Having a walkway in your garden or backyard can be very useful and give your garden a finished appearance. A pathway can eliminate wear and tear of your lawn, invite you into your garden, as well as provide a nice even place to walk. While creating a walkway can be a tedious task, the work will pay off. It may take several days to complete a project of this magnitude so plan accordingly. Here are the steps you will need to create a walkway.
1. First you will need to make your plans. Mark the areas you plan to use as a walkway with spray chalk. To make your pathway interesting add some gentle curves. Try to avoid placing your walkway over large tree roots which can cause damage in the future. You will be digging up the space for your walkway. Make some measurements of the length and width of your pathway. You will use these measurements to determine the amount of materials you will use for the job.
2. You should purchase the materials you will need for the job before starting on it. Visiting a hardware store can be beneficial at this point. There, you can decide which type of pavers, stones, or bricks you will use for the job. In addition, you can order the sand and gravel you will need for the next step.
3. Next, you will have to remove all the plants and debris in your way. Once you have done this, you can begin digging. You may use shovels for this part or a flat shovel called a spade. Take your time removing the earth and try to keep the ground as even as possible. You should plan on removing at least 3 inches of dirt to make enough space for your materials.
4. Once you have dug up the area for your pathway, it is time to start laying the foundation. A good foundation begins with a layer of small gravel. Spread the gravel around the bottom of your walkway. A one inch layer of gravel will do. Next, you will fill in the top area with sand. Keep in mind that by creating a level foundation, you will have a level pathway. You should use a tamper to flatten the sand as much as possible and a level to make sure the ground is flat. Although not necessary, weed prevention fabric can be laid over the sand to help prevent weeds and other plants from growing in the spaces in your walkway.
5. Now you will be able to start laying out your pavers, stones, or bricks for your walkway. If you have pavers that fit together a certain way, it might benefit you work on the pattern before putting them down on the pathway. Once you have worked out how the pattern will go, you can lay the pieces down in pathway. Begin on one end and evenly space the pieces apart. Continue working until the walkway has been filled with the pavers. Check to be sure the walkway is level before moving on to the next step and make adjustments as needed.
6. Finally you will fill in the space between your bricks, pavers, or stones with sand. Use a wheelbarrow of sand and dump it onto the new walkway. Take a brush broom and sweep the sand into the cracks. Continue doing this until you have filled in all the cracks. Lastly, you will need to lightly water the pathway to help it set into place. Now it is time to sit back and enjoy your walkway.
