While we are ALWAYS on multiple projects here on the homestead, one of our most recent (and direly needed) was installing a stone sidewalk. I have been planning this since last summer, but ….well, you may know how that goes. However, I’m tired of playing hopscotch to get past mud puddles, etc. So it was just time to make it happen! We had all of the supplies leftover from last summer’s patio project, so the only thing standing in the way was time.
Installing a Stone Sidewalk is Pretty Simple
Installing a stone sidewalk is honestly quite easy. I recruited help (from the family that I feed and clean up after) so it went very quickly, but even by myself, it would have just taken maybe 3 hours. I’m going to give you the breakdown of how we went about it here, but you could also check out my stone patio post. I went into good detail when I built it last summer.
Prepare the Ground
The first thing that you will want to do is ready the ground for your stone sidewalk. My husband used the tractor to scrape the area. Basically the idea is to flatten it and pull away any grass and weeds. This can absolutely be handled with shovels, it’ll just take a little longer and you will get a better workout. (Bright side?)
Block the Weeds!
The next step in the process is covering the bare ground to block weeds and grass from growing back up through it. (Unless you really enjoy weeding) We used rolled weed blocker fabric leftover from putting in our new garden beds but you can use flattened cardboard or even thick layers of newspaper.
Base Layer of Sand
With the weed blocker in place, the next step is putting in a layer of sand. My husband used the tractor for this part as well. We used shovels to spread the sand and get it relatively flat and in place on top of the fabric. When the sand is ready, about 3-4 inches thick, you then need to tamp it down. I’m sure there are probably a multitude of DIY implements that you could come up with to handle this part, but since we do a lot of projects, we have a cast iron tamper specifically for compressing dirt. You can get one fairly inexpensively at Lowe’s.
Set Your Stones
The next step, once the sand is all compressed, is setting your stones. Depending on what type of stone you are using, this can be simple…or mind-numbingly frustrating. The square and rectangular ones are easy to fit together, depending on size and the dimensions of your sidewalk. We were using basic Oklahoma patio stone. …so it was a game of Tetris to get them laid.
Fill Your Grout Lines
When you are satisfied with the layout of your stones, you can fill the cracks, ‘grout lines’, with the material of your choosing. We used pea gravel to match our patio, but there are many options, like crushed granite for example.
Finish it off with an Edge
The last step in the process is putting in edging of some kind. Edging offers a couple of different benefits. For one, it adds a completed look, but more importantly, it helps to hold everything together. Without a solid edging, the sand can wash out and cause your stones to move.
In Conclusion
Little by little, through all of my little projects, we are working toward transforming what, once was bare pasture land, into exactly what we’ve dreamed of. These projects can seem daunting, especially if you have never tried them before. But, I promise, they are not as difficult as they seem. As I always say, jump in and get your hands dirty!
NEVER MISS A THING!!
We also, as a homesteading family, have a variety of blogs that might interest you. A Life on the Farm focuses on the more personal side of the homesteading life. We discuss subjects like family, parenting, relationships, homeschooling, cooking, canning and so much more.
Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!
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