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Flagstone patios can be installed simply on a sand bed and is somewhat forgiving, allowing for minor adjustments along the way. Sweeping sand in-between the pavers helps prevent shifting.
Preparing the bedding is very important in laying the patio. A 4-inch bed of sand is adequate for flagstone. If the pieces are of varying thickness having a thicker sand bed is helpful.
Tools & Materials:
Flagstone, work gloves, safety goggles, wooden stakes, sledgehammer, shovel, gravel or rock dust, 2x4 scrap of timber, rubber mallet, 4-foot spirit level, brush & garden hose
Instructions:
- Prepare the area.
Drive wooden stake into the ground to mark the layout of the area. Remove enough sod and dirt approximately 4 inches down, to allow room for the base. Make accurate sod cuts along the border of the bed. Remove the stakes, add the sand and level it by dragging a piece of 2x4 scrap piece of lumber across the sand.
- Set the first flagstone.
Position the first few flagstones along an edge or around one corner and using even pressure, press the flagstone into the sand. Use a rubber mallet to set them firmly into place. Then space them apart to personal preference, standard is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
- Cut stones as necessary
If it is needed to cut a piece of flagstone to fit a space, mark your cut line across the stone and score it using a cold chisel and hammer. Then use the score line etched in the surface and set a board under the stone for leverage and break the stone along the line.
- Check the surface
After several pieces of flagstone are set, check the level and the evenness of the surface by running a 4-foot spirit level across them. Identify any high spots and then lift the flagstone and remove some sand until the stone rests level with the other stones.
- Fill the joints with sand
When all the stones are in place, drop sand over the entire patio. Then work from one end to the other sweeping the sand back and forth with a broom, forcing the sand into the joints between the stones.
- Spray the surface
Using a garden hose, spray water over the surface, washing and compressing the sand into the joints. Repeat the process, adding more sand when necessary, until the joints are full and firm.
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