Tennis courts are made from a variety of surfaces, including clay, crushed stone, grass, carpet, synthetic surfaces and what is known as a hard surface. Hard courts are by far the most common type in the United States, according to the American Sports Builders Association, due to their affordability and durability. Made from layers of [...]
Many people prefer mortared patios because they have a formal look and provide total weed control. When building a mortared patio you will need to build a slab foundation or you can use an existing concrete surface as a foundation if it is clean, intact and at least 3 inches thick. Choose and Dry Fit [...]
A dry-laid flagstone walk is set on a gravel and sand base. Properly installed, it will last more than a lifetime with little maintenance. Though the following instructions are for working with flagstone, you can follow the same steps to install brick, Belgian block or concrete pavers for a walk. Walk Design Begin by determining [...]
In Part I of our Definitive Guide to Paths and Walkways series, we discussed the various functions of paths and walkways, their design, slope and drainage. In Part II we will take a look at the various kinds of paths and walkways, the materials that make them up and the process of building them. So [...]
Although paths and walkways direct foot traffic and provide access into and through the landscape, they can fulfill several other landscaping functions. Walkways can divide up large areas, providing more vantage points for viewing gardens. Within a garden, a well-designed path can draw you toward a particular destination. When you use the same material for [...]
Plants almost always suffer if they are close to the area where you are installing a stonework project. Not only does most stonework require some excavation, it also adds tremendous concentrated weight to the underlying soil. Nearby roots are likely to be damaged while you’re working. Ninety percent of a plant’s feeder roots are in [...]
Although mortared stonework can cost up to twice as much as the same work dry laid, safety or aesthetic reasons make it preferable in some applications. Avoid using mortar as a substitute for fitting stone to stone or as an attempt to defy gravity. For home improvement and landscaping, mortared stonework is more popular in [...]
With the exception of placing specimen stones, the following steps apply to working with stone. While the steps may be the same no matter which type of stone you use, the work is most challenging when the stones are irregularly shaped. Without experience, it may be hard to believe that the quality and overall look [...]
The specific tools you will use depend on both the project itself and the type of stone you are using. Besides general construction and landscaping tools, you’ll use tools to shape, split and cut stone. Other tools will help you move and set large stones. For mortared projects, you will also need tools for mixing [...]
As we discussed in Stone As A Building Material, our first post on this subject, stone is never homogeneous; there can be variations in quality even among different stones from the same quarry. It takes vigilance, visual inspection and an occasional whack of a hammer to evaluate the quality of a specific type of stone. [...]
