**Mowing Over Grass and Setting Stones**

When working with flagstones, it's essential to mow over the grass first to ensure a stable base for your stones. This will also prevent any damage to the surrounding lawn. In addition to avoiding damage, you want to make sure that the stone is not too high or too low. To achieve this, use a level to check the grade of the area and adjust accordingly. It's crucial to maintain a consistent grade throughout the project to avoid creating tripping hazards.

To set your stones, start by adding some mortar to the base of each stone and then use a rubber mallet to tap it firmly into place. Make sure that the stone is level and secure before moving on to the next one. If necessary, adjust the height of the stone or make any other necessary changes to ensure a smooth surface.

As you work with your stones, keep an eye out for low spots where water may collect. Use a rubber mallet to pack down the soil and add more mortar as needed to fill in any gaps. With practice and patience, you can create a beautiful flagstone walkway that adds value to your property.

**Safety First: Protecting Yourself from Injury**

When working with stones, it's essential to wear protective gear to prevent injury. One of the most critical pieces of safety equipment is a Mason's friend, which includes a chipping hammer and safety glasses. The chipping hammer is used to cut stones, while the safety glasses protect your eyes from flying debris.

Before cutting into a stone, use a mason's string or chalk line to mark where you want to make a cut. Then, lift the stone and carefully undercut it to weaken the stone. Use the hammer end of the chipping hammer to break off the remaining pieces of stone.

As you work with your stones, keep an eye out for any hazards, such as loose rocks or uneven surfaces. With practice and patience, you can develop the skills needed to create beautiful flagstone walkways that are both functional and attractive.

**Building a Walkway: A Step-by-Step Guide**

To build a walkway using flagstones, start by digging a trench along either side of your walkway path. Then, mix up one bag of C m sand premix mortar to the consistency of oatmeal. This will provide a stable base for your stones.

Next, start laying out your stones, starting with the first one and working your way down the line. Use a level to ensure that each stone is flush with the surrounding area. As you lay each stone, use a rubber mallet to tap it firmly into place and secure it in mortar.

To create a border around your walkway, mix up some additional mortar and apply it along the edges of the stones. Then, use a trowel or putty knife to smooth out the mortar and create a seamless joint between the stones.

**Adding Mulch and Bedding**

Once you've completed the flagstone walkway, it's time to add mulch and bedding to retain the soil in place. To do this, dig a 4in trench along either side of your walkway path and mix up some C m sand premix mortar to the consistency of oatmeal.

Apply the mortar to the back of each stone, making sure to fill in any gaps or low spots. Then, use a trowel or putty knife to smooth out the mortar and create a seamless joint between the stones.

As you work with your mulch and bedding, keep an eye out for any uneven surfaces or loose rocks. With practice and patience, you can develop the skills needed to create beautiful flagstone walkways that are both functional and attractive.

**Finishing Touches: Sealing and Maintenance**

Once you've completed your flagstone walkway, it's time to add a finishing touch. Depending on the style of your walkway, you may want to add a border or use smaller stones with wider joints.

To seal your flagstones, apply a sealer specifically designed for stone surfaces. This will help protect the stones from the elements and maintain their color and texture.

Finally, keep up with regular maintenance to ensure that your flagstone walkway remains in good condition. Clean the area regularly, and replenish the mulch as needed to prevent weeds from growing.

**Rustic New England Style Walkway: A Beautiful Addition to Your Property**

The rustic New England style walkway is a beautiful addition to any property, adding warmth and character to your outdoor space. With its natural stone surfaces and earthy tones, this style of walkway is sure to complement any home decor.

To create a rustic New England style walkway, start by laying out your stones in a winding pattern or straight line. Use a level to ensure that each stone is flush with the surrounding area, and secure them in place with mortar.

As you work with your stones, keep an eye out for any uneven surfaces or loose rocks. With practice and patience, you can develop the skills needed to create beautiful flagstone walkways that are both functional and attractive.

**Tips and Tricks**

When working with flagstones, there are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind. Here are a few:

* Always use a level when laying out your stones to ensure a smooth surface.

* Use a rubber mallet to tap each stone firmly into place, rather than using a hammer or other heavy object.

* Apply mortar to the back of each stone, making sure to fill in any gaps or low spots.

* Keep an eye out for uneven surfaces and loose rocks, and make adjustments as needed.

By following these tips and tricks, you can create beautiful flagstone walkways that add value to your property and enhance your outdoor space.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso you've decided to build a walkway we're going to show you everything you need to know well there's a lot of options for design and some things to think about it all starts with a solid plan first thing to think about is environment don't pick a product that can't hold up to the climate you live in here on the Massachusetts Coast we want denser Stones like Granite blue stone or quartzite that'll stand up to the New England Winters if you're working somewhere warmer you have more flexibility and can work with softer Stones like Limestone or Sandstone next is style what's the style of your house the color of your house don't pick a product that's not right for the project you can go contemporary that means working with modular or geometric shaped patterns in stone or concrete you can go traditional with Classic Materials like brick or brick and stone or you can go rustic and use stone with rough a regular edges rustic is the style we'll be working with last step for choosing stone is function if you have a main entry way you want to a different product than one where you'd have a side path entryway that's going to the backyard if your walkway area will have high traffic you'll need sturdy materials set with tight Stone joints if the area is low traffic you have a lot more choices to work with we're going to be building a side pathway Connecticut tan flagging into the grade also have some Cobblestone to hold back the mulch in the planting area the dense materials suit this Project's cold climate The Rustic style suits the house and garden and the yard's low traffic means we can put grass joints in between the stones now all we need is to order them getting your design figured out is the first step to building a walkway ordering materials is second but Weir to start very simple you need the square footage which is length times the width in this project the pathway is 3 ft wide and 25 ft long that'll give us an area of 75 Square ft to cover now we want to order the materials for our walkway we need durx Cobble Connecticut tan flagging and Crusher run each of these materials is ordered by its own set of rules dor cobblestones these 4x4 in cubes of Granite are typically sold individually while flagging or flagstone is sold by weight or ton on wooden pallets one pallet of flagging is typically 1 and 1/2 tons of stone lastly Crusher run is a compatible base material or aggregate made of gravel and stone dust and is sold by the cubic yard now one ton of flagging will give you 80 ft of material also one yard of aggregate will give you 80 squ ft at 3 in thick you're always going to want to add an extra 10% for surprises so with our 75 ft project we need one ton of stone and one ton of aggregate confused just take your measurements to your Quarry and they'll figure it out for you also tools are very important for every project check out our tool list when you're building a stone walkway the first thing you want to do is open up your pallet and spread out the stone you want to see what you're working with for example different colors sizes and shapes mixing colors and shapes in your walkway will create the greatest visual impact so make sure you know what you're working with before you start laying out Stones now dereck's already picked out some of that stone and he started to dry L now I'm laying out my Stones dry because I want to see the spacing of the stones and how it's going to lay out into the grade we want this curving path to feel natural as it runs from the flower bed to the gate take your time making Stone selections play with placement the general rule is to lay two smaller pieces for every large Stone after you dry lay your walkway what you want to do is look at the stones and tweak the joints what I mean by that is we want consistent joints with this whole walkway and some of these might be too close together or too far apart so you want to move the stone to get consistent joints this is a little too far apart here and then as we walk up our walkway underneath this gate we're going to have a landing and that's where we want to tighten up the joints because it's going to be an entry point from the front yard and also an entry point from the backyard we want tight joints to create the illusion of a solid Landing under the gate plus it'll keep us from having to mow between fence sections we're building a rustic flagstone walkway set in Grass our stones are place where we want them and it's time to start prepping the base once you're happy with the layout of the stone take a trowel and what you're going to do is Trace around your stone into the grass and once you get that done you're going to flip the stone over then you'll Trace that line with a spade shovel set the grass and LOM aside for use later and dig about 4 in down for a base now we're going to work each Stone individually that's because each Stone has a different thickness to it for stones that are thinner we want the added stability of a crushed gravel base add about 3 in of material and use a hand tamper to create an even 2-in base once solid add about another inch of gravel on top this will serve as an adjustable cushion when you place your Stones late then thicker Stones like the one dereck's working with will be set directly in the ground since their bulk means they're less likely to move this is a time saer you can set stone in dirt only if it's dense enough and compacts well in this area the dirt has enough gravel in it to hold the stone without shifting over time we're setting a rustic flagstone walkway as you're setting your stone there's a couple of things to think about make sure that you're close to grade now my goal here is to be able to take the lawn mower and mow over this grass so I don't want this Stone too high also you can use your level to go left and right if you'd like to but you could also take your eye and just check out where you're working and where the highs and the lows are you don't want your stone higher than the stone the for it or than the grade because that's going to create a trip Edge which means someone's going to trip as they're walking along make adjustments by adding two or scraping the base down with your trowel and keep a rubber mallet on hand to set the stone firmly so after you set your stone you want to give it the rock test which means you want to put your weight on it and move back and forth and make sure that it's not rocking if it does find the low spot take the back of rubber mallet And just pack underneath the edge of the stone continue setting and piecing Stones together like a puzzle you shouldn't have to cut too many stones but when you do this here is a Mason's best friend it's a chipping hammer one end is for chipping and the the other has a hammer in you use this to cut stone now I have to make a cut here so before I cut I'm going to wear a Mason's another good friend safety glasses I'm going to score a line where I want this point off I'm going to lift the stone and undercut it when I undercut it I weaken the stone after I undercut it I simply take the hammer end and break off the remaining pieces work with the stone until you get each and everyone placed exactly how you like we're building a walkway using a regular flagging called Connecticut 10 when building a walkway you may want to add a border it depends on your style and taste for this project and this Stone Type A full border is not required but one does come in handy where our walkway meets a flower bed some borders are used along walkways as decorative accents we need it out of necessity I'm going to use this DX Cobble set in Mortar to retain this area in the planting bed we want to make sure this mulch doesn't bleed over into our walkway first step is to dig a 4in trench along either side of the flagstones then mix up one bag of C m sand premix mortar to the consistency of oatmeal so I have mortar in my base I'm going to start the first one flush with the existing border and then I'm slowly raise it up you don't need a lot of mortar to set it in you just want to use the mortar to tack everything together and especially here in the Northeast with the winter you want to make sure it doesn't move now you can see that I'm slowly starting to raise it up the height of the Cobble stone is following the height of the bed that's how it's going to retain the Earth use a rubber mallet to bang the cobblestones into the mortar base and to keep them flush with each other once you set a few what you want to do is parge the back get some of your mortar put your TR on an angle and parge it in the back of the Cobblestone what that does is it gives it added strength in very little time you can create a walkway border that is functional and attractive we're on the home stretch of a beautiful flagstone walkway we're done setting stones and now it's time for finish work this project features 3 to 4in joints which are wide enough so grass will grow in between them but if large grass fill joints aren't your style you can go for tighter 1 to 2 in Bas the process is about the same but instead of working the stones individually you would dig out the entire path area add a compacted gravel base and then fill the smaller joint with the stabilizing material like polymeric sand the most important thing is to keep the joint size consistent throughout your job filling these joints starts with the grass we set aside earlier this is the reason why we Sav these strips of grass you can see I put some of this nice loone we dug up in front of the stone now I'm going to take these strips of grass and place them back where we made a little damage after this grows in it's going to look like these Stones magically appeared clean up your handy work with the rake just be careful when you're working on the freshly replaced Lo finally hose up on the stones and watch the gorgeous kinetic tan flagging and cobblestones pop with a little hard work patience and easily learn Stone skills our rustic New England style walkway is ready for travel well this job took us about 6 hours and about $600 in cost if you want to do a walkway like this just start laying out your stone and start digging and you can do it yourselfso you've decided to build a walkway we're going to show you everything you need to know well there's a lot of options for design and some things to think about it all starts with a solid plan first thing to think about is environment don't pick a product that can't hold up to the climate you live in here on the Massachusetts Coast we want denser Stones like Granite blue stone or quartzite that'll stand up to the New England Winters if you're working somewhere warmer you have more flexibility and can work with softer Stones like Limestone or Sandstone next is style what's the style of your house the color of your house don't pick a product that's not right for the project you can go contemporary that means working with modular or geometric shaped patterns in stone or concrete you can go traditional with Classic Materials like brick or brick and stone or you can go rustic and use stone with rough a regular edges rustic is the style we'll be working with last step for choosing stone is function if you have a main entry way you want to a different product than one where you'd have a side path entryway that's going to the backyard if your walkway area will have high traffic you'll need sturdy materials set with tight Stone joints if the area is low traffic you have a lot more choices to work with we're going to be building a side pathway Connecticut tan flagging into the grade also have some Cobblestone to hold back the mulch in the planting area the dense materials suit this Project's cold climate The Rustic style suits the house and garden and the yard's low traffic means we can put grass joints in between the stones now all we need is to order them getting your design figured out is the first step to building a walkway ordering materials is second but Weir to start very simple you need the square footage which is length times the width in this project the pathway is 3 ft wide and 25 ft long that'll give us an area of 75 Square ft to cover now we want to order the materials for our walkway we need durx Cobble Connecticut tan flagging and Crusher run each of these materials is ordered by its own set of rules dor cobblestones these 4x4 in cubes of Granite are typically sold individually while flagging or flagstone is sold by weight or ton on wooden pallets one pallet of flagging is typically 1 and 1/2 tons of stone lastly Crusher run is a compatible base material or aggregate made of gravel and stone dust and is sold by the cubic yard now one ton of flagging will give you 80 ft of material also one yard of aggregate will give you 80 squ ft at 3 in thick you're always going to want to add an extra 10% for surprises so with our 75 ft project we need one ton of stone and one ton of aggregate confused just take your measurements to your Quarry and they'll figure it out for you also tools are very important for every project check out our tool list when you're building a stone walkway the first thing you want to do is open up your pallet and spread out the stone you want to see what you're working with for example different colors sizes and shapes mixing colors and shapes in your walkway will create the greatest visual impact so make sure you know what you're working with before you start laying out Stones now dereck's already picked out some of that stone and he started to dry L now I'm laying out my Stones dry because I want to see the spacing of the stones and how it's going to lay out into the grade we want this curving path to feel natural as it runs from the flower bed to the gate take your time making Stone selections play with placement the general rule is to lay two smaller pieces for every large Stone after you dry lay your walkway what you want to do is look at the stones and tweak the joints what I mean by that is we want consistent joints with this whole walkway and some of these might be too close together or too far apart so you want to move the stone to get consistent joints this is a little too far apart here and then as we walk up our walkway underneath this gate we're going to have a landing and that's where we want to tighten up the joints because it's going to be an entry point from the front yard and also an entry point from the backyard we want tight joints to create the illusion of a solid Landing under the gate plus it'll keep us from having to mow between fence sections we're building a rustic flagstone walkway set in Grass our stones are place where we want them and it's time to start prepping the base once you're happy with the layout of the stone take a trowel and what you're going to do is Trace around your stone into the grass and once you get that done you're going to flip the stone over then you'll Trace that line with a spade shovel set the grass and LOM aside for use later and dig about 4 in down for a base now we're going to work each Stone individually that's because each Stone has a different thickness to it for stones that are thinner we want the added stability of a crushed gravel base add about 3 in of material and use a hand tamper to create an even 2-in base once solid add about another inch of gravel on top this will serve as an adjustable cushion when you place your Stones late then thicker Stones like the one dereck's working with will be set directly in the ground since their bulk means they're less likely to move this is a time saer you can set stone in dirt only if it's dense enough and compacts well in this area the dirt has enough gravel in it to hold the stone without shifting over time we're setting a rustic flagstone walkway as you're setting your stone there's a couple of things to think about make sure that you're close to grade now my goal here is to be able to take the lawn mower and mow over this grass so I don't want this Stone too high also you can use your level to go left and right if you'd like to but you could also take your eye and just check out where you're working and where the highs and the lows are you don't want your stone higher than the stone the for it or than the grade because that's going to create a trip Edge which means someone's going to trip as they're walking along make adjustments by adding two or scraping the base down with your trowel and keep a rubber mallet on hand to set the stone firmly so after you set your stone you want to give it the rock test which means you want to put your weight on it and move back and forth and make sure that it's not rocking if it does find the low spot take the back of rubber mallet And just pack underneath the edge of the stone continue setting and piecing Stones together like a puzzle you shouldn't have to cut too many stones but when you do this here is a Mason's best friend it's a chipping hammer one end is for chipping and the the other has a hammer in you use this to cut stone now I have to make a cut here so before I cut I'm going to wear a Mason's another good friend safety glasses I'm going to score a line where I want this point off I'm going to lift the stone and undercut it when I undercut it I weaken the stone after I undercut it I simply take the hammer end and break off the remaining pieces work with the stone until you get each and everyone placed exactly how you like we're building a walkway using a regular flagging called Connecticut 10 when building a walkway you may want to add a border it depends on your style and taste for this project and this Stone Type A full border is not required but one does come in handy where our walkway meets a flower bed some borders are used along walkways as decorative accents we need it out of necessity I'm going to use this DX Cobble set in Mortar to retain this area in the planting bed we want to make sure this mulch doesn't bleed over into our walkway first step is to dig a 4in trench along either side of the flagstones then mix up one bag of C m sand premix mortar to the consistency of oatmeal so I have mortar in my base I'm going to start the first one flush with the existing border and then I'm slowly raise it up you don't need a lot of mortar to set it in you just want to use the mortar to tack everything together and especially here in the Northeast with the winter you want to make sure it doesn't move now you can see that I'm slowly starting to raise it up the height of the Cobble stone is following the height of the bed that's how it's going to retain the Earth use a rubber mallet to bang the cobblestones into the mortar base and to keep them flush with each other once you set a few what you want to do is parge the back get some of your mortar put your TR on an angle and parge it in the back of the Cobblestone what that does is it gives it added strength in very little time you can create a walkway border that is functional and attractive we're on the home stretch of a beautiful flagstone walkway we're done setting stones and now it's time for finish work this project features 3 to 4in joints which are wide enough so grass will grow in between them but if large grass fill joints aren't your style you can go for tighter 1 to 2 in Bas the process is about the same but instead of working the stones individually you would dig out the entire path area add a compacted gravel base and then fill the smaller joint with the stabilizing material like polymeric sand the most important thing is to keep the joint size consistent throughout your job filling these joints starts with the grass we set aside earlier this is the reason why we Sav these strips of grass you can see I put some of this nice loone we dug up in front of the stone now I'm going to take these strips of grass and place them back where we made a little damage after this grows in it's going to look like these Stones magically appeared clean up your handy work with the rake just be careful when you're working on the freshly replaced Lo finally hose up on the stones and watch the gorgeous kinetic tan flagging and cobblestones pop with a little hard work patience and easily learn Stone skills our rustic New England style walkway is ready for travel well this job took us about 6 hours and about $600 in cost if you want to do a walkway like this just start laying out your stone and start digging and you can do it yourself\n"