Understanding Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones commonly known as “Garden Paths” or “Steppers” are the perfect way to create aesthetically pleasing and appealing paths in your garden area. They are a beautiful addition to your front or back garden and can give your visitors a clear view of how to access your home garden. Stepping Stones are available in a variety of materials like Limestone, Sandstone, Marble, Travertine, Bluestone and Granite. Commonly available in Limestone, they are one of the best stones to complement garden architectural needs.
Stepping Stones in the market are available in all sort of shapes and formats, but the best one you could choose for your Garden are organic shaped, which usually comes in a 500-600mm (Diameter) or 600-800mm (Diameter) with 30mm thickness. They are beautiful and functional at the same time.
Steps to lay Stepping Stones
Map out the area
Prepare the ground
Set the foundation
Place the Stepping Stones
Are outdoor pavers the same as Stepping Stones?
Technically speaking not really, Outdoor pavers are available in different formats and sizes usually a 600x400mm and they are used to cover larger areas like a patio, courtyard, verandah and pool surrounds, arranged in interlocking pattern.
While Stepping Stones are put on the garden paths, lawns, entryways or walkways as a decorative element and as individual pieces to create a pathway. They are organically shaped and not used as heavy load bearing surfaces like outdoor pavers.
Can Stepping Stones be put on a sand or concrete bed?
Depending on how you want your home garden or your entryway to look like, if you are looking for a raw look at your garden area, you can directly put these Steppers on the sand. If you are up for a sleek modern look, you should put these stones on a cement or concrete bed.
Another common way of putting Steppers is on gravel, which can be seen in a lot of garden spaces. But that has its own challenges, let’s discuss about it in the next segment.
Common Issue with Stepping Stones
When it comes to Stepping Stones particularly there are no issues, these Steppers are made from Natural Stones and they are widely used to enhance the beauty of your garden area. The only issue that can arise is if you are putting these stones directly on a gravel, which after a while makes them change their original position.
Nonetheless, we are here to suggest to you the best method to lay Stepping Stones in your garden area so that they remain intact for the longest time and age beautifully to add an aesthetic appeal to your garden.
How to lay Stepping Stones?
Map out the area
The first step in the process would be to map out the area and the path you want to create at your garden or entryway. Whether you are looking to create a straight path or a winding trail, it is important to decide the route of your Steppers path. We recommend following the natural flow of movement and design for your garden.
You should put the Steppers in the area to see the look of your project before you proceed to the next step in the process. By doing this you can ensure that the distance at which you are placing the stones, you can easily step on them while walking from one to the other.
Once you are satisfied with the design layout, mark each area where you have put the Stepping Stones on the ground.
Ground preparation
Using a garden spade, cut out the marked sections on the turf. Dig the area at a slight depth so that once you prepare the base and put the Steppers it will be on a matching ground level. In case if you are placing a stepper which has a natural split surface finish, adjust the depth of the dig to the stone’s highest peak at the surface.
Setting the foundation
As discussed earlier, you have multiple options to create different foundations before you put your Steppers on the ground, you can go with sand bedding, or a mortar mix or simply gravel.
With gravel the issue of the stone getting displaced later would be there, we recommend you to install your Steppers on a Mortar bed for the best grip and insulation from beneath the ground.
Placing the stones
Once you have set the foundation, you should let it dry for at least 24 hours, before you start placing the stones.
The next step would be to apply a pasting mix on the back of each piece and lay them at the designated places.
Please keep in mind to place a cane (slender rod or stick) to ensure that you are placing them at the same height. This would allow you not to make mistakes and saves you the pain of not picking up and putting them back.
Your grandeur garden path is ready now and you can enjoy every beauty of it for the ages to come.
Conclusion
Stepping Stones or Steppers are a match made in heaven and the best thing you can do for your garden area or entryways. They enhance the look of your project space and have functional benefits to them. You have the option to choose from Travertine, Limestone, Sandstone, Marble, Bluestone and Granite Steppers and to either lay them directly on the sand, gravel or mortar bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are Stepping Stones?
Stepping Stones or Steppers are organic shaped natural stones used for creating a path in a Garden area or entryways. They are beautiful and functional both.
Q: What materials are available in Stepping Stones?
A Stepper can be made from any natural stone. In Australia, majority of Stepping Stones are made Limestone, they are beautiful, strong and they blends seamlessly with Australian Architecture.
Q: What should I put under Stepping Stones?
Stepping Stones can be laid directly on a sand bed, gravel or a mortar mixed bed. We recommend mortar bed for the stone to remain fixed at the ground.
Q: What to use Sand or Cement under Stepping Stones?
You can do both, but a cemented base would give more stability to your Steppers and strong ground for it to hold onto.
Q: Do you need to seal Stepping Stones?
Yes, since these Steppers are made from Natural Stones. It is highly recommend to seal them at the time of installation and reseal them after every 3-4 years.
