Laying a flagstone patio is a great way to add a touch of pizzazz to your landscaping. The best part of this project is, that you can do it yourself in a day and save a lot of money in the process.
The first step in installing a flagstone patio is to plan it out on paper. You'll need to figure out what your patio is going to look like. That is, is it going to be square, oval, rectangular or even round in shape? And, depending on how much space you have in your yard, what are its measurements going to be?
The second step is to lay out the design of the patio by using wooden stakes and string. To do this, you'll need to stake out the perimeter. Then, tie the string around the stakes.
Next, you'll need to use a shovel to dig out the perimeter of the flagstone patio. Remove all of the sod and the dirt about five inches down. Make sure that you remove any rocks, roots, et cetera. When the perimeter is completely dug out, rake the area so it is smooth and even. Then, wet the soil thoroughly with a garden hose. Let the water soak into the soil for a few minutes, then compact the dirt with a hand tamper. Finally, remove the wooden stakes and the string and set them aside for another project.
The fourth step is to actually start laying the flagstone in the area of ground you have dug out and prepared. Choose the larger flagstones first because they will be easier to fit in. Start placing them in the perimeter. If any flagstone lays too low, use a trowel to add some dirt in below it. And, if one sticks too far up out of the ground, simply remove it and use a trowel to dig some of the dirt out from underneath it. Then, try to fit the flagstone in again. If it's still too high, remove more dirt until the flagstone lays fairly level with the grassy ground around it.
Also, make sure that each flagstone lays flat in the prepared area. You don't want to step on a flagstone and have it wobble underneath your feet.
After you have the perimeter of your patio finished, it's time to start filling in the middle. You'll probably have to cut some of the flagstones now in order to make them fit together properly. To do this, first lay the flagstone you need to cut over top of the one its going to fit against. Mark the place you have to cut with the end of a sharp nail. Then, use a sledgehammer and a chisel to score the line. Finally, use the sledgehammer to make one quick blow right on the line. The flagstone should split from the force. If it doesn't, carefully hit it again with the sledgehammer. Repeat this process if you need to round the end of the flagstone.
By now, you should have laid down all of the flagstone in the patio. So, the fifth step in this project is to fill in the gaps around them. Use a shovel to fill in the gaps with loose dirt that is free from rocks, other debris, et cetera. Make sure that you fill the gaps full with dirt too.
Then, use the garden hose to gently spray the dirt in between the gaps until it is thoroughly wet. While you are doing this, spray any dirt off of the top of the flagstones. Tamp down the dirt, add more if needed to make it level, and wet it again with the garden hose. Finally, allow the dirt to dry before you use your flagstone patio.
