12 years ago

Building a flagstone patio for outdoor dining...been told several different thing re: base for stone...want to have material in between stones like thyme groundcover, but not in every crack...we compacted clay soil then brought in 1- 1/2" inches of fill sand to get ready to lay stone...any thoughts on how to go from here and if we did the right thing??? Thank you.

Bluestone Patio with Flagstone and Granite Fire Pit · More Info

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PRO

Verde Design Group, Landscape Architects Inc.

12 years ago

The thicker the better on the flagstone. 1-1/2" can work for a patio depending on the density of the stone--stone varies a lot--check with the stone supplier. Since you are planning on planting some of the 'joints'--make sure you get washed sand to make sure there isn't a high salt content in the sand. Decomposed granite (DG) can work very well for this application. www.krcrock.com and www.thompsonbldg.com have some great photos of pebbles, random stone, DG etc. that you can fine tune your selections. Most stone suppliers use a broker to locate their material, so if you find something online you really like bring the photo to your supplier and they can order samples for you. We have found that most stone yards rename the stone--so sometimes it can be a challenge to locate a match if you are just going by the name of the stone.......photos avoid this. Good luck!

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Comments (7)

Dirt Digger
12 years ago
Where do you live? How thick is the flagstone you will be laying? How much space did you plan to have between stones?
lindagreg
Original Author
12 years ago
We live in so cal. Santa ynez valley. We were planning on using 1 1/2" thick rock as we were told any thinner would crack. We put nice 1-1 1/2" base of fill sand already. Want to put some groundcover in between in approx 2-3" cracks but not throughout. Would like some of the fill sand ( which has lots of little sharp pebbles in it) to show as well . Found some 1" minus Oklahoma that we reLly like but I guess too thin. Any ideas or help would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Dirt Digger
12 years ago
You definitely don't want to go any thinner than 1 1/2...2" would be better .. .I would put in some sandy loam in the areas where you want the thyme to be...it doesn't like clay and I'm afraid if you don't then it won't do well...loam or compost should help break down the clay so it's roots will be happy...then you can have your sand showing everywhere else. I would check with a local nursery, though...I am not that familiar with your climate. Good luck!
mousemaker
12 years ago
our terrace is brick and one of our main concerns was making sure that water drains away from the house. there will be some settling, i think, even though it's on clay, although clay does not drain well.
lindagreg
Original Author
12 years ago
Wow! Thank you very much for your input! Will check out those helpful links...we r being told to put some mortar under each stone to help level as each piece is different. We put fill sand as a base already and it is little aggregates with some sand mixed in...
PRO
Verde Design Group, Landscape Architects Inc.
12 years ago
The sand with some little aggregate should be fine. Based on our experience the mortar under the stones is not needed if you are talking about larger pieces of flagstone (24" and bigger). Most masonry contractors will use the sand as a leveling base, and either add or subtract some sand under each stone so that the final product is level.