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How to Lay Stepping Stones
Enhance your backyard’s charm with a traditional stepping stone path
Photo: Johnny Greig / E+ / Getty Images
Photo: Johnny Greig / E+ / Getty Images
SKILL LEVEL
Intermediate
COMPLETION TIME
6 hours
COST
$500–$1,000
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What you'll need:
TOOLS
- Tape measure
- Shovels
- Spade
- Hand tamper
- Steel rake
SUPPLIES
- Stepping stones
- Gravel road base
- Polymeric/jointing sand
- Stakes and string (for marking your walkway design)
- Plastic paver edging
Stepping stones provide the perfect walkway for the hop, skip, and jump from the back gate to the back door. Or through the garden. Or to the deck. The possibilities for adding charm and color to your backyard are endless. Here’s what to do to prepare for your stepping stone path.
Preparing to Lay Stepping Stones
Because it’s fun to come up with stepping stone walkway ideas, you may just want to jump right into the planning and design process. However, you need to take a few steps before you can fully commit to starting the project.
Find Your Utilities
Before digging, call 811 to get the locations of buried utility lines marked, so you can work around them. The location of buried lines might mean adjusting your pathway. You need to allow at least two full business days for the 811 team to mark your property before you begin digging.
If you dig and hit an underground utility line, you could receive a fine of several hundred dollars.
Additionally, if you have underground sprinklers, you need to be careful about where you dig, so you don’t damage the buried sprinkler lines.
If you are digging near any lines or pipes, use a rounded shovel or one with a blunt edge. Dig with as little force as possible, as the markings may not be perfectly accurate.
Weather Concerns
Avoid starting the project on a day when rain is in the forecast. Rain can wash away base materials and create mud that sticks to everything.
If you don’t mind working with mud, you can lay the stones in drizzle or mist. Light rain should not affect the sand being used as the base material, either. In fact, it may help to compact it.
Digging is certainly easier when the ground is damp, so you may want to start the job after it rains the previous day or after lightly watering the area with a sprinkler a day or two earlier.
Building a Path on a Hill
Learning how to build stone steps on a slope can be a challenge versus doing the job on flat ground. You’ll have to create tiers on the side of the hill, so you can lay the stone flat and keep it level. If this seems too difficult, you may want to select a different path or hire a professional.
Plan Your Stepping Stone Walkway
Photo: Mint Images / Mint Images RF / Getty ImagesThe first step is to choose where your walkway should lead. This will help you determine what clearing needs to be done and what supplies you need.
Will it be a winding path through the garden to nowhere in particular? Or will it be a utilitarian path leading to the outdoor kitchen? Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan:
In the warmer months, dark-colored stones will be hot on bare feet.
Stones with some texture will be less slippery when wet, or when carrying food and drinks to the outdoor kitchen.
If you’re planning side-by-side strolls through your property, you’ll need a path at least 48 inches wide to accommodate two people.
Mark Your Path
Before you get to the heavy lifting, use wooden stakes and string to plan the location of your walkway. Just plant a stake and wind the string around it to get an idea and work around any obstacles.
Once you’re happy with your path, determine how far apart you want to space your stepping stones, so you know how many you’ll need. Aim for it to be at least 36 inches wide, or 48 inches wide to allow for two people to walk side-by-side.
Clear the Area
Depending on the ground cover, you might need to clear any grass, weeds, or bushes along the pathway. Use an herbicide to keep the plants at bay. You might need to reapply a day or two later.
Dig a Trench
Dig a trench about 7 inches to 8 inches deep, using a spade to remove rocks and sod.
This step does require quite a bit of physical labor, so give yourself several days to complete the work. If possible, grab a friend or two to help you out. And don’t forget to hydrate! If you find this to be too much of a lift, you can always call a local landscaper to help you out.
Compact the Soil
Photo: andreaobzerova / Adobe StockOnce you finish digging the trench, you need to flatten down the soil. The easiest and fastest way to do this is to rent a plate compactor for about $60. Once your muscles recover from digging the trench, you can use a hand tamper. You’ll probably need a hand tamper to hit any small areas.
Add a Layer of Gravel
Add a layer of gravel that’s at least 3 inches to 6 inches deep for a base. This will help level your pathway and lock your stones in place. Use a steel rake to spread an even layer of gravel.
Once you add your base layer, you need to compact it down. Wet the gravel with a hose and use your plate compactor and hand tamper to tightly compact it down. Repeat this process as necessary until you have a solid layer of gravel that is slightly below ground level.
Add a Layer of Sand
You’re getting closer to stone time! Next, dump a layer of sand about 3 inches deep on top of your compacted gravel. Use your plate compactor and hand tamper again to pack it down. Create a slight slope, so rainwater will run away from your home and won’t pool in the middle of your pathway.
Lay Your Stepping Stones
Photo: Christine Bird / Adobe StockIt’s time! Use your hose’s mist setting to slightly wet the sand, then lay your paver stones down in the desired pattern. Add extra sand to make any necessary adjustments and maintain the slope.
Remember that stepping stones are heavy. If you can, use a cart, dolly, or wheelbarrow to move the stones to your work area. Stretch first, lift with your knees, and take frequent breaks.
Install Plastic Edging
Keep your carefully laid stepping stones in place with plastic paver edging. Most kits will contain spikes to secure the edging.
Fill in the Joints With Sand
Photo: nuwatphoto / Adobe StockAdd a final one-half-inch layer of sand over the stepping stones and grab your tamper one last time to compact it down to fill in the spaces between stones. This will help keep them snug and in place.
Finally, all you need to do is sweep up loose sand and enjoy a stroll down your newly installed pathway.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Although creating a stepping stone path is a potential DIY job, you might prefer hiring a local stone paver installer to do the work. For a little extra money, these installers may be able to calculate the number of stones you need and transport them for you, too.
Expect to pay about $600 to $1,200 for labor and materials for an average flagstone path length of about 40 feet and width of about 12 inches. A far smaller path could cost as little as $300, while a far longer or wider path could cost $2,500 or more.
If you want to go with a more expensive type of stone than flagstone, you will pay more than the top end of the range, too.
If your pathway requires extensive removal of existing plants or is on a hill, expect to pay a cost toward the higher end of the range. If you’re creating a pathway in a very flat area with little to no trees in the area, expect to pay toward the lower end of the range.
Hiring a pro for creating a stone pathway is cheaper than the professional installation cost of stone steps, which is about $2,200 on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although you could try to lay stepping stones directly over grass, which speeds up the installation process significantly, this method often leads to a poor result over time. Even heavy paver stones will eventually slide or shift on top of the grass. Digging into the ground and following the steps we listed is the best way to lay stepping stones for a long-lasting result.
The stones do not work well on uneven ground. If the stones are not buried into the ground and made level upon installation, they almost certainly will shift or crack on uneven ground. Additionally, rainwater or water from sprinklers can run under the edge of an uneven paver, causing erosion. In a freeze and thaw cycle, trapped water under the paver can cause the problem to worsen by shifting the stepping stones around. Use a bubble level to make sure the ground under each paver is as even as possible, even if the nearby ground is uneven.
About 6 inches between the edges of each stone in the sequence is common. Rather than sticking to 6 inches, some people measure the length of the entire path and adjust the space between stepping stones a couple of inches wider or narrower than 6 inches to make sure the entire path fits the length perfectly without having to cut a paver at either end. Other people prefer a design with a 24-inch distance from the center of one stone to the center of the next stone, which matches the stride of an average-sized person.
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