The ultimate guide to Flagstone Patio building!
Here is our process when it comes to installing a flagstone patio.
Step 1: Determine height, size and shape of desired patio.
Step 2: Mark out area approximately 1 foot larger than desired patio.
Step 3: Remove grass and soil as needed to reach height of subgrade.
Step 4: Install geotextile fabric as needed.
Step 5: Install sub-base gravel is applicable.
Step 6: Install base gravel.
Step 7: Install bedding gravel.
Step 8: Install flagstone, starting with largest pieces.
Step 9: Fit smaller flagstone in between stones, cut and trim as necessary.
Step 10: Clean patio and install joint sand or other material.
Step 11: Clean the work area, pat yourself on the back take a picture.
Step 12: Grab some family and friend to enjoy your new flagstone patio.
0:00 Introduction to Flagstone Patio
0:28 The Subgrade
3:10 Stone Subbase Layer
4:14 Geotextile Fabric
6:45 Compacting
7:01 Stone Base Layer
10:05 Stone Bedding Layer
12:24 Laying Flagstone
19:08 Sand
19:39 Tapping
19:57 Blow Clean and Wet Down
20:22 Review and Conclusion
Learn more about our Nara Stone System here:
www.sierralandscapemanagement...
Пікірлер: 115
I’ve wondered if screeding the bedding layer is worth doing or not. I’ve screeded it before like we do with pavers, but the stone varies in thickness so much we still have to pull out material or add more for most of the stones to keep them from being “tippy or trippy.” Cutting isn’t so bad, it’s the leveling and stabilizing part that tests my patience the most. You guys are one of the few out there that do dry laid flagstone right! There’s not many of us left.
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Over the years several people have asked the question. The screeding process takes maybe 20 minutes. Since we choose our material to have no more than 1/4" variation in thickness the end result is no more than a few handfuls plus or minus for each stone which is still way faster than doing each stone independently. Same with the fact that it gets displaced from walking on it. It never relocated so a simple smooth of a hand fixes that. In the Guide video the stones were gauged so the variation was no more than 1/8" so it was almost a drag and drop scenario.
@TH3_D3ADLY_DILF.
Жыл бұрын
after putting the stone base in and leveling it off I usually use a couple sections of pvc pipe spread out in 6 - 8 ft intervals and than start laying my sand in 4” lifts, screeding it out to the top of the pipes to keep my level, tamp it and repeat the process until you get to the top layer. On the very last layer I don’t tamp just screed that way when you lay your stones you can tap them down to the proper height with a rubber mallet to get an even finished surface. After everything is said and done I use my poly sand and sweep it in between all my joints and lightly spray it with a garden hose on the shower setting than let it dry for a day. Screeding vs. not screeding makes a huge difference trust me it makes for A LOT less stones having to be adjusted, picked up and re set in my opinion not to mention it saves your back a lot of unnecessary pain lol
OMG! Finally a no nonsense video that gets straight to it and provides just the basic information concisely and quickly! Thank you! Subscribed!
Excellent work!! Its so nice to see that some people still do stone the right way and take pride in their work.loves the video, amazing job!!
100% confidence in this company! Intelligent design, masterfully carried out project!
Fantastic organization of information. You hit all of the marks, and your work is amazing. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Beautiful,I’m very impressed. I didn’t realize how much work you put into this.
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Nice work. Great video thanks for the step by step.
Very informative, high quality workman ship 👏
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video, professional & very informative. Thank you!!
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Very well done! loved the step by step process and recap at the end!
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Way to go. Thanks for sharing! Wow!
Beautiful build. Thank you for sharing.
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
Well done! I watched every second.
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Great! Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video and tutorial. Definitely learned a lot from this!
Great job, I got some good ideas
excellent and complete how to video. as a builder/investor at times, have had good crews and yours seems as good as they come. taking bids at the moment on similar project and wish you were in our current market area.
just subbed great job learned a lot from this very detailed work and explanation of it thank you
Wow, you guys do gorgeous work! Loved the details you provided and your presentation of the video. I wish you were near me. I would hire you in a heartbeat. Thanks for educating us on what is the proper way to have the job done or how we should do it if we are DIYer’s. I appreciate it.
Nice video boss man thanks because your video 📹 is step be step nice be safe
Thank you man
What is the name of the tool that you’re using at 18:30 ? To redefine the edges.
Very well done 👏
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Very nice job. I do love working with natural stone so I started my business 22 plus years ago. I do not have to advertise, more work comes my way than I can do.
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Sounds great! Thanks for watching!
@18:29 what is this tool? Is it chipping the edges so there is a slight chamfer to make a more natural edge? I used to do that with a 3 pound hammer and chisel and it took forever... I'd love to understand what tool he is using and more about it. Looks good and amazing how fast it comes together, but honestly for my aesthetic I prefer all natural pieces without any (or as few as possible) sawcuts, but that takes way way more time and way more pieces of stone to choose from.
Hello Robert, good job, if I find myself in all the rush that I was doing heavy work for 60 dollars a day, no dude👍😂
Fantastic video. Thanks so much for making this. It is by far the single best source of comprehensive information on this topic. One question. What is that drill attachment shown at ~18:43 which is used to rough the sharp, cut edges? I have never seen anything like that and can't find it with a Google search. Thanks again!
great video what was the tool you used for roughing up the edges Thank you
Hi from Australia 🇦🇺 what's the attachment you had on the grinder that you used to feather cut the sawn edges please? We use total different laying method here but we don't have to worry about freezing expansion, which I presume why you laid the dry method 👍
What do you put around the new patio to prevent it from moving? Cement? Plastic edging?
What tool is the guy using to beat the edge of the flagstone towards the end on the last tiny peice
Beautiful job. Do you compact the base and also the bedding material?
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Only the base. Bedding gets compacted went the stones are set. In this video we used hammers. We have since started using a roller compactor. Thanks for watching!
I love my zip level
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
They are great. People are always like “wtf is that?”. At that point it’s a done deal.
Man this seems like overkill and a ton of money, but it sure is a nice finished product!
@hanburgundy4317
Жыл бұрын
That's what I'm saying - every edge is an individual measurement and cut. Better have the time to spend.
What is the tool that you are using to rough the edge of the flag stone? Thanks!
My man, you’re craftsmanship is top notch. Top notch. Why not landscape around the patio though? Some grasses and some perennials with some color would set that beautiful patio off. Maybe some solar lights too
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching.
Very nice looking work! I build fireplaces in the Adirondacks in NY. I was wondering what the drill attachment is called for roughing up the stone edges and where I could find one? That is a very handy tool!
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
You can purchase through PaveTool.
@jmbuckley3
2 жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert Thank you!
@fraserhayes15416
2 жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert Would you be able to provide a link? I'm having a hard time finding it. Thanks in advance!
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
@@fraserhayes15416 pavetool.com/collections/quick-e-tools/products/quick-e-tumbler
This is awesome workmanship!!! Really awesome skills. !!!
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
Where do you get the drill attachment to get the rough look after you make a cut I can’t find the attachment anywhere
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Tumbler from pavetool.com
@rexgreen3410
2 жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert thank you
Maybe I have not read far enough but how do up get the slaps perfectly level if there is a few that are wobbling.
@thebackyardexpert
3 ай бұрын
At first its trial and error. Eventually installers get good at knowing how much material is needed.
instead of the 3/8th inch atone chip...can you use paver base and lay the flagstone on top of that?
@thebackyardexpert
6 ай бұрын
Paver base is a very generalized term. Can you be more specific?
@joshuamcguire4832
6 ай бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert at the big box stores they got this thing called paver base and another one called paver Sand. They say to put the paver base down first It's like thicker sand and the paver sand on top.. I think the paper base just thicker granules
Love this, what does something like this cost?
@notdeadnetwork
Жыл бұрын
Really want this flagstone style patio around our place! ( We are in N Delaware)
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
We can possibly help with that. Typically goes for around $100/ft. You can also come to one of our workshops to learn how to do it. StoneWorker.org
what type of edging do you use for your flagstone? Mortor, snap, permaedge, something else?
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Depends. If it is a patio we put large pieces on the edge and no edging. Never an issue. If it is more likely to get abused like a walkway or the pieces are smaller we use concrete of some form, again depending.
Any chance you can share where you get the step setter chain deal?
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
pavetool.com/products/quick-e-tumbler?_pos=1&_sid=fd0ecadcb&_ss=r
@dustinnye9858
Жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert appreciate the quick response! I saw you had the link to that but I mean the chain that hooks to your excavator that helps pick up the big pieces of flagstone. Great videos man!
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
@@dustinnye9858 Same company has vacuum lifters
@crownfire86
Жыл бұрын
This was super helpful, I came to the comments for the same info.
I work by my self a lot and I was wondering how many sq feet of flag stone should one man be able to put down in a day .? The stones I lay are right on the edge of two man stones down to small. Thanks in advance for any info , I have really enjoyed your video's .
@lilsushi5833
2 жыл бұрын
I’ve done 100sqft of flagstone in a day. but it took me the day before to excavate/prep. so i’d say it depends on how big of a pad you’re doing
@bigmule35
2 жыл бұрын
@@lilsushi5833 , I have been doing about 40sq' a day and prepping as I am going . ( walk way ) . Cutting stone and fitting as well. 100sq' is moving compared to me.
Amazing how tight you get them joints
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!
What is that rough edge machine?.
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! pavetool.com/products/quick-e-tumbler
Beautiful work. Flag stone patios look a bit harder/time consuming vs paver patios. I bet flag stone patios cost more compared to paver patios
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
correct. Paver patio gets pulled out in 15-25 years and flagstone done well lasts 30-300!
@regulardude2011
Жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert yea, that’s a huge difference!
@ayelaii
Жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert What factors contribute to flagstone lasting longer than pavers? What makes the stone last longer than pavers?
Aren't you supposed to use some sort of Edging to hold the patio in place
How much usually is this size?
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Great question. There were quite a few moving parts on this project. You can choose your size and features in our buying guide here: www.sierralandscapemanagement.com/buyersguide
Good job but personally I don’t like how many small accent stones there are and I know it probably wasn’t your choice for the material but I call that baby jumbo real jumbo flagstone is 3-4 inch thick imo
Where can i pick up the chaining tool
@thebackyardexpert
6 ай бұрын
@pavetool
@MrBigboytoys
6 ай бұрын
@thebackyardexpert okay awesome also man i really loved this 1/4" gap i also dont understand how you guys are getting so much a sqft on your jobs. I wish people would pay those rates in my area of pa
at what cost
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. The patio portion of this project used approximately 250 man hours. You can multiply by hourly rate and materials to come to your level of investment. The minimum level of investment to work with us is 100k.
8"-9" of base for a flagstone patio? We don't even use that much for paver driveways lol.
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Sounds great. Thanks for watching!
Beautiful, what is something like that worth?
@thebackyardexpert
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching! You can always find up to date investment levels in our Buyer's Guide www.sierralandscapemanagement.com/buyersguide
@regulardude2011
Жыл бұрын
20-30k
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
@@regulardude2011 around $100 sq ft
@regulardude2011
Жыл бұрын
@@thebackyardexpert wow, way more than I thought. That’s nice though. I wonder how you charge for excavation. Per cubic yard or how many hours it takes. I’ve been doing some research on how to properly charge for patios. Do you think charging $200 per cubic yard excavated too much? Doing a 500sq ft patio would mean roughly 10 yards would need to be excavated or $2000.
@thatboyjosh73
Жыл бұрын
@@regulardude2011 wow. That is insane for something that size
How deep u have to excavate
This is an excellent example of great craftsmanship, but overkill in base layer design for a flagstone patio that’s only gonna see pedestrian traffic. 8-9 inches of gravel base layers is like preparing to pour a concrete sidewalk or pavers where vehicles will be driving over. For pedestrian traffic, only about +/-6” is needed, followed by the bedding layer (DG/Decomposed Granite, Stone Dust, or stone dust/cement bedding layer, which is strongest). I hope whoever the homeowner is never finds out that he was overcharged for labor/material that wasn’t needed 😂
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing. Yea we definitely overbuild, and also sleep very well too. LOL. We’ve built in several different states across the country and base depth’s definitely vary in different areas. 8” is standard in that area because of the clay and harsh winters. Glad to hear it’s a little easier your way! Thanks for watching.
Pretty good job. I know it's subjective. I personally think the largest stones set the first day are too big and out of scale with the remaining stone. Your joints look good. Almost too perfect. Its taken away the natural stone look because it's too geometric. Way to many saw cut straight lines. Thank goodness you followed the three-corner rule for the most part. Try to remember you're installing natural stone outside for a patio that should not look fake or man-made. But, overall, a nice job.
This is beautiful, but not at all DIY. Beautiful, but very high dollar.
@karlmarx7511
Ай бұрын
I mean dude legit built this with a base layer utilized commonly for heavy industrial/commercial footings. He could have just done about 5 inches of 3/4 crush stone and Tamp it and have been fine.
This guys constant fb mom camera angle is so distracting
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Great feedback. That's a new one. Thanks for watching!
Do the video to see the work you do. Don’t show you face
@thebackyardexpert
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching!