CREATE A STEPPING STONE PATH
Tools required :- Spade, spot board, trowel, markers i.e. sticks, rubber mallet
Placing stepping stones across a garden lawn is a great way to create easy access to sheds, flowerbeds and patio areas, with the minimum of disruption to the lawn itself.
First walk the route you wish to cross your lawn and at each step leave a marker such as a short stick, stuck in the ground. This will give you the number of stepping stones you will need and a guide for where to eventually lay them. Now you can spend some time at your local DIY store choosing some suitably coloured / shaped paving to suit your taste and garden.
To lay the stepping stones start by placing each one in the positions you have already marked out, have a walk across them in case any need adjusting to suit your length of stride, when you are happy with their position cut around each one with a spade and remove the turf and soil to a depth of three times the thickness of each of the stepping stones / pavers you have chosen, i.e. if the paving stone is 1 1/2″ ( 38mm) thick, dig down to 4 1/2″ (114mm). At the base of each hole try to dig under the turf with a small trowel, at least three inches (75mm) as shown in fig 1, this will create a wider base for the stepping stone / paver and therefore reduce the chance of it wobbling when it is stepped on, as it will be standing alone rather than being ’locked’ in to other paving that would normally surround it, i.e. on a driveway.
fig 1
Use a cement mix (See mixing cement post) with a little aggregate added (stone chippings) as the base / foundation for each stepping stone / paver, tap each one down and as level as possible gently with a rubber mallet (ornamental paving can crack if hit too hard) and fill any gaps around each stepping stone / paver with some of the previously excavated soil. Let them set in place for 24 / 48hrs and you have a stepping stone path. If you were to lay the stones / paving directly on the soil they will more than likely start to rock when they are stepped on, especially if the ground has a tendency to hold water due to its composition or poor drainage.