Build a Crushed Stone Path: Affordable, Flexible Walkway

Create a Natural-Looking Stone Path

Inexpensive, easy to install, and blending into any landscape, a crushed stone walkway with flexible edging allows gentle curves and stays in place. Replenish every few years for decades of service.

Lay out curves with a garden hose — as free-form as you like. Minimum 36" wide for two-person comfort. Purchase precut pressure-treated log sections. Calculate quantity: total linear feet of edging ÷ log diameter.

Materials

• 6x24-inch log sections
• Weed barrier: PVC sheeting or weed-block fabric
• Coarse sand
• Crushed stone
• Gravel for setting logs

Instructions

1. Prepare the Base

Excavate path 4+ inches below grade. Dig 12-inch-deep trenches on each side (2+ inches wider than logs). Add 2" gravel to trench bottoms to slow wood deterioration. Tap logs in with mallet — sides plumb, tops needn't be even. Check with level.

2. Add the Fill

Roll out weed barrier. Add 1" coarse sand, pack around logs. Tamp firmly. Add stone, rake, tamp level. Backfill outside logs: sand first, then moistened topsoil.