landscaping stone

[tdad]

As a future project Iam planning to place this stone to cover this area as pictured. I want to use a mixture of stone dust and portland cement to fill in the areas between the stones. This mixture will be mixed and placed between those stones as a dry mix, then watered to let harden in place. Please tell me if you think this idea will work or am I completely off base with this idea

 

[Wagtail]

Although I personally have no experience in setting 'landscaping' stone in/with cement, I do have a similar area that was made by the owner/builder of my house.

It has worn well. Although I do not know your location, prepare for frost heaving and cracking of the stone over the years.

 

[Eagle1]

DId something similar with brick years ago. Worked ok where i did enough prep for a good base not so much where I got lazy. Just make sure it drains away from the house and freezes will move things if you are in a colder climate.

 

[Tinhack]

Them ain't stones, them are gravel.

These are stones.

 

[oldballs]

I have an area behind my house where I did not want to pour a concrete slab and did not want to spend the money and effort. So I used native stones, some quite large, but able to lift/muscle around by hand. The spaces between the stones were filled with small decorative rock that I already had laying around. Freezing & thawing is an issue here. IIRC I also layed down one of those barrier materials under all of it.

After many years various weeds and tree seeds sprout up in the cracks...but I just pull them or spray them as needed.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Egon]

Chances are using cement for crack filler and with freeze thaw cycles the the resultant mortar will crack. In our town there are some home sidewalks done this way. After a few years they look shabby. There is lots of slate available In the area.
Suggest a good solid base with drainage, use angle grinder to fit stones closer, cover with traction sand and sweep off excess sand.

 

[deezler]

Chances are using cement for crack filler and with freeze thaw cycles the the resultant mortar will crack. In our town there are some home sidewalks done this way. After a few years they look shabby. There is lots of slate available In the area.
Suggest a good solid base with drainage, use angle grinder to fit stones closer, cover with traction sand and sweep off excess sand.

^ This. If you try to cement those rocks down, it will be all cracked up in just a couple winters of freeze/thaw.

 

[dodge man]

I agree, the cement will just crack and fall apart. They make a mix, I think it’s just very fine sand, that is designed for that kind of thing.

 

[npalen]

I have an area behind my house where I did not want to pour a concrete slab and did not want to spend the money and effort. So I used native stones, some quite large, but able to lift/muscle around by hand. The spaces between the stones were filled with small decorative rock that I already had laying around. Freezing & thawing is an issue here. IIRC I also layed down one of those barrier materials under all of it.

After many years various weeds and tree seeds sprout up in the cracks...but I just pull them or spray them as needed.

Cheers,
Mike

I like this idea and feel that the weed barrier is money well spent. We will get weeds regardless after a few years as dirt and debris bind their way into the mix but can be controlled with a hand sprayer. The thing about landscape rocks of any type, however, is that they are a real bear to deal with later if needing to be removed. This is the voice of nearly fifty years in our current home.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Water expands when it freezes and will heave almost anything. The way to prevent the heaving/subsidence in colder climates it to keep the substrate "dry". This is usually done in one to two ways.

If the surface is permeable like brick or other pavers a sub-base of washed (no fines) stone, often starting with 4" stone followed by compacted layers of smaller, washed, (usually crushed) stone, ending (in the case of bricks) with 1/4 - 3/8" chip stone upon which the pavers are laid. The voids between the stones allow any water that enters to flow elsewhere keeping the base "dry".

The second method is to use an impermeable layer that is sloped to carry any water away from the base. A classic example is the asphalt-covered roadway that is often built on a "dirt" base that includes fines. Of course provisions for drainage away from the base must be in place to prevent the water from flowing into the base. Asphalt has the advantage of being somewhat elastic, but we all have seen what happens when it cracks and allows water into the base.

Incidentally, stone dust is currently out of favor because it retains moisture. There are some whiz-bang modern materials like polymerized sand that are enjoying a vogue, but after a few years, disadvantages show up. There are still many anecdotes of stone dust installations that have endured, but there are so many variables in building hardscape that "true" knowledge may never be known.