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How to make a sandstone garden path

Follow the yellow sandstone road!

Lead your guests down the sandstone path! Durable and versatile, natural sandstone is a fantastic choice for pavers in the front garden.

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It makes a stunning feature boulder too.

WATCH: Charlie creates a stunning garden path

Featuring sandstone steppers set in gold gravel, this is a front garden design idea you won’t need to mow or edge-trim. It’s many steps in the right direction.

Why is sandstone good for paving? 

Durable and versatile, natural sandstone is a fantastic choice for pavers. 

Gather your supplies:

Sandstone boulders (optional)

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Yellow brickie’s sand

Off-white cement

75–100mm sandstone split flagging pavers

Decorative mulch (try Forest Fines)

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Gold-coloured gravel (try Deco-Gold Gravel)

You’ll also need:

Shovel; set-out paint; wheelbarrow; rubber mallet; trowel; sponge; long-handled broom 

Front garden before makeover
Before the garden makeover (Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)

Tips 

  • Clean the underside of pavers before laying
  • To make them stick more easily, apply a bonding agent to the underside before placing on mortar
  • When buying large boulders, ask the landscape supplier to organise placement on delivery. 

Here’s how

STEP 1

Using a shovel, remove any original plants and grass so soil is bare. Using set-out paint, mark out where garden beds and boulders will go.

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STEP 2

Using shovel, level out soil where boulders will go. Crane in boulders to ensure they go in chosen spots. They’ll be heavy enough to stay in place without adhesive.

STEP 3

In a wheelbarrow, mix 4 parts sand to 1 part cement and 1 part water until it’s a dough-like texture.

STEP 4

Mark where stepping stones will go, spacing evenly leading up to front door.

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STEP 5

Where marked, spread mortar 100–150mm thick on soil in a square shape the size of the pavers.

Laying sandstone pavers with concrete
(Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)

STEP 6

Wet underside of pavers and lay on mortar.

STEP 7

Bed paver by tapping with mallet. Using edge of the trowel, haunch all edges of mortar, spreading towards ground at a 45° angle.

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Plants growing between pavers
(Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)

STEP 8

Wet sponge and wipe any mortar spills off pavers. Leave to set for about 2 hours.

STEP 9

Plant all plants and water in. Mulch garden beds then spread gravel.

(Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)
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STEP 10

Level gravel with a long-handled broom, sweeping into gaps between pavers.

STEP 11

To allow the mortar bed to strengthen, don’t walk on pavers for 2 days.

Sandstone pavers surrounded by gold gravel
After (Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)
Close up of sandstone pavers
(Credit: Phil Aynsley) (Credit: Phil Aynsley)
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