How to Lay a Flagstone Walkway

Flagstone Walkway

Anna Blazhuk / Getty Images

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 2 - 3 days
  • Total Time: 4 - 5 days
  • Yield: Walkway 5 feet wide by 24 feet long
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Estimated Cost: $1,500 to $2,000

A flagstone walkway is a beautiful, functional addition to a yard or garden. Flagstone is a popular walkway material because the smooth surface is easy to walk on and it can be swept or hosed off with little effort. Flagstone lays well because its bottom is flat, too. In colors ranging from gray to light-green to iron-oxide red, flagstone will enhance any yard or garden.

A flagstone walkway is a worthwhile investment in a home and this step-by-step guide will show you how to lay a flagstone walkway.

What Is Flagstone?

Flagstone is a natural, flat, sedimentary rock like slate, shale, sandstone, quartzite, bluestone (a type of sandstone), or limestone that easily splits into thinner sheets for walkways or roofs. Flagstone is not a specific stone but is a category of stones that have these cleaving properties.

When to Lay a Flagstone Walkway

Lay a flagstone walkway when the ground is dry and temperatures are above freezing. Do not lay a flagstone walkway on frozen ground as the freeze-thaw cycle means that the frozen ground will thaw and change the layout.

Safety Considerations

Wear eye protection, thick gloves, and arm and leg protection when handling flagstone. Flagstones are heavy, so lift with your legs and not with your back. Wear steel-toe boots to prevent injuring your feet when tamping soil or handling the flagstones.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • 1 shovel
  • 1 wheelbarrow
  • 1 tamping tool or plate compactor
  • 1 rake
  • 1 hammer
  • 1 two-by-four
  • 1 tape measure
  • 1 bubble level
  • 1 push broom
  • 1 garden hose and water source

Materials

  • 1 pallet flagstones
  • 30 cubic feet crushed gravel
  • 10 cubic feet building sand (for base)
  • 2 cubic feet paver or polymeric sand (for seams)
  • 1 roll mason's line or twine
  • 6 wood stakes

Instructions

How to Lay a Flagstone Walkway

  1. Plan the Walkway Layout

    Determine the location, width, and length of the walkway. Estimate a walkway width of 4 to 5 feet for front entrances. Use a tape measure to measure the intended length of the walkway. Purchase enough flagstone material to cover the space, plus about 25-percent to account for wastage.

    For example: A walkway 5 feet wide by 24 feet long has an area of 120 square feet. One ton of flagstones, each flagstone about 16 inches by 12 inches, has a coverage rate of 120 square feet.

  2. Stake the Edges

    Stake the perimeter of the walkway with wood stakes and twine. Hammer the stakes deeply into the ground, two stakes per 12 feet. Loop the nylon mason's line or twine around the stakes and pull taut.

  3. Excavate the Walkway

    Excavate the walkway area to provide space for the base materials and the flagstones. Remove the top 4 to 6 inches of soil or turf with a shovel. Clear large rocks and cut away roots. Smooth out the soil with the rake.

  4. Compact the Soil

    Compact the soil to create a firm base for the flagstones. This will keep the ground stable and prevent it from shifting over time. Pack down the soil by hand with a steel tamper or with a motorized plate compactor.

  5. Add Crushed Gravel

    Add a layer of crushed gravel to the excavated area. Use a wheelbarrow to transport the crushed stone or gravel from the pile to the excavated area. Dump each load about 4 feet apart. Use the rake to spread the material to a depth of about 2 to 3 inches.

  6. Compact the Crushed Gravel

    Use a tamper or plate compactor to compact the base material. Tamping creates a solid base for the upper layers of sand and flagstones. Level the material, then tamp it down by hand or with the plate compactor.

  7. Add a Sand Layer

    Add sand on top of the gravel base. Dump out the sand in equally spaced piles. Spread the sand evenly with a rake to create a level surface to a depth of about 1-inch.

  8. Screed the Sand

    Use a board as a screed to smooth out the layer of sand. Cut a two-by-four to the width of the walkway. Hold one end of the board, with an assistant on the other side. Slide the screed along the length of the walkway to smooth it out.

  9. Lay the Flagstones

    Place the flagstones on top of the sand in the desired pattern. Keep the stones close together to avoid large gaps. If using paver sand, maintain a gap of about 2 to 3 inches between the stones. If using polymeric sand, a tighter seam must be maintained: 1/4-inch to 1-1/2-inch.

  10. Level the Flagstones

    Use a level to adjust each flagstone as it is placed. Lay the level on top of the flagstone in two directions 90 degrees from each other. Add sand by hand under low spots.

  11. Fill the Seams With Sand

    Fill the seams between the flagstones with paver sand or polymeric sand.

    Tip

    Paver sand is conventional sand that fills the seams and remains loose. Polymeric sand solidifies upon water contact to provide a mortar-like bond.

  12. Sweep the Sand

    Sweep off any excess sand from the surface of the flagstones. Sand holds the flagstones together from side to side.

  13. Water the Sand (Polymeric Only)

    Gently sprinkle the polymeric sand with water until it is fully soaked. Mist the sand with care to avoid dislodging it.

    Tip

    All polymeric sand must be removed from the surface to prevent the sand from permanently bonding. Use a whisk broom or dry towel if necessary.

  14. Allow Walkway to Settle

    Allow the walkway to settle before allowing traffic on it. Let the walkway sit for one or two days to ensure that the stones and filler material are fully compacted.

When to Call a Professional

It may be best to hire professional landscapers to lay the flagstone walkway. The combined weight of the materials can be overwhelming for many do-it-yourselfers to handle. Depending on thickness, a full pallet of flagstone weighs from 1,200 to 2,000 pounds. In addition, compacting base materials with a tamping tool is physically challenging. Professionals typically use motorized plate compactors to pack down the base materials.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. 2019 Fact Sheets Products of New York State Mines. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation / Division of Mineral Resources