How To Lay Flagstone On Decomposed Granite

Step 1

Place a call to your city building department to see if there are any required building permits.

Step 2

Contact your utility company and have them mark off any areas with underground wiring where you're not allowed to dig.

Step 3

Measure the desired length and width of your patio and pound four wood stakes into the ground to denote your four borders. Run a piece of twine along the outside of the four pieces of wood.

Step 4

Excavate a hole within the borders of your area, approximately six inches deep, and level out the soil at the bottom.

Step 5

Install flexible edging around the inner border of your digging area by pounding posts into the ground to secure the edging.

Step 6

Dump a three-inch layer of decomposed granite onto the entire bottom surface of your dug-out area, and level out the decomposed granite until it's even.

Step 7

Step 8

Compact the decomposed granite down tightly with a plate compactor, which can be rented from a store that sells building materials.

Step 9

Add a three-inch layer of sand on top of the decomposed granite and level it out by using a rake to smooth the surface.

Step 10

Lay your flagstones one at a time, starting in one of the corners. If you're using loose flagstones, leave around one inch of space between stones. If you're using flagstone pavers, leave 1/8 inch of space between stones.

Step 11

Fill in all cracks between the flagstones tightly with sand and spread the sand around with a broom.

Step 12

Sweep any sand off the surface of the stones, and the patio is ready to use.

Step 13