes as you lay out the path.  After the pathbed is dug out, lay 1.5 to 2" or more of sand into the bed.  Rake and level the sand.  I then use my size 15 feet to compact the sand and add more if necessary. Compacting the sand will reduce (but certainly not eliminate) "sinkage" as the stones settle.

Once the sand is laid, lay out the actual stones.  I generally work in 10' sections.  You'll be surprised at how easily the stones will fit into place.  I keep about 1" of space between the stones for aesthetic reasons, since my suburban garden is quite large. In a smaller garden, shrink the space between stones.  Unless spacing is over two inches, ou will need to spend a couple hours each spring leveling the stones. This step is the best opportunity you have to be creative, so give your path character! 

Before rushing to begin construction, make sure the path has a feasible proposed layout. For instance, the ground quickly rises to the right in this picture, and additional square limestone stones had to be purchased ex poste to hold back the soil. Anticipate such costs in budgeting for your project.

5. Completing the Path

As it is rough natural stone, your material will be of differing thicknesses. Use a trowel to build up sand below thinner stones to ensure all are even.  You will also need to arrange the sand under stones so that they are level and you don't trip while walking down the path. This requires a high degree of patience and attention to detail.

Once all stones are level, fill in the cracks between stones with sand.  This will need to be done twice.  Wait until the rain comes and settles the sand before filling in the second time, or (if rain is scarce) moderatly hose down the path and wait for it to dry.  I use a large push broom to move extra sand off the path, then use a small hand broom to clean off the stone surfaces of extra sand and dirt. A hose with a jet nozzle could be used, but be careful since it will tear up the sand if you misfire!  Once the stones are cleaned, your path is essentially complete.  Add some mulch or riverbed stone (or whatever else covers your garden) along the edge of the path.  If done properly, the path will seem to sit a bit above the rest of the garden.  This is OK because in a year the path will sink a bit.

If you have to cut across a steep grade, it is best to do so perpendicular to the fall line (an imaginary line from the top of a hill to the bottom).  You may even actually build up a solid foundation if the fall is too dramatic.

I placed a row of squarish limestone cobblestones along the lower shoulder of the path section (see right) to hold the bed in place.  The cost for these stones runs about $5/liner foot in my area and they are very easy to lay.  Of course, you will account for this "shoulder width" when planning the route.  The cobblestones should sit in about a half inch to an inch of soil to hold them in place.

There was a fairly rapid drop-off in this area, so I built a foundation with clay I excavated nearby.  The large granite stones on the right side were here before the path was, so I used small matching Michigan granite to border the garden area at left.  A few stones trail off to end the path on this in the yard.  

7. Steps

The path featured here features 2 sets of steps.  Those at right lead from the higher yard to the lower level of the garden.  The second set (at top) raises the path to go over a sprinkler line.  The material for the step itself is limestone of dimensions 4" x 12" and cut by the stoneyard into custom lengths up to 60".  For the middle three steps, the stone serves as its own riser by sitting upon the stone before it.  On the top and bottom, a row of bricks serves as the riser.  The top platform is the same stone as the path.  Below the steps is several inches of sand.  Because of a sprinkler line, we had to build the steps out. A row of bricks placed on their side backed up by Michigan washed granite stones serves to hold the sand underbedding in place.

The second set of steps uses two 24" slabs of the same stone, but it uses bricks to add to the rise in order to get over the sprinkler line.  I placed cobblestones along the side to hold the steps in place.

8. Maintenance

If properly constructed, your path will require much less maintenance than the area of garden it replaced. In the spring and after very heavy rains, spot-check for stones that have loosened up or pose a tripping hazard. Also look for stones disturbed by roots, falling branches, moles, ground squirrels, and gophers. Planting creeping thyme or moss between stones reduces weed growth, but remove any undesirable roots that do appear. Keep the path free of debris that may discolor the stone, such as hickory nuts and some types of leaves. Moss will probably grow in dark, damp areas of the path. I encourage it because it adds a touch of permanence and character. To encourage moss to grow, add a layer of black dirt between the stones and keep the area moist.

The weight of the heavy stones in these steps keeps them in place. Bricks are used for risers on the very top and very bottom. For additional angles, please click these images:

If you have pictures of a stone path you have designed, please send them to me.

Please note: I shall not in any way be held liable for the use or misuse of these guidelines or anything else on my site. Using, treading upon, or working with stone poses dangers of which anyone with common sense is aware, but for the benefit of professional plaintiffs, lawyers, and others with neither intelligence nor common sense, said dangers include, but are in no way limited to the following: tripping, squished fingers & toes, cuts, bruises, and other ouchies pansies like you make millions on. Paths also can be tripping hazards, especially when wet. Supervise children and immature adults like Tom Green at all times. Use of this information is contingent upon indemnification of me for providing this information, which is done at no cost to you:) The opinions expressed herein are mine and not necessarily those of my employer, if I had one. Update 12/13/02: I now an an employer, as my boss pointed out to the office.