If you are a tennis court owner or HOA, the need for tennis court maintenance is obvious. A clean tennis court has better traction, is safer to play on, and looks great. On the other hand, a buildup of mildew or algae, or even a strategically placed wet leaf can lead to a fall, and falls can seriously take the fun out of the game. Ground in dirt and debris will wear down the surface of a tennis court, which can cause the players to lose traction easily. Finally, as the surface deteriorates, you will find cracks developing in the concrete below the surface. Now, how many people do you know that will want to play on a cracked, slippery, dirty tennis court where you can barely see the lines?

From a financial standpoint, regular tennis court maintenance is a no-brainer. For a few hundred dollars you can have your tennis court pressure washed by a professional. Thus extending the life of the court for years. On the other hand, if you defer the maintenance, the court could deteriorate quickly. The result being a costly ($2500-$5000) resurfacing of the court. That said, these are our tips on extending the life of your tennis court:

• Blow or sweep the courts on a regular basis. One of the best things you can do to extend the life of your tennis courts is to blow or sweep the courts on a regular basis. Loose dirt or sand on the tennis court can act as an abrasive and can cause pre-mature wear of the tennis coating. A premium acrylic tennis coating system should give the court owner 7-10 years of play. Dirty tennis courts don’t last long.
• Clean leafs off the court. I see this all the time, piles of leafs that sit on a tennis court all winter. This will cause mold and mildew on your tennis courts and will dramatically shorten the life of a hard court. When leafs fall get them off of the tennis court a soon as possible.
•  Pressure wash the tennis courts annually. If you pressure wash your tennis courts annually you will be amazed at how good they look. I have seen 8 year old tennis courts look almost brand new after pressure washing them.
• Repair any hairline cracks. You should repair any small hairline cracks as soon as they appear on the tennis court with a crack repair product that is compatible with tennis court coatings. If you do not repair the cracks they will grow and soon become major structural cracks thus shortening the life of your tennis courts. It is very important that the repair method used be compatible with acrylic tennis court coatings. We often see crack repairs where sticky rubber systems are used. These systems may work well on a road or parking lot but they are not compatible with acrylic tennis coatings and it is a lot of work to remove. Acrylic caulk works very well for this type of repair and can be purchased from any tennis court supplier.

I hope this helps with your tennis court maintenance. Please contact us for tennis court pressure washing in the Atlanta area.

Choose and Dry Fit the Stone

You can use almost any kind of stone to make a mortared patio as long as it doesn’t break easily or crumble at the edges. Stone that is fairly uniform in thickness is the easiest to work with and requires less bedding mortar than irregular shaped pieces.

It is important to keep the foundation clean and to remove dirt and dust from the stone while you are working. The clean surfaces will strengthen the bond between the stone and the mortar. If you use irregularly shaped flagging, test fit all the stones before mixing the mortar. Trim and shape the stones to maintain the desired joint width. If there are joints in the foundation, arrange your stones to avoid placing a patio joint over a joint in the slab.

If you have prearranged your stones on the patio, begin by removing the stones in a 4 to 6  square foot area. If you are using porous stones that can wick moisture out of the mortar, wet them thoroughly before beginning work.

Use a Bonding Agent. Before spreading the mortar on the foundation, paint on a bonding agent according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Bonding agents improve the bond between the foundation and the bedding mortar. The better the bond, the less likely it is that a section of mortar bed or stone can pop loose from frost or heaving.

Lay the Mortar. Mix the mortar as described in our post Mortared Stonework. Begin laying the mortar bed at an edge or a corner. Spread the mortar uniformly to a depth of 1 1/2 inches  thick in 4 to 6 square foot areas at a time. Use the edge of your trowel to make furrows in the mortar.

Set the Stone. Wipe off any excess water from each stone as you use it. Set a stone on the mortar bed and tap it several times with a rubber mallet to set it in place. Check for slope and elevation. Add or remove mortar or use a shim stone to maintain slope and elevation. The finished mortar bed should be no less than 1 inch thick. As you work, remove mortar from the surface of the stones with a damp cloth. Repeat this process until all the stones are set. Wait 24 hours before grouting the joints.

Grout the Joints. You can purchase prepared grout in colors or mix your own using one part portland cement to two parts mortar sand. Mix and add water as you did for the bedding mortar. Use a margin trowel , another small trowel or a mortar bag to fill the joints. Compress the mortar and fill the joints again so that they are flush with the top of the adjacent stones.

Tool the Joints. When the mortar holds the imprint of your thumb, you can tool the joints. Compact and shape them with a trowel, an appropriately sized piece of pipe or a jointing tool.

Clean Up. Rub excess grout from the stones with a dry cloth 5 or 6 hours after grouting. Following that, wipe the stone clean with a damp cloth, wiping from the center of the stones toward the joints. Do not wipe over the joints.

Curing. The long-term strength of mortar is dependent on slow curing. Keep the surface of the patio wet for 3 to 5 days. If you can, sprinkle it with water and cover it with a sheet of plastic during this time.

Walk Design

Begin by determining the exact width of the walk. If you are using rectangular pieces of stone in one or more sizes, do a trial layout of several courses on a hard, flat surface, like a driveway. Include the spaces for the joints in your layout.

Ideally, you want a walk that is the correct width without creating the need to cut stones. If you are working with irregularly shaped pieces of flagstone, you can skip this step because some cutting will be necessary. However, the more you plan, the less cutting and shaping you will need to do.

Lay Out The Walk. Establish the outline of the walk using ropes or garden hoses. To shed water, the walk should slope side to side about 1/8 inch per foot. Mark one stake at each end of the low side of the walk to establish the walk’s height. Typically, this is about 1 inch above ground level. Use a level to transfer this mark to the other two stakes. From this mark, measure up the appropriate distance to establish the correct slope. Then set your strings to indicate the finished height of the walk.

Mark The Ground. Mark the location of the walk edges on the ground by sprinkling flour or sand over the strings or using surveyor’s marking paint. Make sure your string location marks are clear and remove the strings to excavate the area. You will reattach the strings later.

Excavate The Site. Use a pickax and shovel to excavate an area about 1 foot wider than the finished walk size. This will give you room for forms and edging material (optional). The excavation needs to be deep enough for 4 inches of gravel (more in a wet site), 2 inches of sand and the thickness of the paving material. If your soil is gravelly and drains well, you may be able to omit some or all of the gravel. Once the edges of the walk are excavated to the appropriate depth, reinstall the strings so that you can use them to check for the correct depth. Once the area is excavated, use a tamper to compact subsoil. Install landscape fabric in the bottom and up the sides of the excavation.

Lay Stone In Sand

Spread about 2 inches of gravel in the excavation; tamp it; level it with a rake and tamp it again. Continue to add gravel until the top of the form board set on the gravel is level with the strings.

Set Forms. Drive 2×3 stakes at the ends of the excavation and every 2 to 3 feet along it. Position the stakes to allow for a 2-by form board with the inside face in line with the string that marks the edge of the walk. The forms hold the edging in place and serve as a guide for a screed. Attach the form boards to the stakes with screws.

If the sides of your walk abut a planting bed and the overall landscape design is informal, you can eyeball the edges or intentionally make them irregular. In this case, the forms are there to screed the sand.

Spread The Sand. Shovel builder’s sand evenly over the compacted gravel and spread it with a rake. Thoroughly dampen the sand with a gentle spray. Fill in and dampen any low spots. Repeat the process, building up the sand so that the paving material will be 1/4 to 1/2 inch higher than the intended walk height to allow for settling.

Screed The Sand. While the sand is moist, pull a notched 1×6 screed board in a zigzag motion along the form boards to level high spots and fill in low spots in the sand bed. After screeding, dampen the sand again with a fine mist.

Set The Paving Material. Working from one corner against an edging or string, place the stone in the desired pattern and spacing without disturbing the sand bed. Joints in irregular flagging will vary, but try to keep them consistent within a range: 1/2 to 1 inch works well for most applications. Trim irregular flagstone as needed to fit.

If you are laying a pattern in courses, mark the walk layout on the forms and stretch a string across the marks to maintain the courses. Check for level frequently. Remove any stones that don’t conform or aren’t stable, adding or removing sand as necessary. Tap each stone into place with a rubber mallet. If you are working with small-dimension stone, lay several square feet and then place a 1×6 straddling several stones and tap it with the mallet. Repeat until all the stones have been set.

Avoid standing or kneeling directly on the sand bed or freshly laid paving. Place a piece of 1/2-inch plywood over the paving before you stand or kneel on it in order to distribute the weight. Or prepare the sand bed, and lay the stone in small sections.

Fill The Joints. To fill the joints with sand, spread a thin layer of mason’s sand over several square feet of the paving. Use a stiff broom to sweep the sand into the joints. Sweep in all directions. Add more sand as needed to fill all the joints. Sweep excess sand into a pile and remove. Lightly spray the walk with water to pack the sand down and to wash it off the surface. Allow the surface to dry; then repeat the process until all the joints are completely filled in and compacted.

Remove The Forms

When the walk is complete, carefully pull the temporary forms and shovel gravel along the outside of the walk or edging and behind the landscape fabric. After tamping, finish backfilling with a few inches of soil, decorative stone or mulch.

Over time the joints may need to be refilled. If a stone heaves or settles, remove it. Re-form and water the sand bed; replace the stone and refill the joints.

Stepping-stone Paths

A stepping-stone path is one of the easiest stone landscape projects to construct. Stepping-stones are typically set in lawn, ground cover, bark mulch or gravel. They are also used in ponds for access to views, to feed fish or as part of the path network in the landscape. Stepping-stone paths are a good choice in general for informal landscapes, but they can also work as low use or maintenance paths through more formal gardens.

Stone Selection

You can use almost any type of stone to make a path. Although stone paths are commonly made with individual stones spaced for comfortable strolling, you can use pavers laid in a pattern instead of a large single stone. Avoid using polished stone because the surface becomes extremely slippery when wet. Using stone dressed to a uniform thickness makes the work go much quicker.

Laying Out The Walk

Stepping-stones can be laid singly in a line or deliberately staggered. You can also make a path that is more than one stone wide.

Before you excavate, you need to calculate how far apart to set the stones. Fifteen inches on center is a good distance that will accommodate a leisurely stride for most people. If you want to test the path for walking comfort, walk the area where you want to put the stones and mark each spot where the center o your foot lands. Use this as a guide to set your stones. Stepping-stones used in part of a path – for example, to keep you out of a wet spot – can be set further apart, because you will instinctively change your pace when you get to the stones.

Excavate. The depth of the excavation for each stone depends on the thickness of the stone and where you want the top surface of the stone in relation to the surrounding grade. For stones set in lawn, consider placing the stone low enough to mow over. In mulch or ground cover, elevate the stone slightly above the grade.

In heavy soils, excavate an additional 2 to 4 inches and backfill with gravel before setting the stones. Save or compost sod by cutting and removing it separately from the soil.

If your stones are not a uniform thickness, excavate to accommodate the thickest part of the stone. Backfill with sand to support the thinner parts of the stone.

Stones Set In Mulch. Depending on your overall design goals, you may want to excavate the entire path area, as you would for a walkway, instead of making individual holes. You would excavate the whole area if you wanted to set the stones in gravel, mulch or a ground cover. Regardless of your method, check the bottom of the excavated areas for level before you start placing stones.

Set The Stones

After you set a stone in a hole, stand on it and check it for stability by trying to rock it. Stones that are not uniform in thickness are more likely to need fill or sand added to make them stable. Next, use a level or straightedge to see whether the top surface of the stone is at the correct elevation in relation to the surrounding grade. Repeat these steps for each stone.

Backfill. For stones set in lawn, partially backfill with the site soil and replant strips of sod, or completely backfill with soil and sown seed to allow the grass to re-establish itself. If you are planting a ground cover, you may want to use a different grade or type of soil for backfill. If you are mulching the area with gravel or mulch, you may not need or want to use any soil for backfilling.

Gravel Paths and Walkways

A gravel walkway, sometimes called a soft walk, is easy and comparatively inexpensive to install.  Because a gravel path can conform to any shape, they are a good choice for meandering  garden paths. With a gravel walk, you won’t have the heaving and displacement problems that you might have with large stones or pavers. Because gravel drains well and dries quickly, it is a good choice for garden paths. An occasional light spray with a garden hose is usually enough to wash away surface dirt.

Gravel walks do have limitations you’ll want to consider before deciding to construct one. In heavy traffic areas, gravel gets pushed around and will require raking now and then to level out the surface. When compared with a hard walk surface, pushing a wheelbarrow, maneuvering a wheelchair or walking with a walker on loose gravel will require more effort and walking on it barefoot can be painful.

Types of Stone

Stone used for walks is usually classified by texture, either smooth or rough. Rough stones make a more compact walk surface than do smooth stones. Both are available in many colors and sizes. Although commercially available loose aggregate ranges from 1/4 to 3-inch stones, the best sizes for paths are between 3/4 and 1 1/2 inches. These medium-size stones stay in place better than small pebbles. They compact better and are more comfortable to walk on than larger stones.

Gravel and crushed stone are typically sold either screened to a uniform size or unscreened. You can also purchase small quantities by the bag at garden centers. For large quantities, you’ll want to go to a gravel yard.

Smooth Stone. Smooth stone, sometimes called river stone, may or may not be available at a gravel yard. It is usually found at garden centers in a range of sizes and colors.

If you’re unsure about the best color and size stone to use, bring home a few samples to experiment with and study examples in public parks and gardens.

Path and Walkway Design

Paths and walkways can define or create space. For example, a walkway that goes from the driveway to the house can create a planting area between the walk and the side of the house.

The surface quality and overall dimensions of a path or walkway affect its usefulness, so it’s important to think about the primary use of the walk early on in the project. Is it to move quickly and directly from one place to another, or to meander slowly as you would through a garden? Do you need a walkway that can accommodate a stroller, walker or wheelchair? Do you want to be able to maneuver a garden cart or wheelbarrow along the path? Is it a walk or path you are apt to use barefoot? Asking yourself questions like these will help you figure out what kinds of stone are suitable for your project.

Complement Garden Features

Walkways can complement features such as fences, gates, patios, plantings and steps. If you consider all the site features together, it will help you make decisions about the location of a walk or path, its design and the choice of materials to build it. As a general rule of thumb, design paths or walkways to complement other landscape features in both scale and formality.

Maintenance. Design the walk to make it a pleasure to use with a minimal amount of maintenance. Slope the path to avoid flooding or standing water. If the path is adjacent to a sloped planting bed, install edging that will keep soil from washing out onto the path stones.

Walkway and Path Basics

Although there is no precise distinction between a path and a walk, in general paths are narrower and less formal than walks. A 2-foot wide walk is sufficient for one person. You may want to consider a walk width closer to 3 feet if it is the main route for wheeled garden equipment. Make the walk a minimum of 4 feet for two people to walk side by side or to pass in opposite directions, though 5 feet is recommended. Main entrances should also be at least 4 feet wide. For wheelchair or assisted access, make walks 5 feet wide. Paths through gardens and to secondary entrances can be as narrow as 14 inches.

It is not necessary to maintain a uniform width for a path or walkway. Varying the width adds visual interest and is a way to provide space for water features, seating, potted plants and sculpture.

If you are constructing a walk with a uniform-sized paver, lay out a section of the walk to determine the exact width and amount of materials needed. That way you will minimize cutting of the pavers.

Paths and Plants. Plan your path and adjacent plantings to minimize maintenance and to keep the path from becoming overgrown by the plants that border it. In other words, either use compact edging plants or make the path larger than you want initially so that when the plants mature, you still have the path width you want.

Walkway Slope

Your walk can follow the natural slope of the land if the grade is less than 1 foot of rise in 10 feet of run. If it isn’t, then you  may want to change the grade, which will make walking on the path more comfortable. You can lengthen the walk (i.e. increase the run) by adding one or more bends. Or, you can add steps as needed to keep the grade at or less than a 1-foot-in-10 ratio. Steps can be added one or more at a time along the length of the walk, or you can construct a flight of steps wherever it makes the most sense to put them.

Gravel paths and walks need to be fairly level, otherwise hard rains and use will gradually move the gravel from the high spots to the low ones.

Drainage. On level grades, drainage is usually not a problem. But if the soil is wet, you may want to install perforated drainpipe in a gravel sub-base to improve drainage. You will also want to build up low spots to minimize flooding and puddling. This is a greater concern if your walk material is loose gravel or aggregate.

Try to avoid placing a walk across a slope where it can act like a dam and disrupt drainage patterns. If you must put a walk across a slope, install 2-inch or larger drainage pipes under the walk every 4 to 6 feet.

If a walk abuts a building, stone wall or other garden structure, slope the walk away from the structure about 1/8 inch per foot. If the walk is 4 feet wide, the outside edge should be 1/2 inch lower than the edge against the wall.

Crowned Walks. Walkways made of pavers or brick are often crowned, or set so the center of the walkway is higher than the sides. Make the crown (measure from the center of the walkway to the edge) about 1/8 inch per foot. For example, a 4-foot walk is crowned 1/4 inch. Flagstone walks are usually sloped across their width about 1/8 inch per foot to shed water.

We will get into other aspects of paths and walks in our next post. I hope this has helped you plan your next path or walkway project. If so, we would appreciate you sharing it via the social media buttons on the left. Thanks for visiting.

Ninety percent of a plant’s feeder roots are in the top foot of soil – the area most often disturbed by stonework. Although some controversy exists about where a plant’s primary feeder roots are located in relation to the trunk, horticulturists agree that compacting or severing a plant’s roots can temporarily reduce vitality or trigger a gradual decline.

Temporary Relocations

Create  a temporary holding bed for any plants that are in the way or might get damaged during installation. You can safely move many plants, even several species of mature trees. But before you start digging, do some research. Several variables affect a plant’s ability to survive transplanting and temporary relocation, including soil type, plant species, time of year, general health, lead time, access and your capacity to provide care both in a temporary holding area and after the plant is permanently replanted. In the case of large plants, the cost to move them is a significant factor, too. Under the right conditions you can move an 80-foot-tall tree, but it will cost thousands of dollars.

If you need help evaluating whether a plant will survive, consult with a landscaper, arborist or grower who is knowledgeable about the species you want to move and has experience moving mature plants.

Coddle Displaced Plants. Many species of plants can survive in temporary locations for several years if they have good care. Regardless of your relocation method, keep the plants out of the wind and give them similar or less exposure to sunlight than they had in their former location. They will need more water than normal, especially if they are out of the ground or only partially re-planted. Some species, such as those with high moisture requirements or coarse root systems, may benefit from being cut back to minimize transplant shock. Check with a knowledgeable landscaper to learn whether this is a good preventive measure for your plants.

Dig the plants in the late afternoon or on a cloudy day to reduce the stress they’ll experience. After digging, to give them a temporary home, you can

• Set them on the ground in a shady spot. Wrap the rootballs in burlap. Cover rootballs with a thick layer of mulch to shield them from sun and wind, and to retain moisture. Use bark mulch, wood shavings, hay, horse manure mixed with bedding, or evergreen boughs for mulch. Water daily or as needed.
• Partially or completely replant your plants in another location. If you partially replant them, cover the exposed portion of the rootball with mulch.
• Pot the plants. You might have difficulty finding a pot large enough for a tree, but many shrubs can fit into a half-barrel or other large container.

Saving Sod

To save sod for future replanting, use a square-edged shovel to cut it into manageable pieces. Although you can roll up larger pieces if soil adheres to the roots, 18-inch squares are manageable for most people. Undercut the sod with 1 1/2 inches of soil. To save the sod, place it on bare ground that has been at least lightly cultivated, fertilize it lightly and water thoroughly. Continue to provide supplemental watering if rainfall is less than 1 inch a week.

Working Around Mature Trees and Shrubs

Large earthmoving equipment compacts the soil and breaks roots. This alone can kill some plants. To distribute the load from heavy equipment, lay down planks where the equipment will be used. Depending on the disruption to plants on the site, provide preventive or remediation care. Water the plants, divert excess water from the area and fertilize as needed. Wrap furniture-moving pads around tree trunks to protect the bark from impact.

If your excavation comes within 10 feet of a large plant’s drip line, you will sever some roots. To reduce shock and minimize stress, cover the ends of exposed roots with mulch, apply a root stimulant either prior to or after excavation and provide supplemental water. You may be able to purchase a small amount of root stimulant from a nursery stock grower. Watering plants with a diluted seaweed solution can also help them recover from severed roots.

Changing The Grade

Adding or removing soil around a plant can affect the plant’s vigor. How much change in grade a plant can tolerate depends on the plant’s general health and its adaptability. For example, soft maples tolerate dramatic increases in grade, but sugar maples do not. Consult a professional to learn how to improve the chances that mature plant will survive any changes you make.

Altering Natural Watercourses

When you divert water away from stonework or install drainage, you’re changing the patterns of natural watercourses. Plants in the area have adapted to these watercourses and may suffer from the changes you’ve made. Monitor plants that are downhill from areas where you have diverted groundwater or rainfall runoff. Provide supplemental water if plants show signs of stress. Signs of stress include slowed growth rate, change in foliage texture or color, earlier onset of dormancy and increased pest infestation.

I hope this has armed you with the information you need to successfully protect your plants during your next stonework project. Your comments are always appreciated. If you found this post useful we would be very grateful if you shared it via the social media buttons on the left.

For home improvement and landscaping, mortared stonework is more popular in dry, mild climates where the installation costs are lower. But considerations other than cost are also important. Even in climates without frost, the natural movement of the earth can, over time, cause the mortar to crack. Mortar exposed to weather deteriorates before the stone. Eventually it will need to be renewed for aesthetic reasons or, in some cases, to keep the stonework intact. Mortared stonework requires supplemental drainage, too. Water can’t move through mortared stonework as it does through dry-laid stone.

How To Mix Mortar

Use a wheelbarrow, mason’s mixing box or piece of plywood to mix your mortar. Combine one part portland cement with three parts mortar sand. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients using a hoe. Form them into a mound with a well in the middle. Pour clean water into the well and gradually mix the dry ingredients with the water, working from the center of the mound to the edges. The amount of water will vary with the weather conditions and the amount of moisture in the sand. Measure the amount you use to get a sense of how much you need for each batch.

The mortar should be stiff enough to support the stones but wet enough to spread easily. The following can help you get the right consistency:

• If water seeps out of the mortar around the edges, it is too wet.
• Test-set a stone on a piece of plywood. If the mortar cannot support the stone with at least a 1-inch bed of mortar, it is too wet.
• Palm a lump of mortar in your hand. If it holds together and has a smooth uniform shape, it’s wet enough.

Mortaring Tricks and Techniques

• Mortar is irritating to the skin. Wear gloves and wash off mortar immediately if it gets on your skin.
• Mortar dries quickly. Work with small batches, no more than the amount you can use within an hour or so. Shade the mortar from direct sun, especially during midday, and cover it with plastic if the weather is hot or windy.
• Begin by working with an area large enough for two to four stones. Increase the size of the work area as your skill improves.
• Use tarps or cardboard to keep the foundation clean. Use plywood to distribute the load if you need to stand on freshly laid stones.
• Slow curing is important. Keep finished work damp by misting it and covering it with plastic for up to seven days.
• Clean the surface of stones that get spattered with mortar before the mortar hardens. Use a sponge and clean water.
• Mortar stains some types of stone. Check with a supplier, or test your stone for susceptibility to staining.

I hope this helps with your next project. If you found this useful, please share it via the social media buttons on the left. Thanks for reading.

Some professional masons seem to have a natural affinity for placing stone. It takes patience and practice, but it is certainly possible for the novice to develop an eye for stonework.

Before You Begin

The stone is your teacher, so it is in your best interest to become familiar with its character. Experiment with how the stone responds when you split, cut or chisel it. Consider how variations in its color or texture can enhance your project.

Sorting. After your stone is delivered, sort it for specific uses. If your are building a freestanding wall with fieldstone, sort for large bottom course stones and rubble to fill between wythes. Sort the remaining stones into two or three groups by size.

Every stone has a place. As you sort stone, you build a memory of the stones that you will use later. All through the sorting process, you should be looking for stones with specific structural traits, such as uniform thickness or right-angle faces. You will find yourself selecting others for aesthetic properties that can establish the look or rhythm of your project.

Choosing Stone During Construction. During construction, evaluate each stone again, but this time to determine the best surfaces for a base, top, face and sides. Assess the degree of flatness and right angles to the face. Then evaluate how this stone fits to the ones adjacent to it.

For example, in wall construction, you have to consider four building surfaces: the two lateral faces and the top and bottom ones. Besides the stone’s surfaces, you’ll also need to consider how the load is distributed as well as whether the fit of the stone helps to create a flat bed for the next course.

Another way to select a stone is to evaluate the shape of the space and look for that shape in the stone pile. With practice, you can intentionally create spaces that use the stones you have.

Pay as much attention to the origin of your stones as to the technical considerations when you are placing them. For example, if you have a stone that was partially buried, it will have a distinct color change at the soil line. If you turned this stone 90 degrees, you’d diminish its natural look and aesthetic appeal, even if the shape works beautifully.

Establishing A Rhythm. Designers use the term rhythm to refer to the way stones of varying sizes and types create a pattern that, though not necessarily geometric, is intentional. Often subtle, rhythm is crucial to the unity and aesthetic appeal of your project. Use rhythm as one criterion to select stones: place them purposefully. Even a skilled mason who is experimenting with a particular effect sometimes dismantles and rebuilds a section of stonework looking for a sustaining rhythm.

Shaping Skills

Deciding whether to hunt for a stone that is a good fit or shape one that nearly fits is often more a matter of work style and aesthetics than of a necessity or expediency. For example, in walls and patios, how much the stone is shaped will determine, at least in part, joint size and naturalness – both significant aesthetic elements.

Before you begin to shape a stone, evaluate it again – this time for hardness, grain, presence of fractures and composition. All of these factors can affect a stone’s structural integrity and how a stone will break. Shaping stone is similar to splitting firewood or using a hand plane. Grain and imperfections dictate angle, force and the quantity you remove.

Work With The Stone. Work with the grain and fractures, chipping off a little at a time. To locate fine fractures, wet the stone and allow it to dry. A fracture will remain wet longer than the rest of the stone. As you become familiar with how a type of stone reacts to the impact of hammer and chisel, you can adjust both the amount removed and the power of your swing. Listen for auditory clues as you work, too. Sometimes you can salvage a stone if you notice soon enough that it is not breaking where you want it to break.

I hope this begins to give you an understanding of how to select and work with stone. I would love to hear your comments. If you found this post useful I would be very appreciative of you sharing it via social media.

Cutting and shaping tools, such as mason’s hammers, chisels and points, circular saw blades and right-angle grinder blades take the most abuse. Both disposable masonry blades and diamond blades are commonly available for circular saws. The type of blade you choose depends in part on the amount of cutting you have to do. If the work involves a lot of shaping and splitting, you’ll need a couple of chisels and points. Sharpen them regularly on a grinding stone, or invest in a 1 1/2-inch carbide chisel that does not require sharpening.

Tool Preferences

People develop personal preferences for stone-shaping tools based on comfort and control. For example, you might find a chisel and hammer more comfortable to use than an all-purpose 2-pound mason’s hammer. Some hammers have impact-absorbing handles, which make them more comfortable to use. A dead-blow hammer delivers more impact than a conventional sledge of the same size. Homeowner-grade circular saws and right-angle grinders equipped with diamond blades can save time, but these tools won’t last if you cut a lot of stone or make long cuts. If you have a lot of cutting and shaping to do, you can use a chisel and hammer or rent industrial cutting tools.

Construction Tools

• Measuring Tape
• Marking device, pencil, nail
• 4-ft. level, string level
• Circular saw
• Right-angle grinder
• Framing or claw hammer
• 10-lb. sledgehammer
• Grade stakes
• Mason’s line
• Hammer holster
• Tool belt or vest

Tools to Work Stone

• Mason’s hammer – to shape or split stone
• Brick hammer – similar to a mason’s hammer
• Chisels – to split stone and cut flagging
• Points – to chip and direct the force of impact
• Mash hammer – to hit chisels and points
• Rubber mallet – to set flagging and stepping stones
• Toothed chisel – to refine the shape of softer stones
• Bush hammer – to smooth or dress irregular surfaces in soft stone
• Masonry blades – for circular saw and right-angle grinder
• Wet kits – for worm-driven circular saws

Landscaping Tools

• Shovels
• Digging spade
• Rakes
• Wheelbarrow
• Tamper

Equipment To Rent

• Power Tamper
• Masonry saw
• Bobcat
• Power Washer

Stone Moving Tools

• Come-along
• Platforms and pipe rollers
• Tripod

Safety Equipment

• Goggles
• Gloves
• Steel-toed shoes
• Ear plugs
• Dust mask
• Kneepads

Some stone can appear to be good building stone but begin to crumble within a few years. Be cautious if stone seems under priced. It is also a good idea to ask the supplier for the names of masons who use it. Take the time to call and ask the masons about their experience with the stone.

If you are unsure about the suitability of a local stone, you can sometimes find information about it through the Extension Service or a U.S. Soil Conservation office. Masons, designers and landscape architects who use natural stone are often familiar with the qualities of stone common to an area.

Small-Dimension Materials

Small-dimension materials such as gravel, crushed rock, pea gravel and bedding sand are sometimes unavailable from building stone suppliers. Visit sand and gravel yards to become familiar with the colors, sizes and surface qualities of those that are available. Take pictures or bring along sturdy sacks or crates to take samples home.

Gravel is an excellent base for many stone projects because it provides stability and creates good drainage. Ask your supplier about the availability of gravel that packs and drains well. Each quarry uses different names for its gravel and stone products. Keep a written record for comparison shopping and ordering.

Price, Availability & Quantity

All other things being equal, the more dressed stone is, the higher the price. For paving, large, uniformly shaped pieces are typically more expensive than smaller or randomly shaped pieces of the same type and quality.

Because so much stone sold for landscaping is available in more than one form, ask a supplier or quarry if it is available as a special order if you don’t find what you want. Almost all commercially available stone is sold by the cubic yard, either loose or by the pallet. Specimen stones may be priced individually without regard to measurements.

How Much Do I Need? To figure out how much stone you need, first calculate the cubic volume of stone for the project. Then add a percentage for waste. The amount of extra stone you need to order depends on the type of stone and the application. You don’t have waste with specimen stones of course, and you can minimize waste for sand and gravel with good calculations. Brick and other small uniform materials have as little as 5 percent waste. If you build with natural fieldstone, you may order up to 50 percent extra. How much you’ll need depends on the quality of the stone, what you are building, the look you want, and how much time you are willing to spend on shaping stones to fit.

Try to get a second opinion when you are deciding how much stone to order. An informed opinion can minimize both shortages and overages, as well as save you problems with disposing of extra material. The supplier or a mason familiar with the stone and the application can help you calculate accurately.

Guidelines for Delivery

Think about where to place the materials before they arrive. You’ll need to get to them easily, but you want to avoid obstructing access to the rest of the site. If you can efficiently store and access all the materials for your project simultaneously, ask whether delivery costs will be less if you take delivery of all of them at the same time.

To guarantee that the materials will be placed where you want them, be there when the delivery truck arrives. If the delivery truck dumps your loose stone, some stones will break. Many more will get marred and, depending on where they’re dumped, dirty. If this is unacceptable, unload the stone by hand or with a bucket loader. Use a power washer to dull scuff marks and clean off dirt and stone dust.

Delivery Services. When you order large stones, ask whether the trucker will set them in place. Although companies charge an additional fee for this service based on the amount of time it will take, it’s almost always worth it. One way or another, setting stones that weigh 300-plus pounds requires equipment or much muscle and time. Remember that a stone that measures a mere 2 cubic feet can weigh this much. Larger stones are much heavier. If you opt to set stones as part of the delivery, prepare the site and, if possible, decide ahead of time how to orient the stones.

I hope this helps you to evaluate and select stone for your next project. As always, comments are welcome and sharing is appreciated.