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Building a Pea Gravel Patio

stretchad
18 years ago

As you can see from the photo below I have a 10x10 patio on the north side of my home. I've landscaped just beside it before I put up the fence. Since then my husband and I have started to plant around the perimeter of the fence and this spring plan to curve from the existing bed around the bottome of the fence. The area of the pea gravel patio would be about 10 feet wide, and about 8 to 10 feet across.

We're looking for an inexpensive, DIY, relaxed "patio" which we could use either as a small dining area, or an area to put a few chairs and a fire bowl for nice summer nights. I've always envisioned a mediterranean feel or cottage feel to this area

Questions are: 1) Has anyone done a pea gravel sitting area before?

2) do you think a pea gravel patio (in stone like this found on this page: http://www.estonecenter.com/aggregates/images/1_8x1_4_merrimac_lr.jpg) is a good idea?

3) Does anyone know how to lay a pea gravel patio properly? Or know of a place to find info on how to do it?

Thanks!

View of landscaping from where patio would go...

Comments (40)

  • karinl
    18 years ago

    I've thought and thought about your question and the only response I can really come up with is "why?" Or maybe, in my more maternal moments "Don't!"

    I am not, however, quite clear on whether you mean this to replace the patio you now have, which though uninspired looks quite serviceable and could be tiled over if you want a more mediterranean look, of whether you are talking about an additional patio. I certainly wouldn't want pea gravel as my only patio.

    In terms of whether this material would work, I don't see it as a good place to put chairs, tables, or firepits. Wouldn't they be tippy? Not to mention awful to walk on, and wretched once leaves and other organic materials start accumulating among the stones.

    I do have a bit of family history here too, by the way. When I was young my parents thought a gravel patio would be a good idea. So my dad built a grid of 2x6s or 2x4s, making 2 foot x 2 foot squares, and filled each square with gravel. It was so uncomfortable on all fronts that the next year my parents scooped out the gravel, and poured concrete into the squares, which they decorated with pebbles (and some of the gravel, no doubt) pressed into the concrete.

  • bonsai_audge
    18 years ago

    Is the pea gravel patio an extension? If not, your current patio (like Karin said) could be easily re-vamped by resurfacing it.

    As from my experience, pea gravel and chairs usually do not mix very well. The unsmooth surface results in tippy chairs and very rocky rides when one attempts to adjust their position.

    -Audric

  • GingerBlue
    18 years ago

    Right now you have a good thing going. You have a clean patio, clean grass, nice little plantings. Now imagine little gravel getting into all of that. You cannot keep pea gravel where it's supposed to be. Plain and simple. Plus, it gets stuck between your toes, under your feet in sandals, and is wet and icky for a good long time after a rain.

    You have such a nice place there, with so much potential, that I'd like to see you develop a comprehensive landscape plan for the entire yard rather than putting things in here and there piecemeal. You don't have to install everything all at once. But do come up with a plan. That way five years from now you won't be saying "Oh, I wish I hadn't put a patio here...I'd really like a water garden or herb garden or grape arbor, etc." Stupid me put an ARBOR on the west side of my deck. So the hot afternood sun shines right through the arbor. So I either lose the arbor or fry in the sun forever. A plan will avoid things like this.

  • karinl
    18 years ago

    Oh I see it now - the caption on the second photo that explains the new patio will go beside the first one. Sorry! If you do a patio there, whatever the material, I'd also consider a path to get to it.

  • vicki_ca
    18 years ago

    If you are thinking of using loose pea gravel, it is problematic for the reasons stated above. If it is the look of pea gravel that appeals to you, exposed aggregate is a much better choice. A poured in place exposed aggregate patio is not a DIY job. However, you could use exposed aggregate blocks or pavers to build a very nice patio.

    {{gwi:8500}}

  • elaine_mi
    18 years ago

    I definitely would not recommend it. A few years ago, I had a person put in a pea gravel path along the side of the garage to the back yard. For some reason (??) I wanted to get rid of the grass that was there, I cannot remember why now.

    Anyway, it is not easy to walk on, the pebbles get into the grass, and it's not even. This spring I am having it taken out. I'm most likely going to put in a brick walk.

    Cheap sometimes doesn't save you money in the long run!
    Elaine

  • laag
    18 years ago

    If it is well constructed, there is nothing wrong with it. The problem is that you can read all you want on the internet and in books, but until you have done a whole lot of them, it won't come out right. As simple as it sounds, it is harder to get right as a DIY project than pavers or concrete.

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    18 years ago

    Forget the pea gravel.

    Also suggest you sketch your yard, house, and existing patio and decide exactly where and in what shape you want to have more patio. For example, in your photo, your flower bed is in the shade, which is where I would want to sit at that time of day, whenever that is. But maybe your sitting time and sun/shade patterns are different, or maybe you plan to build a trellis or arbor or buy umbrellas--the point is, check out the sun/shade throughout the day (and season, or calculate the difference the season will make) plus dimensions for the activity, such as table/chairs, firebowl/chairs, or whatever, and decide what area will turn out to be most usable. I wouldn't let the position of your current planting beds dictate your patio--it should be vice-versa.

    Then do a little research re: whether you want to just extend the same material (poured concrete), or combine new & old materials --there are better and worse ways to do that-- vs. start over or cover over.

  • nickel_kg
    18 years ago

    Pea gravel can be fun for kids to play in ... and dogs to dig in ... and I like the sound of gravel crunching underfoot.

    But it certainly does have its drawbacks. Pea gravel never packs together so it can't provide a solid footing for people or tables, chairs, etc. And it needs to be quite deep (6" or so?) to stop weeds, and with something tall & solid to contain it. Surprizingly enough, I don't have a problem with leaves or other material, probably because our pea gravel playground is on a windy hill.

    If you're looking mainly for another sitting area, yeah, avoid the pea gravel.

  • ffreidl2
    18 years ago

    So, are you all saying that pea gravel is just impossible to live with, period, the end? Or do you mean it's only suitable for paths?

    I keep thinking of all those beautiful european gardens you see in magazines with lovely pea gravel paths and wondering how they make them work. Is it just that they
    have their full time staff out from dawn to dusk for three weeks prior to the photos manicuring their paths, or have they found a way to make the material function the way they want? (i.e. a way of installing it?)

    To me there's a world of difference in terms of "look" between pea gravel, which is organic and soft looking, and aggregate with a pea gravel type of surface, which is rigid and hard. So it's certainly disappointing to hear people's experiences with pea gravel.

  • littlebug5
    18 years ago

    Run, Ffreidl2, Run, away from pea gravel!!!

    We bought a house with pea gravel sidewalks. It's framed in with railroad ties (another no-no) with big square aggregate blocks down the middle like someone shows above. What a major pain in the patootie.

    My kids love it!! It's fun to pick up the gravel and throw it at each other, me, the roof, the gutters, some unknown target in the yard, the dog, and up in the air to hit with a bat. The dog runs through it, throwing it everywhere with her paws. You can't walk on it, either wearing dress shoes or barefoot. You can't shovel snow off it. There's no way to keep it neat. And as the square aggregate blocks age, they're breaking apart -- a corner here, a corner there, a full crack across one.

    I'm counting the days until spring when we can tear it out and replace it with REAL sidewalks.

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    18 years ago

    The-author-whom-I-will-not-name-again created an herb garden surrounded by "crunchy pea stone". Beautiful color, looks clean and precise, lovely. He later noted that he saw, in another fine garden, workers digging out similar pea gravel and hauling it off. Why, he asked. Because every 5-10 years it has to be replaced due to its retention of dirt, bits of organic matter, weeds, etc. (to continue to look so fine). He plans to do that himself in a few years. ARRGG! And that was specifically to walk on. If you did use it as part of a patio, you would have to place large flagstones or pavers for the furniture. Why are you drawn to "soft" when the purpose of a patio is to have a firm level surface on which to place table & chairs? Instead I would focus on shopping for stone or stone-like materials, even forms of treated concrete that look more aged--to find something that appeals to you and fits your home. There are a lot of options besides aggregate.

  • laag
    18 years ago

    The problem is not that peastone is not a good material. It is that it is seldom well done. The trick to it is to have a very compactable well graded base material that is compacted properly with as thin a layer of peastone as is possible on top of it. It sounds easy, but it is seldom done well. You can drive on a driveway like this and leave tire tracks that are barely visible. Patio furniture is fine on this surface unless the peastone is too deep, or the base is uneven and/or not compacted enough (not all materials compact to the same extent no matter what you are using to compact it with).

    In my area, the well to do often have peastone driveways. It is not because they want to weed them or rebuild them every five years. They are excellent ... depending on who built them.

    I would not recommend peastone as a DIY project simply because I see so many landscapers do a poor job with them.

  • landman
    18 years ago

    Pea gravel patios that are going to get any use other than being viewed from afar are nothing but trouble and maintenance. If you need more space and are budget concious I would suggest concrete pavers set on a gravel base. There are lots of manufacturers as well as colors and styles. Installation techniques for your area are typically provided by the manufacturers.

    I would not try to bond any material to your existing concrete slab since first you live in a cold climate and expansion/contraction of different materials causes rapid deterioration. That and the fact that bonding things to old, cured concrete is seldom a successful, long term soulution and a very expensive process as well.

    Good luck.

    Landman

  • watergal
    18 years ago

    Do you have kids? I used to work at a day care center with pea gravel on the playground. What a nightmare! The kids would scatter it around, throw it at each other, track it indoors, stick it in their ears and nostrils... Plus when it got scattered onto the asphalt, it was not unlike walking on marbles or ballbearings, very slippery. Yeah, it's pretty but it ain't worth the aggravation!

  • davidandkasie
    18 years ago

    my parents wanted a pea gravel deck around their pool. when they realized that the gravel would end up more in the house and pool than on the dec area, they pour a concrete deck and washed it for the gravel look. simply let the concrete sit for a little while, then spray it with a hose to expose the aggregate. once it cures, sweep it with a stiff broom to remove any loose gravel. the look of pea gravel without the headache! you just have to specify that you want small aggregate when ordering the concrete.

    the drawback to this is it is much more expensive than just dumping some gravel, and even still gravel will break loose from it over time.

    i recommend that you use the gravel as a surround and path, but not as the patio surface itself.

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    18 years ago

    I am glad that laag pointed out the different ways to use gravel. Also before I came to this forum I had never heard of the different types of granite fines and DG paths and I have since "looked" (in photos) at some and can see that they are quite different from what's in my yard and around town. These, while not as low maintenance as a hard surface (concrete, flagstone, brick), would collect less organic trash, be easier to rake or leaf-blow, be firm underfoot. So I was assuming that stretchad was thinking of the typical suburban gravel solution, including cost and installation issues.

  • giardinierven
    18 years ago

    I love gravel paths and patios. At my last home, that's all I had. I've always liked pea gravel for its look. But most gravel has the ''track in the house '' reputaton. I've found that 3/4 inch crushed works the best. It packs down well and is too large to get stuck in the treads of one's soles. Also, furniture on the patio works fine,

    As for the complaint that gravel walks aren't great for dress shoes, read ''women's narrow heels''...if you have gravel paths, you're smart enough to carry your dress shoes and wear sensible shoes otherwise. I've had complaining women visit my garden in such heels and think,''You're using the oxygen, I need to breathe''...cruel perhaps, but in the old days they buried dead animals under newly planted shrubs and trees for fertilizer...it's the old argument ''style or substance''

  • keyonne
    17 years ago

    Hello, I live in SE Houston, TX. and my husband and I just bought our first home and we would like to put pea gravel in our backyard. Our 5 yr old daughter has allergies and exzema really bad and can't go outside and play in the grass we have now. If we put the gravel down she and her sister would be able to play outdoors.We are thinking of putting one of those big wooden swing sets on the pea gravel. Do you think that would work well? Please respond. If anyone knows where we can get some really chaep or Free would be even better gravel from please, please contact me.

  • dogridge
    17 years ago

    If you decide to put down the pea gravel, you should first excavate about 4 inches, then put down some "crusher run" or road base. Use a compactor to make it firm, then put a 2 inch layer of pea gravel over it. We have a pea gravel drive and front entry court and it is very nice. I do have to pick weeds out of it several times a year and it needs to be refreshed every 2-3 years, but overall it is vey nice. You might also consider 1/4" sharp gravel. It is not as easy to walk on barefoot, but is still soft to play in. That is what we have and our son loves to play in it.

  • tlather
    17 years ago

    Depending on how much space there is between your door sill and your patio, you may be able to get away with a very nice facing.

    You will need about 3-4" depending on your choice of facing material.

    Use a cut-off saw with a diamond bit blade and score the concrete in a grid (about every 10" or so about 1/2" deep.

    Use a 3 to 1 mortar mix (mason's sand to type S mortar mix)and put a light coat over the entire (swept) concrete surface. The scoring lines you made will act as grooves to hold the mortar to the concrete. Get a nice layer about an inch thick level and smooth.

    Use a scratcher to scratch the entire surface, careful not to create lumps around the edges. Then carefully take your facing material (ie flagstone, bluestone, fieldstone, etc.) and apply a generous layer of mortar to your stone and place it. Start with the two sides against the walls and work your way out. Use a saw or a chisel/hammer to shape your pieces as you place them.

    Finish with a mortar bag to fill in the joints.

  • Cady
    17 years ago

    If you want to see how it looks and feels, why not put edger around the existing concrete slabs, pour 1" or so of pea gravel into the "corral" and try it out. If it's a bust, just rake up and remove the pebbles and edger, and decide what else to try.

  • mitanoff
    15 years ago

    Hello Stretchad:
    I realize you might not get this, since your original post was quite some time ago; however, what did you end up doing? I would also like to do a pea gravel patio and was wondering it you were talked out of it. Or if you did do it, how has it held up for you and would you do it again?
    Thanks,
    Mit

  • Bogart
    15 years ago

    I have a peastone pathway and a peastone patio about the same size as the original poster wanted to build.

    I love them both.

    The patio is about four years old now, edged with ledgerock (to keep the stone out of the lawn and the garden), with landscape fabric beneath to stop the stone from settling into the soil. Seeds do germinate in it - I pull my share of lupin, rudbeckia, grass and dandelion seedlings out every few weeks, but it's not onerous. I placed pieces of flagstone under the legs of concrete benches and sunk the concrete table pedestal deep into the gravel - no tipping. I love walking on it bare feet. It drains well and is not a problem after a rain.

    The pathway is about 15 years old and is very deep with flagstone sunk into it. Again, I pull seedlings out occasionally but it's not a problem. Again, there's edging.

    I like the look so much better than concrete or solid flagstone.

  • mitanoff
    15 years ago

    Hello Bogart!
    Thanks so much for sharing. I used peastone to surround my raised vegetable beds and I have quite a bit left. It's nice to find one person who doesn't hate it! :>
    I'll be doing a round patio with a short walkway to the vegetable beds. I'll be surrounding the patio with a short hedge, with 3 exit paths. Maybe I'll edge it in brick to make it neat. I'm going to give it a try!

  • jennybog
    15 years ago

    I am so glad that I heard postive statements about pea gravel. I have been wanting to do paths for years but keep reading NOT to do it.I have seen it beatiful done in, Martha, Country Living, Cottage Living, Country Home. So I have Ripped out all the pages and put it in my Dream binder. My neighboer down the road had a professional lanscaper come in and put in Pea gravel paths and they look GREAT!she is really pleased.I live in rural maine om a farm and need some paths to get to the barn and back in winter and mud season.I so appreciate all of you and this sight. Thanks Jenny

  • ianna
    15 years ago

    I used peagravel as well to cover a small couryard edged with raised planters. I must say, I really loved it. It has a great crunch when walking on it and you can certainly set up a couple of bistro chairs and a table to enjoy the surrounding view. It's very 'green' conscious as well as rain water will filter downwards and not into sewer drains. Very Provencal I would say.

    I have to say, a great peagravel path or patio must have a great underlay. We had several inches of limescreenings to firm up the foundation and I had durable landscape cloth set on top it, finally a small layer of peasized gravel. It's important to edge it with something high so to prevent stones from straying. Some that I've seen used granite flagstones, in my case, I used beams. Weeds wasn't a great problem. If they do show up, all did was take a rake to disturb them and that did the trick. Plus the landscaper's fabric prevented weeds such as dandelions and other tap rooted weeds. Otherwise, a simple sprinkling of salts helps.

  • zachary_joyce
    15 years ago

    My product might be of use. We sell a liquid polyurethane that is used to bind together loose aggregate to form ADA compliant pathways. With the same application you could get the beautiful look of the natural aggregate without the maintenance ordeal of dealing with the loose stones on the patio. It will also, of course, keep the surface level. If you might be interested take a look at our web site. (www.klingstonepaths.com) Our technical support staff can answer any questions you may have.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Klingstone Paths

  • aris_md
    15 years ago

    I plan to do this in my yard this spring. I live in a Town House (typical TH yard) and my grass is all bald and has weeds and is just unsightly. I just left it as the last owner left it (4yrs ago).

    All I want now is to round up the weeds, lay the landscaping fabric, put down the pea gravel and then put two lounge chaises, a small table between them, and my charcoal grill on wheels (?). Other than that I have the 13gal garbage can and a small built in shed.

    Can anyone suggest what size pea gravel is nice to walk on and how many inches will I need to sit the lounges, table and grill on it? Will I need t bury the legs into the pea gravel?.

    I am working on a tight budget for the entire project $250 and that includes my loungers $50ea, table $20, and grill $17. The pea gravel at the home improvement store is $3.88 a bag and I am thinking 10 is good so $33.88 and then the weed fabric is $15. Subtotal is $203 or so.

    Can anyone think of anything else that I might need to complete the project that would be around $47? Oh and I do wear a lot of flip-flops in the summer. I have no pets or children, it's just to make my yard look like something other than an abandoned lot.

    Thanks!

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    15 years ago

    I doubt I can be really positive on this idea; did you read about the pros and cons above? however, I keep trying to think that there are situations in which SOMETHING is better than NOTHING and not to get bogged down in ideal-only situations or even the future fall out--if the homeowner wants a little space that looks neat and is safe for grilling.

    I don't think you would really think of your proposal as easy or fun to walk on as you are not planning on a proper base, and so it's a bit more like a kid's play area of pea gravel, and you wouldn't want to move stuff around a lot, but it could work as a space to chill out and stand by the grill and cook a burger and sit in your chairs.

    That said, first you measure out the square footage you need--either do this roughly out in your yard,or on paper using cutouts for chairs, etc and note how much room you need between and around. Then you think, how deep for the gravel? and come up with how many bags.

    I think you must have some kind of edging or it won't stay, nor will it look nice and tidy. You might use treated 4 x 4s trenched slightly so the gravel mostly stays in, but they're slightly stable if you step on one. These aren't very expensive, but they do add to total cost.

    For some extra cost, or perhaps a wash in cost, you can use less gravel and add 16" pavers set about 2" apart. It is difficult to get them to look level with the techniques you are likely to use, if you are working over a large space, but they do give a firmer surface.

    All this from a gravel-hater, but trying to get outside my perfection zone and see if the poster can achieve something of his aim.

  • aris_md
    15 years ago

    Thank you Frankie, for your suggestions. Yes, I did read the pros and cons and of course I would love to have a better landscaped patio but it's not in the $$$ cards right now, so neat and safe for grilling it is

    The grill and lounges are my way of giving the pea gravel some flare. I think I can handle the walking on it part because I love the beach and all of the ones I've been to have seashell/rock-filled sand. Kind of the same.

    I do have a neighbor on one side of me and wouldn't want gravel getting in their yard so the 4X4 idea is great, thanks. The only edging I have is the fully enclosed wood planked fence which currently is embedded into the ground dirt.

    I was literally just going to spread pea gravel all over the yard and level it the best I could. Then place the lounges and table at one end and the grill at the other end with 2" of all legs in the pea gravel.

    My main reasons for doing this is to basically not have to cut the grass/weeds. Last summer I barely cut them and they grew between the fence and peeked into my neighbors yard. Just awful, but I was grateful they ignored it and didn't report me to the HOA. This year I want to do better. :-)

    For a gravel hater (haha), your insight is great. Thanks again!

  • Frankie_in_zone_7
    15 years ago

    I don't know how big your yard is, but I would start small, with the gravel, meaning, just big enough for the seating at first--the point being, you can always expand, but you will never remove the gravel once you've got it in (I'm making assumptions about what you will or won't do in the future based on human nature, the nature of gravel removal, and your post!). Also, will be an issue for the next (owner?)--if you will be responsible for future sale of the property, then that is one reason to avoid some forms of home improvement that may be seen as drawbacks.

    If you are the least bit inclined to "gardening" and to enjoy a bit of greenery, you might be able to plan and install some pockets of groundcover for the same price as covering everything with gravel--it is possible to build up soil areas without a lot of digging and leveling, particularly for planting one of the tough groundcovers (not for growing tea roses right away!). There would be some upkeep to establish the plantings but again, you could start small-- an area 3x3 or 4x4. You might approach your yard by mapping out quadrants or areas and tackle one or 2 , but leave the rest bare until you phase in the whole plan. The return would be that you would not be trying to establish a lawn from scratch under poor conditions but you would have some green space.

    You haven't said whether you have any trees in your yard or overhanging your yard--leaves, cones, acorns, maple seeds-- but that is an issue for pea gravel--you don't want a lot of gravel if there is going to be a lot of organic debris falling on it, requiring constant raking and upkeep.

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    15 years ago

    I am curious about pea gravel vs. pea stone. I hate the larger size gravel I've encountered but I don't ever remember seeing an area covered in the smaller scale stuff that I've seen called pea stone instead of gravel. Is it as bad or does it pack down better? Just curious....

  • rainycitygardener
    15 years ago

    My husband and I transformed our backyard from a blank slate to a natural woodland garden, raised vegetable beds, a slate patio, a grassy area and perennial beds. We put in pea gravel walkways---296' x 2'---all around the garden. BIG MISTAKE. It's like walking in quick sand. Pushing a lawn mower or wheel barrow across it is nearly impossible. After 6 years and many scratched wood floors later, we finally dug it all out and replaced it with 5/8 minus crusher run. We are much happier. As far as I know, you cannot stabilize the stuff. Thinking of using pea gravel? DON'T DO IT!!!

  • bellissimofloral
    14 years ago

    Hi...I cant believe this thread has gone on as long as it has.... : )
    I, too, love the look and am wondering about my unique situation. I have a concrete patio where root from the trees have raised it in portion and it is now uneven. My only choices (that I know of) would be to have it jack hammered out and start over (very costly), build a deck over it (equally costly but we could do it ourselves)or perhaps lay peagravel over it....any thoughts?

  • fordr
    14 years ago

    WE have two beautiful magnolia trees that were cut to create a wonderful shade canopy. We used crush & run gravel (sorry I don't what size stone that is) to build a patio under the trees. Our reasoning was money and protecting the trees. We've never had any problems with the tables and chairs, BBQ grill and flower pots sitting on the patio. It isn't barefoot friendly but it is stable...especially the older it is. This weekend we're working on explanding our patio and we're using the same technique (grade, smooth the area, lay landscapring fabric, and then the gravel). Hope this is a help & encouragement to those who want to try gravel.

  • Rjperry7_msn_com
    13 years ago

    I am currently working on one where I jack
    Hammered out a slab around a pool and my approach is I have used bank sand and am going to compact then use ls material then stabilized sand and compact the pea gravel into it

  • s_foster65_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I've seen on HGTV a pea gravel patio. The pea gravel is mixed with apoxie and something else, it goes down in sections. Where can I get the complete how to instructions. The links for patio flooring are not helpful.
    Thanks

  • cnjshaw_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    We built an extension off our patio, using garden ties two high and filled it with pea gravel and put our family picnic table in it, some planters and you can always get stepping stones to build a path to walk on. Pea gravel is great drainage, great for a dog wanting to go potty, and it can be raked easily in the summer. Winter I don't care, snow melts. It can be very earthy to look at and easily used for landscaping.

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