Stones are a good choice for a garden walkway because they're natural, enduring, and blend in nicely with a variety of settings. Whether you're laying a path through the woods or stepping stones through a vegetable garden, here's what's involved.

Choosing Materials

Home and garden centers offer a good selection of loose paving materials. Slate, flagstone and sandstone are popular choices. The greatest selection and lowest price stones are those native to your region because of the high cost of shipping this heavy material. Choose stone paving material with a smooth surface for sure footing in colors and textures that complement your                                         house and landscape style.

To make a 2 foot wide 20 foot long walk you'll need at least ten 50 lb. bags of sand for a 4-in. base for the stone and at least 40 sq. ft. of stone. Use 1x4 pressure-treated wood to define the side edges; you need four 10-foot pieces.

Tools

Building a walk requires basic gardening tools and a push broom.
Use a spade to cut and remove sod and a shovel to excavate soil from
the area. A bow rake comes in handy to spread and smooth the sand base and a wheelbarrow is necessary to haul the dirt and materials.

Planning and Layout

You'll remove considerable sod and soil from the ground where the
new path is planned so reuse the sod to fill in worn areas in your
lawn and amend your garden beds with the excavated soil.

Excavate the sod and dirt to a depth of at least 4 inches plus the thickness of the stone. Place the 1x4 lumber along the edge of the excavation and fill the trench with sand. Then rake it smooth to a uniform 4-in. depth. Place the stones on the sand and pour the remaining sand over them using the broom to push sand between
the joints. Wet the path with a spray hose to compact the sand
and refill any gaps with more sand.