Flagstone is a very general term that denotes a large flat stone that is between one and four inches thick; stones of this nature are created by splitting or cutting. The primary types of flagstones are sandstone, limestone, granite, slate or quartzite. There are a variety of shapes and colors in which flagstone comes. What’s more, flagstone is durable and attractive and does well with a variety of architectural designs and landscape features.

There are actually a variety of stones available to make flagstone patios. Slate and bluestone are among the most well known. Both of these types of flagstones provide smooth, flat surfaces. Fieldstones are another type, and these provide rougher surfaces. While smooth stones may look more visually neat, rough surface stones should be preferred to build a flagstone patio as the rough surfaces provide slip resistance. Prices for flagstones vary among retailers.

Building a flagstone patio is a rewarding experience, but it takes work. Flagstone patio installation is not an easy task and this is mainly due to the fact that natural stones have variable thickness. To create a level surface, you must painstakingly custom fit each individual stone into a base material that you prepare. Another disadvantage of this material is that it is heavy. If you are looking for patio material that you can install quickly and without much effort, you should consider using either bricks or concrete patio pavers.

Carefully plan out what kind of designs for your flagstone patio fit your taste and needs. You can view flagstone patios design patterns online that can help you with your decision. Once you’ve chosen a design, there are various steps in laying a flagstone patio. You must clear and dig out the site of your future patio; mark the outline of the patio with landscaper’s spray paint. You can then use material to create some kind of framing for the patio layout, inserting stakes into the ground to hold it in place.

You must then fill in the framing, creating a base on which the flagstones will be laid. Material used can be a mix of soil, sand and organic matter, though everyone has their preferences. If you plan on adding plants in the spaces between the flagstones, this is probably the best choice; it provides good drainage and nourishment. Using decomposed granite in flagstone patio base material is also an option.

Try and pick your own stones from the stone yard so that you will have pieces that don’t vary too much in thickness; ideally, you should choose stones that are 1-2 inches in thickness. If you find that you have stones with varying thickness, you can compensate by laying stones that vary gradually in thickness adjacent to one another. If any piece is considerably thick and large, make sure your base material is accordingly thick.

Try and find someone to help you with the actual laying of the flagstones. When laying the stones, place the best-fitting edges next to each other so as to minimize substantial gaps; if gaps are created, fill them in with very small stone pieces. Place larger pieces in areas that will have to endure quite a bit of traffic, and surround these then with smaller pieces. If you want to add plants to your patio surface, now is the time to do it. Place plants in the spaces between the flagstones and then add to the spaces a high-quality organic vegetable garden-blend soil so as to surround the plants. If you don’t plant between the joints, use mortar, which will give you a stable and even surface, especially if you’d like to add furniture to your patio.

There are two ways to install a flagstone patio. If you want to cut costs, and if you want a relatively easy flagstone patio installation, you can lay the patio in sand, also known as dry construction. Because this option is less expensive and easier, it is the choice for do-it-yourselfers. Despite these qualities, however, dry construction leads to a patio that requires more maintenance and long-term repair. In contrast to dry construction, there is wet construction, or laying the patio in concrete mortar. This option is more expensive, but you get a permanent patio with zero maintenance.

With dry construction, furthermore, you are forced to buy thicker, wider stones for stability; in the case of wet construction, all you have to do is buy extra concrete for stability, and this less expensive than flagstone. Indeed in the cost competition between constructing concrete vs. flagstone patios, concrete wins out because it is cheaper. However, show me some flagstone patios that have been lovingly installed and maintained, and I can say the price is worth it; in this case, flagstone+patio=beauty.