How to lay stepping stones on weed mat?

[SammyT]

Hi workshop community,

We’re planning on creating a stepping stone path along this side of our house.

We are using tobishi stepping stones with Carnarvon river pebbles surrounding them.

I’ve also got weed mat to put underneath the steppers and stones. 

What I’m wondering is whether to cut a hole into the weed mat to cement each stepping stone or to lay cracker dust on top of the weed mat and cementing each stepper to that base..

Any other tips would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @SammyT,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

My advice would be to lay out your weed mat, followed by the compacted layer of crusher dust or road base, then pads of mortar for your pavers to adhere to, before backfilling with your chosen stones.

There's no real need to cut holes in your weed mat before laying the additional materials over the top as this would only create a path for plants to grow through.

You might like to check out our helpful series of D.I.Y articles on how to prepare for and lay pavers:

• How To Prepare And Lay a Base For Pavers

• How To Lay Pavers

• How To Seal Outdoor Pavers

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Jacob

[dhanz15]

I am planning to do the same but my soil is muddy and clay. With this, do I need to:

1. Lay gravel/road base first to level

2. Weed mat

3. Sand

4. Mortar mix then pavers

Which one should be levelled with slight fall so that rainwater will go away from the house slab?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @dhanz15,

That sounds like a good approach. The thicker the layer of gravel, the more depth the water can drain away into. You might like to compact the gravel to provide a firm base for the pavers. This will help with subsidence issues down the track. 

If the area is really boggy and holding a large amount of water, you should consider installing Agi-pipe to allow the water to drain away. 

It's always best to grade the away so water runs away from the foundations.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell