Irish moss, creeping thymeidk, what plant would be best for your local conditions. My patio is quite old 30 years, or more. Devin, thank you for the article and for your generosity in responding to questions/comments. The original plan to use the polymeric sand to seal the joints is long jettisoned after reading your blog here and others how it destroys the shine and luster of the native rock. 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. Some people try and solve this problem with plastic edging. So far we have tried aggressive scrubbing test areas with soap and water, aggressive scrubbing with a 50/50 bleach mixture, and also with a powerful house siding cleaning mixtureall with no luck, the same haze remains. Compacting the gravel will also help keep weeds from coming through. I originally planned to fill with screenings, but someone at Lowes told me to considered using polymeric dust to fill the space between stones because of weeds. 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. Mix up type S mortar mixpre-mixed stuff is fine. Unfortunately, job is small and nothing artistic about it. I heard that self-leveling sealant with a backer rod may be better from someone. Extremely helpful. Also avoid non-porous rocks like pea gravel, river rocks, fish rocks, sand, glass marbles, etc. I then will use the 1/8 to 1/4 between the joints as advised. Hi Devin. Fill the joints with stone dust/aka screenings, decomposed granite, ectthe same stuff you should use to level the stones out with. Weed and ant proof. Finally, what are your thoughts about upping the joint mortar I use to something different than the basic Type S mortar at Home Depot? This is like cooking a fillet mignon, using the methods and seasons you learned by working at mcdonalds. Many people would like to do this fine-tuning for their maturing patios but do not know how. If you wish to pressure wash a patio that has screenings for the joints, then you will have to sweep the material back into place after pressure washing. Thanks for saving me from the poly sand! The 3/8 crushed basalt is the right stuff. Also, Id wait at least 2 weeks before powerwashing over new jointsand at least that long, more like a month, before using acid. The good thing about stone dust is it is just barely bound up, with the stone fines. Id never considered using steel slag for use with flagstone. Larger than half an inch= more likely to crack. I live in the the finger lakes region of New York. No problem. Main problem I see so far is that those are pretty thin flagstones for dry laid. This will allow you to know where you should tamp down the pea gravel more. A friend recommended polymeric stone dust so I did a search. Dig down to mineral soil, clay/sand, you dont want to build on top of organic material. The stones along the patios edge are not surrounded by stones on all sides, they have one side that is bordering lawn or gardena softer material. Travertine fits together so tight, I think stone dust would be too big. Or small pebbles..but the thing is, that small voids may likely form beneath some of your patio stones. There are many methods of stabilizing pea gravel. Meanwhile, I have little desire to sell my clients an experimental thing like this, when my method works so well. Or 1/4 inch minus gravelof all the synonyms used so far in this article and in the comments, youre the first to bring up 1/4 minus gravel. hi, I just finished building a house with permeable driveway. Does work pretty well and doesn't foam up if the stone is dusty or the ground is damp like the Gravel Lok product does. While grinding out the joints, a few stones separated from their base. Personally, my preference is to merely lay larger stone along the edge of the patiohave all of your edge flagstones, large. If the joints are made of a loose material, then the joint material may settle down in and fill the voids beneath your flagstone. Finally, Ill bring back the stones and level them (with screenings?) Quick question: in cases where the polymeric sand has left a white haze on the slate as you mentioned, what is the best way to remove the haze? I selected Galleries and then Flagstone Walkways, the last two images once magnified to 500% show clear images of your stone screenings. Devin, You are absolutely the best source of info concerning flagstone installation. If theres a concrete foundation, then sure. Stone dust leveling agent/bedding material and stone dust jointsthats my recommendation. Desperately need advice for how to improve curb appeal. Would appreciate your thoughts! Very informative articles. Thanks! Your email address will not be published. Im so glad I found your webpage. First, lay a foundation of compacted stone aggregate, then lay individual flagstones using screenings as the leveling agent. I just have to tell you . I think your solution is the answer. Just sweep the decomposed granite into the cracks between the stones, then turn on the shower to set the DG/stone dust into place. It is not a plastic based material, it is from psyllium husks. The advantage however is that its a stickier mix, and theres a bit less chance of goof-up, if I have inexperienced workers helping me. Or sand, if need be. Some areas are shaded by tress, and some by the house, which I think contributes to algae growth. But the weeds are a pain to keep up with. The sales guy who sold the glue mess to the general contractor (yes, I subbed, once upon a time!) Having said that, its a gamblesometimes you can lay a few flagstones on sand and not have them taken over by ants.so such a small amount of sand in between your flagstones may not be an issue. I am filling 1/2 3/4 joints in flagstone. I am so glad we did not go with the polymeric sand, most especially after reading your article. Calcium chloride or other salt substitute should be fine, but salt will deteriorate mortar. 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. With large gaps like that, this is the best that can be doneis find a way to get the slope corrected. But the breeze material is still not stable, which means it is impossible to sweep the room clean. Im replacing an existing paver patio that was installed on a gravel/stone dust base with flagstones. Ixnay on the oplypay urethane-ay and-say,okay? 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 was tempted to use the leftover poly sand from our paved project on our flagstones which already have screenings between them because after a good rain lots of stone chips pop up onto the flagstones making it unpleasant to walk on with bare feet. Inch and a half Ill pass.but if theres stones with 2 inches or more of sand, then I expect to see more problems down the road. You could spray Acetic acid (vinegar) into the stone joints, deterring weed growth. The mallet can only do minor adjustments, as far as leveling flagstones is concerned. Stones will stay in place if done correctly. Please do remember folks, local soils may vary. Good luck! Good luck! It is also nice to know you are willing to travel if I have a job in the future that meets your criteria! Also can I expect your comment via email or simply on this site? The deck builders say they often use polymeric sand between the pool beam and deck pavers. I dont use landscape cloth beneath a patio. Spread it out, rake it in, hose it down. * This works better with tight joints. Still, this stuff is what you are asking me for. Further, the stone dust I have seen is just the flour part of the DG that you describe using, without any of the 1/8 particles. Ants? Pleas re-read the above article, for my thoughts on that! Here you can buy grey gravel, red gravel and cream colored gravel.stone dust is available in those very same colors, because stone dust is graveljust smaller. Would you suggest minus (I believe here in eastern Mo. Wide flagstone joints are okay.if you plan on planting say irish moss or clover or something. . These stones on the pool edge got mortared in joints, dyed dark gray to match the stone dust/DG that was used for the rest of the flagstone. You never want to use mortar, if the foundation is dry laid. I seem to have to pressure wash mine every year. Polymeric sand is no good. Devin-Way to go! 8-12 of compacted 21AA limestone (well compacted), decomposed granite and then filled the joints with decomposed granite. work the soil to a depth of approximately 5 to 6 inches, How To Keep Gravel In Place In A Driveway. Is it well compacted? Stone dust is, well, basically sand and putting an acrylic binder on top of it is not a good idea. Thanks for the quick reply. Fact is, no one really uses it, so I never encounter examples of good, or bad installations using the product. Hi! As far as the gravel goes, crusher run is the stuff. Or can I fill all of the stones with top soil? Anyway. The flagstone are mainly grey from age. Sorry. Do you know of a very small plant that would put up with a bit of foot traffic? Expect to be topping off the stone dust trenches a couple times a year, first year or 2. Hi I have dog kennel for my dog and I was wondering .Should I use pea gravel or cement I wont something easy to clean. 4. In a northern climate, cement misused in a dry laid application will almost certainly fail. I would not recommend sand for in between flagstone joints. Sand was also used in between bricks as 1/8 gap fill. The other thing to watch for, as far as separation between your mortar joint and the edge of your flagstoneis getting everything clean. Excellent advice! Hi Devin. And with a 3/4 gap between the flagstones, like you said. I would of course not recommend it, for reasons outlined in the article above.well, it wouldnt be my first recommendation anyway. You basically pour the product over existing gravel surfaces and let it dry to keep gravel in place. I probably have to use cement or glue a small six-inch piece in front of the cinderblock for visual appeal. My husband and I were considering using the polymeric sand in our new flagstone patio but my gut was telling me to go with the natural product. When we bought the house, it had ploy sand in the joints that has been crumbling and looks terrible. Thank you Devin for this, preparing to put in quartz flags in Colorado over clay soil, gravel base, love this long term solution you provide with decomposed granite for leveling and filler. Best of luck! I wouldnt bother with the cement What youre describing probably isnt causing harm, but stone dust alone will do the job so why add cement? Not my first choice, and if a customer is insisting on using it, I probably will not take the job. Compare. I just want to say thank you for your articles and all the questions youve answered on here. Seee this post here on sand cement or gravel. However, since the gravel is loose, people often need to know how to stabilize pea gravel. Anyway, after its gone just sweep in screeinings and be happy. Marbles could be neatsince they might not stay in place, neatly between the flagstone quite as well as the screenings, Id consider using the marbles more like an inlay.like use the screenings for most of the joints, then create a design with the marbles. But then, it its still more rigid and solid than we want, for flagstone joints. Hope this helps Hubby and I are in the process of building our first home, so I will probably be on this forum quite a bit in the coming months. Thank you. Be sure to hose off and dont let muriatic acid sit long, as it can deteriorate the joint materialmuriatic acid eats cement. Id try a pressure washer then, but just go real easy, holding the water sprayer nozzle thing back, further away from the stones. We are tracking all the dirt and rocks in the house. Cobblestones were probably laid on a bed of sand on top of that concrete, so it might be best to lift the cobbles, re-lay on stone dust, fit em tighter, fill gaps with stone dust. 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