# materials to do a walkway on the cheap?



## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

We have a "path" that goes from our cement slab in front of the garage around the house to a stone walkway. The "path" was created from a normal flow of walking traffic around the house do to the dogs mostly, but also from us. since we have clay soil, grass refuses to grow because it's compacted. The "path" is about 50' long. Any suggestions as to how to create a "cheap" walkway that will blend well with the cement slab and the stone walkway we've laid to the gazebo. BTW, stone is out do to the (1) expense and (2) my DH threatened to leave if I ever made him lay out another stone walkway !:walk:


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## AnnieinBC (Mar 23, 2007)

We have the same problem here...also clay soil. It is the "path" from the house down to our barn....this year I hope to dig out several inches of the clay, line it with landscape fabric, then start shovelling crushed gravel on there.

I hope it works....might that work for you? I don't think it will be too expensive. We would need to take the pickup truck to get the gravel.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

what about mulch? it composts and would have to be replaced somewhat often, but it would help the soil soften up for when you decide on a perment option. 

put flag stones down in a stepping loose style and put mulch around them to level up the height and use logs or edging to keep the mulch in.

I also like pea gravel. it can be a slipping hazzard on concrete. I can't keep gravel where it is supposed to be.


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## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

i thought about mulch because it's pretty reasonable when we buy it by the scoop. I really want something more permanent because this path will never go away. I have landscape fabric under the stone walkway with sand/pea gravel in between the stones. I'm not crazy about it because I constantly get weeds in between the stones. I planted creeping thyme but the weeds seem to get more each year and it's hard to kill them without harming the thyme. I'm not sure if I'd have the same weed problem with crushed gravel.


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## beewench (Mar 5, 2010)

I saw a really cool pathway made from really thinly sawed log rounds...like 4-5 inches thick and then buried a couple of inches in the ground. It was beautiful, and its permiable...google log stepping path pictures and you should be able to find it...
I plan on doing this in the walkways of my garden...you can mow over them too!

-=Sarah
www.beewench.blogspot.com


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## HillsideWayCSA (Feb 22, 2010)

A fun cheap way to make a path (if you help out the hubby might not leave) is to make your own cement bricks using baking tin foil pans (like you find at the dollar store or walmart cooking isle). A bag of the just add water cement is pretty cheap and goes a long way and all you need is a 5 gallon bucket just toss in a couple scoops of the cement add water and mix till it's smooth and pour in the tin foil pans. You can add color and shells or fancy rocks or do the hand print thing or heck even dog prints are fun (just wash quickly so the cement doesn't stick to their feet). 

Just an idea. I've done this a couple of times before and it's always cheap and easy. The blocks work great for all kinds of odd jobs.


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Treated 1x6" corrall boards make an excellent boardwalk. We have had one down for about 12 years now, and it is still solid and looks good. Only maintenance is once a year I scrub it with bleach when I do the siding on the house, and then put some oil based stain on it every 2 or 3 years.


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## Scomber (Jan 30, 2005)

That sounds like two yards of Concrete: 50' x 3' x 4". That's below the 5 yard minimum I'm used to hearing about, but if you have another project that will use the other three yards (or if concrete supplier have different rules there) then just pouring concrete may be the simplest thing and cheapest too once you include your own labor. And it's really not that hard to do. Pour it, screed it level, wait a little bit, trowel the top more or less smooth, trowel in control joints, and give it a light broom finish. Keep it covered and moist for a few days.

Dan


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

wooden beams pinned to the ground with rebar filled with river stone and maybe sand to help stabilize yhem.


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

If you live near a city, check with the street dept. to see if they will be replacing any sidewalks, this summer. If you can get to the slabs, they should easily bust into smaller "stones", as sidewalks dont often use any steel reinforcement.

Lay the pieces out as "flagstones" along your path. When the grass dies underneath, dig out the dead area, so the stone will sit at ground level.

Plan it right and it will look good.

*Sorry, missed this part. Maybe other's could use the idea.*

*


GoatsRus said:



DH threatened to leave if I ever made him lay out another stone walkway !:walk:

Click to expand...

*


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I think crushed rock is your best bet. Anything not set in concrete is going to shift and soon you would have an uneven walkway needed to be 'redone'. Crushed rock will pack down - think of the stuff they use to use on High school tracks. It comes in several colors, isnt' expensive, but you would want some kind of edging to keep it in place.


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

I have a friend that made a very attractive walkway with a mold she got somewhere and bags of Quickcrete. When it was almost dry, she sprinkled the top with pebbles.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

i bought a pathmate cobblestone mold for concrete and have use it for entire patios and small pathways..each is about 24/24 and uses about one small quickrete bag..you can do them in your leisure time..i mixed it bag by bag as i needed it in a roll around mixer that mixes one bag


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## MariaAZ (Jun 5, 2007)

plowjockey said:


> If you live near a city, check with the street dept. to see if they will be replacing any sidewalks, this summer. If you can get to the slabs, they should easily bust into smaller "stones", as sidewalks dont often use any steel reinforcement.
> 
> Lay the pieces out as "flagstones" along your path. When the grass dies underneath, dig out the dead area, so the stone will sit at ground level.


This is exactly what I was thinking. I saw a patio done with broken pieces of concrete laid with the smooth side down and the rough side up. It looked awesome!


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

I've seen short pathways made from the lumber that can be salvaged from used pallets.

It doesn't last forever, but if you have the time, it sure is cheap.

Pry or cut off the top boards, cut them to length, and renail them to the runners. Leave a one inch overhang on both sides.

I've seen this done, and done right, it is attractive.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

Grrr, HT isn't letting me post.... I'll try this again.

Many years ago, when I lived in town, I had a neighbor who had a short retaining wall made of flagstone. He wanted the flagstone removed; I wanted the flagstone. We made a bargain. I'm a very small woman but I dug those stupid stones out of his yard. It took me several days to a week to accomplish this. I drove them the half block or so to our house. I laid them in our backyard by cutting the shape of each flagstone in our yard. I wanted them to be flush with the yard to make it easier to mow. 

So....... don't break your promise to your hubby. Lay the stone yourself. 

Another option would be something like decomposed granite. Some kind of sand or pea gravel would also be a possibility.

There is no option that will be especially easy or labor free.


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

What about creating a 'stepping stone' walk by laying down a mulch bed, then adding pavers or handmade stone (i.e. using a cooblestone mold). Thinking this is easier to layout as it is random, maintain, and less expensive. BTW, some towns, at least where I am, offer free mulch to residents. Might want to check with your town to see if they offer the same.


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## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

Wood chips! 

I made a nice path through the woods out back for DW out of them. Find out who does tree trimming for your local electric utility. They will provide them free and deliver. The only downside for many people is that they do it in 10 yard or larger loads. This will cover 10'x100' about 3-4 inches deep.

I'm getting ready to get another load dumped next to my drive.

Mike


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## GoatsRus (Jan 19, 2003)

Wow, thanks guys. This has been great. I'm liking the board ideas (thanks Beewench & JuliaAnn) and that may work. We have a log sided house and kind of want the walk to blend with the landscape. I love these projects, but I'm a pretty hard task master (thanks to my dad!) and since I can't do really heavy lifting, my DH gets to do all the heavy work! We can scrape out the walkway with the tractor bucket just like we did for the stone walkway and lay the wood flush with the grass. I'm thinking the dogs would probably walk on the wood more than they would the stone. The reason I say that is we have a stone driveway and they have another path they've made through the grass parallel to the drive because they'd rather not walk on the stone....wimps!


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

From the back garage door around to the patio I edged in the area I wanted, put down landscape fabric, stepping stones for the actual path & then filled in with mulch around all the stepping stones. It didn't cost that much to do & here we can get a trailer load of mulch for $15.00, so about every other year so far I have added some more mulch to fill in where it's blown away, etc.

I also made a setting area in that same space && have a few things planted in an area so it is kinda like an additional little garden area leading to the patio.


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## rwinsouthla (Oct 24, 2005)

5 gallon buckets with broken or busted bags of quikrete from home depot or lowes or your favorite home stuff store. Go in and ask them for any broken bags of concrete. They give them away here. 5 gallon buckets make a nice stepping stone if you fill them 2-3" with quikrete. then, plant dwarf mondo grass between them. that stuff doesn't spread nearly as bad as the big stuff and looks good too. and you won't have to mow it or trim it. Not labor free but almost cost free. the mondo grass will grow just about anywhere.


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## Jenn (Nov 9, 2004)

I have wood mulch with concrete stepping stones (12" $1.39 at PX) but our two dogs avoid the stones and wear a path into the dirt in the mulch, so I need to replace mulch where they run more often. I laid down cardboard when I first put in the mulch and have gotten rid of the stray grass over time. Just beware the dogs may plow through your plants if they don't like the stuff on the path.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I know you said no rock....but......my neighbor has built beautiful stone walls and such without spending a penny. He just keeps his eyes open, especially when driving past construction site and such and picks them up. If he were to buy them all I bet it would have been over $3000, he spent nothing. Once you have the first few you could put them in like stepping stones, then just slowly fill it in as you find rocks.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

GoatsRus said:


> We have a "path" that goes from our cement slab in front of the garage around the house to a stone walkway. The "path" was created from a normal flow of walking traffic around the house do to the dogs mostly, but also from us. since we have clay soil, grass refuses to grow because it's compacted. The "path" is about 50' long. Any suggestions as to how to create a "cheap" walkway that will blend well with the cement slab and the stone walkway we've laid to the gazebo. BTW, stone is out do to the (1) expense and (2) my DH threatened to leave if I ever made him lay out another stone walkway !:walk:



.............Whatever material you decide upon , I'd definitely use that metal edging too define the path , it comes with the metal stakes so it will stay in place . , fordy


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

3/4" Minus size crushed rock works very well for stabilizing and preventing erosion. It only takes an inch or two to make a big difference. Just spread it out and walk on it. Over time it will work it's way down into the soil until it's level. Any weeds that try to come up can be stepped on as you walk.


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## coup (Feb 28, 2007)

a guy here is using left over shingles he gets for free....he has also used carpet cut to width.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Rotomill (ground up pavement) could be spread and rolled on the pathway. Cuts erosion and make a solid surface to walk on.


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

I like the idea of using the mulch, but maybe stepping stones on top. It'd blend with your wood siding AND your cement patio.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

rwinsouthla said:


> 5 gallon buckets with broken or busted bags of quikrete from home depot or lowes or your favorite home stuff store. Go in and ask them for any broken bags of concrete. They give them away here. 5 gallon buckets make a nice stepping stone if you fill them 2-3" with quikrete. then, plant dwarf mondo grass between them. that stuff doesn't spread nearly as bad as the big stuff and looks good too. and you won't have to mow it or trim it. Not labor free but almost cost free. the mondo grass will grow just about anywhere.


This is an excellent idea!!!!

You could also make your own mold for pouring and shaping your stones. If I'm not mistaken, they also sell decorative molds too.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

I have a walk way made from ferro cement that Old Bear made for many years ago. What he did was to put down wire and put quick crete cement over it and trouled it smooth. No forms and only about 3 inches tall. It will not last for a road but to be a foot path it is good to have.


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

Oh! That's a good idea! I like that....it'd be more natural, not so round and smooth and all-the-same. You could shape them a bit more like stepping stones, etc. Do you NEED the wire on the back? What purpose does it have? What did he form them on that they didn't stick to it?


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

cc-rider said:


> Oh! That's a good idea! I like that....it'd be more natural, not so round and smooth and all-the-same. You could shape them a bit more like stepping stones, etc. Do you NEED the wire on the back? What purpose does it have? What did he form them on that they didn't stick to it?


On what I described you need the wire to hold the cement together if it cracks. No formed just trouled to what you want it to be. It is high in the center and narrow on the outside. If you shovel out an inch or two and use that you will have enough concrete at the edges to hold up under foot traffic. Do not run a car over it or it will crack. You can make any pattern on top. What I wanted was a broom finish on mine so that it would not become slick.


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## Little Quacker in NC (May 9, 2002)

WOW! This is a great thread! Good question and great answers. AS a lady(?)in her dotage I found that my best bet was the method mentioned already. I have clay soil too and three or four dogs here that go out through the dog doors(winter time is the problem), get muddy feet and then tear in through the dog yard, the dog doors, across my kitchen and into the dining room. This route made a mud trail through my narrow kitchen. It was the pits!

So, I put down the landscape cloth(which I already had) right down the side of the house where it got so muddy, landscape clothed the dog yard too and called for a load of gravel. Once distributed that took care of my muddy kitchen and made things so much nicer around here.

If you pick the type of gravel carefully, it will pack nicely and the dogs will walk on it just fine unless they have tender feet like some breeds do who have pink feet.

I like this method as I could pretty much do most of it little by little by myself. Good luck with things.

LQ


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