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Gardening with Stone

slate over concrete, 5' x 8' area

20 years ago

There is a 5' x 8' concrete landing outside of my front door. It is covered with worn out fake grass carpeting, which was installed by previous owners. So I have no idea what condition the concrete is in. Is it feasible to lay slate or manufactured stone directly over the concrete without mortar? Would the weight of 18 " x 18" or 24 " x 24" pieces keep it in place? The lowest winter temp is about 0-5 deg.

My husband just thinks we should rip out the fake grass and install better quality outdoor carpet.

Any ideas on the cost of pro installing the slate vs. carpeting the slab?

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Comments (2)

gottagarden
20 years ago
Carpeting will be lots lots cheaper and easier.

Installing slate over concrete would be much better with mortar. You can buy dimensioned stone - cut into regular sizes like 24x24, but for an extra price you could also have it dimensioned for thickness. Installing over concrete without mortar would need to be dimensioned for thickness, and probably wouldn't stay in place and small leaves and dirt and pebbles would get underneath it and make it unstable. What would stop the pieces along the edge from drifting over the edge?
doc_dot
20 years ago
We have a terrace paved with slate. It is very slippery when wet.
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