If you’re looking to add a unique touch to your garden, a simple gravel path might be the answer. Laying a gravel path is a relatively easy DIY project that can be completed in no time at all, even by a person with limited experience. Not only do they look elegant, but they also require minimal maintenance, and are cost-eective. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps involved in laying a simple gravel path.
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Before you begin, it is important to decide where your gravel path will start and nish. Once you have a general idea of the route your path will take, use a garden hose or some string to mark out the perimeter.
This will give you a good visual representation of what your nished product will look like.
Just keep in mind that that larger the gravel path, the more aggregates you will need which means spending more money.
It’s important to check for any hidden cables or pipes that may be under the area that you are planning on digging. To do this, simply use a CAT tool.
After choosing and planning exactly where your path is going to be, the next step is to choose what kind of aggregates you want to use for the path.
Aggregates come in all kinds of dierent shapes, colours and sizes. It’s really down to personal preference, as well as would colour what match or work with other elements in your garden. Here’s a list of some of the decorative aggregates we supply:
20mm Cotswold Gravel 20mm Gravel 40mm Blue Slate 40mm Plum Slate 40mm Grey Slate 20mm Staordshire Pink
Take a look at our full range of decorative aggregates here and choose the most suitable one for your project.
Calculating the amount of aggregates you will need for your gravel path is extremely important. Ordering too much will lead to wastage in bot aggregates and money. Ordering too little can again, lead to spending more money due to the cost of additional deliveries.
When it comes to edging, there are a number of dierent options. Let’s take a look.
Stone: You can use any type of stone to border a path.
Metal: Produces a clean and almost borderless look.
Brick: Traditional style brick nish.
The rst step is to mark out exactly where you would like your path to go. There are a number of ways you can do this:
String Rope Line-marking paint Garden hose Step 2: Digging
Use a square edge spade to ensure the sides of your path are straight. Remove any turf and top soil and dig the trench to around 10cm to 15cm (4 – 6 inches). The overall depth will depend upon the condition of the soil.
It’s a good idea to occasionally check the depth of the trench during the digging process. The bottom of the trench should then be smoothed over using a steel rake, then compact using a attening tool such as a hand tamper.
As previously mentioned, there are a number of dierent options you can use to border both sides of your path.
Stone: For a smooth appearance, the stones should be tted tightly together.
Metal Edging: Anchor with metal stakes and set the metal edging around 1 inch higher than the actual path. A circular saw can be used t cut the metal edging to the required size.
Brick: You can either set the bricks at on the ground, or upright at an angle. To ensure the bricks stay in place, you can use soil and gravel to surround them.
You can now line the bottom of the trench with around 10cm of hardcore crushed stone. This crushed stone will go on top of the compacted soil from one of the earlier steps.
Dampen the crushed stone with a garden hose then use either a plate compactor or a sledge hammer to ensure the crushed stone is compacted.
Adding a membrane into the base of the trench will prevent gravel from mixing in with the hardcore, as well as prevent weeds from growing through into the gravel.
You are now nally ready to add the gravel to your path by shoveling on to the membrane. Stop when the gravel reaches around an inch before the top of the edging.
Make sure that the coverage is distributed evenly by using a rake.
Although a gravel path is very low maintenance, there are still a number of maintenance tips you can follow to ensure your gravel path has a long lasting life.
It’s a good idea to maintain an even surface by raking the aggregates as regular as possible. Fill any pot holes with fresh new gravel, as and when needed. Just make sure to keep some spare gravel available ready fro when you need it.
A practical gravel path will have people walking on it, and will therefore need a rm and level base.
As well as hardcore crushed stone, a weed suppressing membrane will also need to be placed in the trench before placing the gravel on top.
The depth of a gravel path should be around 10cm to 15cm (4 – 6 inches).
