How To Use Patio Rocks And Why Pea Gravel Is A Good Choice For Patios
If you want a patio in your backyard, but you don't have enough money to have one installed by a contractor, you may want to build your own using rocks. You can have patio rocks delivered to your home in bulk, and you can spread them around to create the design of your choice. Here are some options for patio rocks and how you might want to use them.
Types Of Patio Rocks
You might base your selection on price. If you're looking for the most affordable patio rocks, look into pea gravel. These rocks are small and smooth, so they can be walked on easily. Another option is regular gravel, which is much larger and often has sharper edges.
You might also want pavers such as flagstone. These make for an attractive patio, but they are harder to install and more expensive. Of all your choices, pea gravel might be the best since it's fairly easy to install and it has an attractive appearance.
How To Install Patio Rocks
First, decide where you want your patio to be. Then mark off the area with tape. You'll need to clear away grass down to the bare soil, and then make the soil fairly level. You don't need to spend a lot of time leveling the soil since you can make the patio level with the rocks. However, you want to keep drainage in mind. The soil shouldn't have too much of a slope or your patio may not drain properly and the gravel might slide when you walk on it.
You'll want to put down some type of landscaping fabric to keep weeds from popping up through the gravel. This is an essential step or weeds and grass will eventually ruin your patio. The edges of the landscaping fabric can be held down with spikes or pins.
You'll also want landscape timbers or concrete blocks around the edges of the patio to hold the gravel in place and hold the landscaping fabric down. You may find timbers more attractive than concrete blocks, but the blocks can be painted to be more attractive, and you can even plant flowers in the holes of the blocks for some added color.
When you have the patio rocks delivered, have the truck bring them as close to your patio as possible. However, the closest they may get is to your driveway. You can shovel the gravel into a wheelbarrow and transport it to your patio area where you can dump it and rake it out until the entire patio area is filled to the depth you desire.
For more information, contact a company that supplies patio rocks.