Im not sure what was put between them at the time. Either fulling the joints with soil and seeding, or, during the excavtion Ill carefully remove the sodthe grass itself plus 2 of soil and roots along with it. I used baking soda on my patio to kill weeds. Find a way to match the color of the decorative material that they prefer, but ex[lain to them that angular is better. Add more water (if needed) until the mix is the consistency of cookie batter. I was wondering I have put all my random flagstone down on the screening. Not sure DG would drain properly with the cement base. Always wear a mask and gloves for this part. it will likely stay glued to itself.but the bricks or stone that it is set amongstthese will not be clean surfaces. Perhaps you could take a smaller piece of stone, create a mosaic up top of thatand use the resultant piece as a smaller paving stone, set on stone dust, among your dry laid flagstones. They get slippery. Given how unpleasant it is to walk on screenings with bare feet, what would your suggestion be for spaces that are greater than 3? Any ideas? If you would like detailed project instructions using this method, justclickon this link. Never seal grave level exterior stone. A homemade stepping stone is supposed to look like a homemade stepping stone and not something made in a Chinese prison factory based on a design first copied in the 1970s. I am totally on board with between the cracks, but should I insist on the bed as well? Make sure the patio is pitched hard enough. Were doing 12 in diameter round. If the paver base is made up of 1/8 chips of stone, mixed up with smaller bits, much of which is so small that it is flour-like, then, well, its the right stuff. How much foot traffic are we expecting? Your email address will not be published. I then took a blower and carefully blew away the very small amount of dust that accumulated on the open surface of the flagstone as a result of the vibrating process. I thought I was the only one because the rookies and the guys who just want the money sell it like its some kind of elixir. Do we start over? Good luck with it, whatever you do. I think I read up above that one shouldnt have to pressure wash flagstone patios very often I think you mentioned once every 10 years. That depends on the supplier. Thank you for the details. Id prefer to avoid power tools and stick with as much a natural look as possible. But when I see this happening on other jobs, its always one of two issues, or both: 1. Or can I fill all of the stones with top soil? Is this stone in question local, or otherwise desireable to you? I just completed a four month long project laying 800 sf of irregular Pennsylvania Blue flagstone (variable thickness stone of 1.5 to 2.25 inches think); at our house in Seattle, WA. If youre using a specific design, its helpful to trace the shape of your stepping stone mold onto the design. Then, apply your cut paper design on top if using a pattern. Though it may require some maintenance, down the road. We are having a dry laid, recto-linear patterned, natural cleft, blue stone patio installed by a professional landscaper, but I am a little worried about the size of some of the joints. Mosaic stepping stones are great first projects, but they dont have to be cheap and cheesy or dangerous. Im just kind of not liking going with the plain gray. Once you have your tiles ready, mix the concrete or stepping stone mix according to the manufacturers instructions. Also, are their any loose flagstones? IDK what the limestone flour only material is you speak of, but you should be able to find proper screenings/grit/decomposed granite/8th inch minus/crusher run/etc in your area, under one name or another. A site visit could be arranged, if necessary. Wait a minutethis cavity is 18 inches deep? Sure, if you have 3 gaps between your stones you could fill them with a couple of river rocks, and the decomposed on top/around the rive ricks. En Oh spells nope, just dont do it, ever. Concrete on top of tiles can be scraped off using a small screwdriver or other steel tool. Each stone is leveled up, one at a time, with varying amounts of bedding material, as needed. Do you have any recommendations on my project? Filled with stone dust and in order to keep the gaps looking regular we only had to re-cut a few of them to correct the factories imperfect cutting. Basic advice can be free but you worked hard and long to get those skills and knowledge. Devin, Thanks for all your thoughtful advise. Add at least 20 tons of fines. Ceramic materials have lots of pores, and there are tiny cracks in the glazing, so these materials are moresusceptible to freeze damage. 1. If you do not have any orange based cleaner, then try using a bit of vinegar along with the wire-brush. Any suggestions on how to keep it from washing downhill? But after reading your postings I am not sure what to do. I will check out your website further. Also, very impressive stone sculptures! Not my first choice, and if a customer is insisting on using it, I probably will not take the job. (You can use a Cricut or Silhouette Cameo cutting machine for this step, if available.). Lets examine these advantages one at a time: Related content: One on one help is available. Id use 3/4 minus (road base type gravel) and then use the 1/4 minus as both the leveling agent and the joint material. It was inspiring, insightful, knowledgeable and overall great advice. My brother suggested sand? If you do find my advice useful, then please do share some of my work on whatever social media you use, especially photos of my dry stone sculpture: https://www.devineescapes.com/dry-stone-sculpture/. It was wet out today and all the beautiful color of the flagstone was showing nicely where I have not used poly sand on the joints; but in the areas where I used poly sand it all has a dull haze and the natural colors just dont come through. Also, its toxic stuff were talking. What if I use the yogurt method etc? What is the best way to get the cracks between the flagstones sealed? Hope that helps and I wish you good luck! If an area is Shady or damp then sometimes that can cause thin algae growth that can make flagstones look dirty. Ive been researching decomposed granite and want to use that but cannot find a place to buy it. Thank you. I would of course not recommend it, for reasons outlined in the article above.well, it wouldnt be my first recommendation anyway. We have large four inch thick, Colonial stone laid on a dry base, like a stepping stone path. Must be a west coast thing. Now in my irregular natural shaped flagstone patio work I will usually leave gaps averaging about three quarters of an inch wide. Right now I am waiting for the contractor and his crew to show up to fix the problem. Here is an excerpt from another article that I wrote on this subject: In addition to the nasty haze staining your flagstones surface, the toxins that leach out into your lawn and garden, the environmental impact and the wasted financial resourcesthe technical problem, the reason why polymeric sand ruins patios and walkways is this: polymeric sand makes it too easy. For example, to make two small stepping stones, I recently used 8 pounds of wet thinset mixed with 4 pounds of pea gravel. How many cups of mortar do I use per mold. Plain concrete stepping stones can be purchased from lawn and garden centers. Thanks! What do you suggest or have you had these problems also? Cool, Im glad that worked out from youand Ill use those two flagstone photos, for next time someone asks a similar question. Seriously, how much rain did you get? Do you recommend using cement/sand mortar combination or to go with stone dust. I have a full time job and a sheep farm and it is amazing how many people want free food just because I have a farm. Your email address will not be published. Thanks for all this great information that I will use to make some various sized stepping stones for my garden. Thank you. If stone chips are getting all over the surface of your flagstone, then the joints are probably over filled. Your email address will not be published. Always use protective gear when mixing concrete, including a face mask and gloves. Then, you arrange your tiles beforehand, as shown above. I like the idea of the screenings but do we now have to remove all of the sand? Theres also an adjoining bluestone path with 2 joints, but Ive used mulch for those and pounded it in; seems to be holding although it gets weedy of course. Id never considered using steel slag for use with flagstone. have never once needed to replace a stone, and its maybe 800 sq ft flagstone, all told. Stays in place. If theres a concrete foundation, then sure. All around, cleaning up the poly sand haze is either a speculative affair, or a dangerous blow torch deal, best left to professionals! I realize it would be better to remove everything but Im not up to doing that. In reality, nothing is impossible. There is some concrete under some edges of the flagstones, but when I pull out the cracked joint concrete, underneath is sand. Its a big time-saver! Lay an inch of 1/4 minus (stone dust, oathway fines, DG) over this, screed out nice and level, hose down ( on the shower setting, dont soak) then tamp. Others, with a concrete border. Do you think this woudl be a better option than concrete with our climate? I would like to fill the joint of the flagstone patio with decomposed granite so I can match the color somewhat. We are in Ontario, Canada. Travertine fits together so tight, I think stone dust would be too big. Or plan a ground cover of some type. Or how to deal with it? Wear a dust mask when mixing up thinset to avoid breathing dust, and mix it up outdoors for easy clean up. D-limonene. Despite that, regular stone dust usually works just fine in between flagstones, without any binder, polymeric or otherwise. I am sure this is what the person who installed our flagstone patio 8 years ago said to use to fill the cracks. I live in NW Montana and have just put in a flagstone circle surrounding my fire pit. My plan was to go with a fairly tight joint for the whole patio but then get even tighter for the 5 feet or so immediately close to the pool.in the end, I think the entire patio got a half inch joint, maybe more like three eighths to a quarter inch, for the few feet closest to the pool, but no major difference, just a smidge tighter right by the pool. Thanks for pointing this out. We surrounded the design with the rest of the flagstones in a circle (resulting in a centre medallion type of look) and then they are laid randomly to the outer edge of the patio in a normal fashion. Well, its fairly easy, but you have to becarefulthe sand is mixed with a binder. One last question on screenings is this something Home Depot carries? My search for this is not yielding good information. Not familiar with that product. Ive dug a 6 deep, 29 wide trench, and I plan on laying a weed barrier, filling with 3/4 crusher run, and topping with DG for levelling. When you re-lay you need to fit them bricks tighter. Deep bow of thanks for all of the wisdom youve shared here with your article and the comment section. Sorry, this website is all about natural stone. I have a circle design using left-over holland pavers; so there are cracks. Most of all, I love sharing these hobbies with others around the world. The first thing I want to do is find a way to make it less sloped. After only 2 months the patio has developed a cavity probably 12-18 deep with an oblong hole in the sand about 6 long. Boil a pot of water, to kill weeds. Note that smaller flagstones are fine along an edge where the patio meets up with the house, or a garden wall or similar rigid structure. It would drain away but I assume some of it may get tracked into the pool. Tamp the soila hand tamper that you buy at the hardware store will work just fine, a plate compactor will spare you the strain (rob you of a good work-out.Ill be honest, a very good work-out. You have about 2 to 3 hours of working time provided you keep the thinset covered when not in use. We had flagstones placed in our outdoor shower about 5 years ago. Dont use any real small stones. Another optionfit the stones so tight together so that theres really no need for filler. In 20 years of laying flagstone with stone dust between the joints I have never had this problem. Thanks. Also on my jobs the joints are maybe an inch wide, or less.Ive seen other hardscapes where the flagstones have 3 gaps between themtry keeping anything in there. Then, if I want to achieve a stained glass effect, can I grout with charcoal colored grout and do I use sanded or unsanded? Well, its more complicated than that. Any suggestions? I cut my glass putting glass at bottom of mold.can not find white cement anymore. A little bit more than you think it needs. The joints are too wide. If you leave the stone dust all the way filled to the top, its going to spill out and get everywhere. Bummer. As such, it handles the Pennsylvania free-thaw rather well. I do not recommend poly sand. I already clear out a 15 X 15 for my back patio. I had planned to use decomposed granite for bedding and also in the joints. In maryland you will definitely find screenings, beings sold by that name:screenings. I am Gonna use the bluestone dust we got from the quarry. Your answers to questions were helpful, thank you. I do think I may need to cut a center trench prior to adding the sand and screening to add a drainage pipe in case of future settling? As a professional contractor, I generally just purchase road base, gravel, and compact it for my foundation. Crafting, decorating, and cooking are a few of my favorite things. Void forms beneath flagstone.joint settles in and fills that voidthen you top off joint. Maybe lay 2 inches and tamp that, lay the top layer and leave that loose. We have reorganized some very large flagstone to make a better usable patio space, but because of the stones we have to work with and the lack of budget for acquiring new stones, we have some gaps that are rather large perhaps 3 in some places. On the surface, no pun intended, it seems like a bullet proof option but for my flag stone patio Im going with the stone dust option! Id wager that it would remove the poly sand hazeuse proper precautionsif it does work, you will have little bits of plastic flaking off and disintegrating, which will then need to be cleaned up again in turn. Would appreciate your advice. Then maybe Id write an article and update it once a year, reporting on how it performs and how to best maintain it. https://www.devineescapes.com/flagstone-what-to-use-sand-cement-or-gravel/. Anyway, I suspect white screenings are going to be too white for what youre trying to match. The Mosaic Store is Australia's largest supplier of mosaic tiles, tools, kits and supplies for art & craft. Worse, ants love it. You can pressure wash a dry laid stone patio with stone dust, you just have to sweep in new stone dust, when finished. Screenings are not the same as polymeric sand. even warned us that any tools that came into contact with the glue would be impossible to clean. This method is known as the direct method and is quite easy to master. Hose down. Fact is, if natracil wanted some publicity.theyd send me a free sample. Do not use polymeric sand with flagstone. Im in Tucson AZ and have a very large flagstone patio that is 15 yrs old and is showing many cracks in the mortar grout. In warmer places, a 3 to 4 inch gravel base is more common. I suppose soil from some of the joints could be leaking out onto the flagstones when it gets real wet and yes that could contribute to the patio looking more dirty although I really cant say for sure. Not to be pendantic! Now in the above drawing, on the left is 3/4 to 1 clean gravel. This is in New Jersey by the way. There are a number of cracks around a number of stones. What I would do is lift up a few stones and observe the foundation. Lay the 2x down on top of the trench and hammer down to tamp. A professional, who will talk with you on the phone, and walk you through the process of laying flagstone, repairing flagstone, or any other such situation? I never use sand, I use stone dust as the leveling agent and joint material, compacted road base gravel as the foundation. if yes, how do i make it firm permanently, such that i can have basketball tiles placed on that surface. But I would toss it together with stone dust, mixing the two, and consider it an acceptable joint material, so lang as its at least half stone dust/screenings and so long as its mixed fairly well. Then gently give it a few taps with a mallet to seat it into place. 1. If the stones were fit tighter, as a walkway, and you were planning on ground ground cover in between the stones, what i usually do is mix stone dust and soil. Some people try and solve this problem with plastic edging. If you have a pattern on contact paper at the bottom of the mold, you would first pour in some plain thinset and then top the mold off with the mixture of thinset and pea gravel. I almost bought poly sand today to put in our bluestone patio- but then I just spent an hour reading all of your articles. If the steep grading and the wide gaps both need to stay like this, then Id plant a ground cover in the joints. Would that have same affect as the pea pebbles? Would this work? Orange oil. You would need to use charcoal/black grout for grouting a mosaic made on a pre-made stepping stone or press the tile into concrete dyed black with concrete dye if you are making the stepping stone with a mold. PLEASE CHECK YOUR ORDER CAREFULLY AS WE ARE NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO IT ONCE IT IS PLACED. I cant recommend a particular company as Ive only stalled the stuff a couple of times. Do you need hardscape help? Not sure how far they are from you, but this material looks right. Thanks, JoAn. Otherwise it will crack up. Polymeric sand is sand with an acrylic binder added. It is not a plastic based material, it is from psyllium husks. Expect to be topping off the stone dust trenches a couple times a year, first year or 2. Instead, you have to use thinset mortar, which is a powdered portland cement with polymers added for enhanced adhesive properties and strength. Carefully remove the stone from the mold, and polish it with a soft cloth. Separation will happen. Plastic. In fact, Ive seen many hardscapes home owner installations, where natural dirt, I mean local soil, was used for the foundation. Shove some stuff under there. In your opinion, should I use poly sand instead of DG or possibly just pour concrete? Hi We are going to try and repair some ancient stone walls on our Marthas Vineyard property. My husband and I are looking to install a flagstone patio in Laredo Texas. Tip: Wait 30 to 45 minutes before you start pressing objects into the wet concrete. Thats limestone screenings. Or, just fill the gap with road base gravel. We thought of ripping the whole thing out and putting stamped concrete because we hate the gaps so much (weeds, ants, etc). Thinset mortar mixed with a little pea gravel is MUCH stronger than ordinary concrete. Use a putty knife or wooden craft stick to smooth the surface of the mix. I have been looking all over- there is polymer sand, polymer binging agents, etc., but what would work best for a long path? Naturally it failed. Shoot me an email if you think youll need personal guidance, otherwise goodluck and I hope Ive been helpful . We got heavy rain and its very wet and now some of the stones move and are sloshing around in the stone dust there are no pools of water but its really soft and the lots of the stones move and almost slosh down when stepped on. Thats the basic formula. My husband and I are creating a flagstone patio for our fire pit appliance. Would you do a combination something? Then theres the flagstone work we did around this pond.so loose, I cant even call it a patio: https://www.devineescapes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/pond-water-feature.jpg. 9 Percy Harris Street, Jindabyne, NSW, 2627. Joe. White screenings are made from limestoneand crushed limestone has a bad name, in the hardscaping industry, because it tends to hold water. This method is best for mixed-media designs made from marbles and other rounded found objects that couldnt stick reliably to a piece of contact paper. Even grass seed maybe. Main problem I see so far is that those are pretty thin flagstones for dry laid. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but the two products should not be used interchangeably. Sorry for the delayed responseIve been busy finishing up with the years work before the winter sets in. I would like to make some stepping stones with a black cement filler- what do you recommend doing to achieve that color? Are there any key steps Im missing? Results may varypolymeric sand is not always easy to fix.. In fact.whereas I am opposed to using cement in the joints, especially if there is no concrete foundationi can at least see a reason to use cement there: trying to avoid weeds, and looking for a stable joint. Having said all that, I still prefer to fit pattern flagstone more tightly, quarter inch to eighth an inchon a recent 400 square foot patio that we built we had eighth inch gaps.. Thank you in advance. Decomposed granite is the same thing. Thank you for a helpful and thouogh guide. I dont know what type of drain they installed.or what they did wrong. I just need big money plus artistic license/free reign! and do you ask for just that (Stone dust or screenings)? -just planting grass in between the stone. Im not sure what to do about the wasps so much maybe if you got the Moss firmly established it would stop looking like a good place for the wasps. Just make sure to do the project at a time inwhich the weather is not expected to get below freezing for a good 48 hours or longer. If your stone is on a concrete base, then you want to repair it with mortar, not stone dust. Again, elbow grease. Required fields are marked *. Ive used products before where you actually add a binder to the gravel. So I think you can get away with a 2 joint, if thats what youre into. I have a slope in my backyard for about 15 to 20 degrees. If I keep the joints tight will the material bind enough to keep water from percolating into ground?