landscaping ? patio stones

[bases]

looking to install 12 by 18 inch patio stones in the backyard,,dug up the grass,,,,patio stones will be an inch and a half

so now its all dirt,,what to you put at the bottom..what kind of rock and size and than is it sand you add later and than compact than patios stones

thanks

 

[gardenweasel]

i used this paver edging as a guide to lay a small phony dry river bed accent to my yard....

turned out great...if you aren`t sure of yourself making perfect straight or curved edges neatly this stuff is great...about a dollar a foot at home depot.......

http://www.ezedge.net/

check the photo gallery out...these are extremely sturdy,yet flexible and easy to cut...

there are plenty of sites on the net to walk you through the process..

http://www.creativehomeowner.com/index.php?pane=project&projectid=chwlk166

http://www.belgard.biz/howtoinstall.htm

 

[Captain Crunch]

Put down about 3"-4" of crushed rock called AB3 or crusher run and then run a vibratory plate over the top of that to compact it. Then top that w/ about 1/2 to 1" of sand and put the patio stones on top of the sand. There is a product called "polymeric sand" you can put in the joints. This stuff gets hard once it is exposed to water. Depending on where you live and what the freeze/thaw cycle is, there is a good chance that these stones will move around a little. Do not use any type of grout in the joints for something like this if you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, as you will be replacing the grout about every three years.

 

[Old School]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buckstop39/sets/72157605273066585/

 

[Old School]