The stone path, whether located in someone’s garden or in the City Park, always induces a pleasant feeling of durability, strength and connection with Nature.
In our land, stone roads, built thousands of years ago by the Romans, still remain, which clearly shows that the construction of the stone path is, so to say, forever. The stone path in the garden is something that merges perfectly with the surrounding landscape and fits perfectly with all possible ideas of how and with what a garden can be decorated.
Stages of the Construction of a Stone Path
• The first step is choosing and purchasing the right material – you have the option of doing the path of medium size stones, or you can make it with stone plates – it all depends on your wish and taste. The gneiss from Ivaylovgrad would be a great solution for making a stone path. The stone has wonderful metamorphic and physics-chemical properties and strength and durability. After you decide what kind of stone will complete the path, you have to purchase it. Please, find out what you need to know about cladding stones, before selecting the most suitable ones. When choosing, be careful with approximate sizes and thickness, in order to avoid heterogeneity in the path.
• The second step in the construction of the trail is the cleaning of the selected area; in order for the trail to be well- made and durable, it is necessary that you clean up the area, where the stones will be laid. It is desirable for any vegetation to be removed. One way is to use herbicides. An important detail is that area, where the trail will be built, should be aligned.
• The third step is the choice of path type– there are quite a few ways to build the trail. It can be done with distance between the stones, or without. There is the option of soldering the stones with a solution, or planting grass to fill the space between them, or placing there fine gravel. You can choose whether to put a curb or not. Also of importance is whether it will be laid over a concrete pedestal or a pedestal, made of gravel or sand. Everything depends on the willingness of those, who will make the path and will use it.
• The fourth step is the preparatory work — after you have already purchased the material and decided what type of path you will create, it’s time to start the preparatory work on building it. First, remove the top layer of the soil, at a depth of approximately 10-15 cm. This can be done easily with the help of a shovel. Then you need to align the whole area. You can place geotextile at the bottom layer, which would help with the drainage, or if you want, you can skip that step. However, it is imperative that you have a base below the cladding stones. It may be sandy, with a thickness of about 10 cm, or of several layers of gravel, which you need to trod, right after the application of each layer. A concrete layer, of about 2 cm, can also be laid.
• The fifth stage is laying of the stones. You can start by building on the curb first or you can place it, after you place the stones. Please, make sure the space between the stones along the entire trail is approximately the same. Please, use a spirit level to make sure there are no height deviations along your path. To reposition the stones, you can use a rubber mallet.
• The sixth stage is filling the space between the stones. If you’ve decided to fill the space with sand, you need to be sure that the sand is clumped. Please, pour water to make the sand settle and, if necessary, add more sand and repeat the procedure until you are sure that everything is leveled. If you want to plant grass between the stones, please, pour humus soil between the stones and level it. Then, please, place the grass’ seeds. Within a week the grass will grow and the trail will be complete. You may want to connect the stones with grout. If so, carefully pour the mixture between the stones, smoothen the surface and allow to dry.и изчакайте да изсъхне.
After you have completed all the steps in the construction of a stone path, it is time to relax and enjoy!
If you want, you can see other landscape solutions with stones for your garden.