By: Gene Rodriguez, III
A flagstone patio installation can really dress up your landscape. Patios built with locally produced flagstone not only look attractive, they also naturally tie into the land around them. The best part is that a flagstone patio installation can be completed in not much more than a weekend.
Step-By-Step Flagstone Patio Installation
- Positioning your patio. First, determine where in your yard you'll want to place your patio. While a patio near your back entrance makes sense, you may want to place your patio where it can take advantage of a great view or the shade of a large tree.
- Plan your patio. Once you've decided where to put your flagstone patio, you'll need to mark the limits of the structure on the ground. Place stakes at the corners of where you want the patio to be, making sure your corners are square. Run string between the stakes.
- Which stone? Although there are many choices of material when building a flagstone patio, you should choose a type of stone that is quarried locally. Not only will local stone be cheaper, it will blend into the landscape naturally.
- Clear the decks. After marking the perimeter of the patio, you'll need to remove all turf and soil from the patio area. Try to get a uniform depth of about 6" across the surface of your excavated area.
- A basic base. Pour enough gravel into the patio area to create a bed 4" deep. Spread the gravel evenly with a rake and tamp it down firmly. Check the surface slope regularly-you want a slope of at least 1" per 8'-and adjust as needed. If your patio is next to your house, the slope should be away from the house.
- Keeping stone in its place. In order to help lock your flagstone in place, create a mixture of seven parts stone dust and one part Portland cement. Spread this mixture in a 1" thick layer over your gravel base. Use a length of 2"x4" wood to smooth the mixture and be sure to maintain your 1" to 8' slope along the top of the sand.
- Practice makes perfect. Take a dry run at laying out your flagstones on a flat area you're your patio. A bit of practice will help you work out your flagstone arrangement before you put the stones in their permanent home.
- Adding flagstones. Spray a 4' by 4' area of the patio with water until just damp. Lay out your flagstones so that they have a ½" of space between them. With a rubber mallet, gently tap each stone into the stone dust bed. Periodically, use a level or straightedge to check for high or low spots-correct as required by tapping down high flagstones or adding damp stone dust mixture under low ones.
- Cutting flagstones. You'll have to cut stones to fit in irregular areas using a circular saw fitted with a masonry or diamond tipped blade. Wear a breathing mask and protective eyewear when cutting flagstones.
- Fill in the blanks. Using damp stone dust mix, pack the gaps between flagstones until the mixture is level with the surface of the stones-an ice scraper or mason's trowel makes a good tool for this task. Remove excess stone dust with a stiff broom. After you've filled all gaps, lightly mist the entire patio with water and allow to dry.
