Installing paths and walkways

Before you select the material options for your walkways and paths, pay attention to aspects such as: Appearance: Will it be a decorative, low-traffic surface in your backyard, or the main pedestrian access to your front door? Obstacles: Will you be rolling trash cans, garden equipment or bikes and toys over the surface? Do you need to accommodate any drainage systems within the surface? Does it need to be ADA compliant? Location: Are you installing the surface in a high-maintenance area of your yard?

Is it a shaded area that is prone to breeding moss and mildew? Budget: Pathway and walkway materials vary based on installation and maintenance costs and efforts. Have you accounted for the immediate expenses as well as your annual maintenance budget? Top 5 Trending Options for Design and Materials Here are some of the popular material options for walkways and paths: Natural stones: The charm of natural stone is unbeatable, but it is more expensive than some of the other materials.

Aggregate stone and rock: For a rustic, natural appeal, especially for free-form garden paths or landscapes, select: Aggregate stones: Pea gravel, crushed stone and path fines or other loose stones are inexpensive and easy to install. Rocks: Flagstones or river rocks are ideal for creating a rustic, casual landscape.

They do not require costly installation or sealing and resealing efforts. Soon, you will get a solid wooden walkway that will bring tons of visual details to the targeted area. Build a no-cost wooden walkway using the free recycled pallets. Just disassemble the pallets and get a pile of planks that you can put together to build a wooden walkway.

The free pallets are a quick source of free wood, and you can reuse them to build this wooden garden walkway. Details here thehomespun. Create a divine appeal of your garden by building these garden stepping stones. They come with colorful hexagonal pattern and will be the most amazing geometrical decors in your garden.

Grab the concrete pavers and then stencil them using honey, been stencil. Use colorful craft paints for it. Details here designimprovi. Installing this beautiful walkway will simply cost you next to nothing. Grab the mulch in two colors, flat stones, and a no-dig lawn walkway kit to install this lovely path. Just use the rake to level up the garden soil and install the walkway edging.

Add a layer of mulch and then flat stepping stones. Rock your garden with these walkway ideas, the walkway stepping stones made at home. Make them by placing the rubber doormat with a cool design on a flat surface, add a cardboard tubing ring around it and fill it up with the concrete. Let it dry, and you are done.

Accentuate the beauty of your garden with this barefoot sensory path. It comes with lots of different patches and sections. Add a little portion of grass in the walkway and then let a wooden textured section start. Next, add a little part of the stones and then let the wood make your feet special.

Details here playathomete. Just cut out the ground where you want to build a walkway. Fill it up with gravel while keeping on leveling. Just layer a bed of mortar on the gravel and start adding the granite and paver pieces to get a solid walkway. Something amazing to do with granite scrap. Details here removeandrepl. This walkway looks like a railroad and comes with gaps filled with colorful gravel. The wooden steps peeking out of the walkway just looks adorable and extra cute. Just dig up the garden ground, layer the sand and gravel there and then start adding wooden step stones and gravel.

This is also the most simple one out of our all walkway ideas. Boost the value of your property by installing this bluestone walkway. It will be amazing if you match it with the walls of your house.

Again cut out the walkway design in garden ground, fill gravel, layer a sand bed or mortar bed, and start adding the bluestones until you fill the whole walkway. Spice up your front yard with this stone pathway will grace up your outdoor and hence entire property. There is no gap here that you can fill with gravel or with other items of this kind.

So, you need skill here to get a solid flagstone floor, will just jazz up your patio and the entire property. Create a big focal point in your green heaven by installing this stepped flagstone walkway. This walkway has the flagstone stair steps in the center and the flower beds all around the steps. Finally, the steps end up with a peak pointed adorned with a pair of accent flower pots. This fantastic flagstone features a stone edging and comes with a solid flagstone floor in the center.

If starting from your front porch or main home entrance, it will add a lot to the beauty and value of your property. You just no need to have the higher professional skill to install it, it is all easy peasy and quick. You will love the brick arrangements here in this walkway that is super solid and long-lasting. Install it with or without a decorative edging. The idea here to go for custom patterned arrangements of bricks on the sand bed.

Use mortar to complete the project. Do you want brick walkway ideas? You will just love the brick pattern here, appearing nice and enchanting. Just cut the garden ground out, layer gravel, and then spread over the sand. Next, just add bricks on the sand bed and complete the herringbone brick walkway.

This walkway will surely spice up your patio and outdoor. By putting gravel beneath the stones and small bark chips as a mulch, the dogs keep their paws clean—and possibly your carpet. Very cool! Due to its charming simplicity in combination with cost-effectiveness, many of our clients choose our stepping stone garden path.

Individual pieces of slate are set for ease of walking. A path like this may create a bit of mystery when the end of the path cannot be seen as it meanders around a corner or disappears out of sight amongst the planting.

You may add steppables in the joints of a stepping stone pathway. Steppables are ground hugging ground covers that tolerate foot traffic. They come in different varieties for sun or shade with varying tolerances to foot traffic. In this variegated bluestone path, the ground cover is the well known Blue Star Creeper.

Other steppables include Brass Buttons, Elfin Thyme, and dwarf sedums. The path shown here was installed twelve months earlier. Moisten and tamp the sand until it is well packed and smooth. Follow these steps to learn how to lay pavers. Starting at the corner, lay the first few pavers snuggly against the edging. Use a rubber mallet to tap the pavers into place. Every few feet, use a level to check that the pavers are set at the same height.

Make sure paver edges and joints are aligned. Rent a masonry saw to cut pavers if you lay them in a staggered pattern or if the path is curved. Or, cut the pavers manually by first scoring and then cutting them with a baby sledge and a brickset.

Be aware of how the cut paver edge compares to the manufactured edges when laying them in place for a clean and consistent look. Use a framing square to true up the courses every few feet. Always use safety glasses, earplugs, and a face mask when operating a masonry saw.

Finally, spread sand on the paver walkway. Pour fine silicate sand in the joints and more on top of the pavers. Use a broom to sweep sand into joints. Repeat this process until the joints between the pavers are filled. Tamp the surface periodically. When the joints are nearly full, sweep off excess sand and dampen the filled joints. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team.

If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin FB More. Paver Walkway lined with flowers leading to black gate. Install a flagstone, gravel, or paver walkway in a weekend or less! Use these three DIY walkway ideas to add interest to your yard. Our easy how-tos walk you through every step of the walkway installation process.

Start Slideshow. Tweet Email Send Text Message. Flagstone Pathway to blue and gray house. Credit: Peter Krumhardt.