Do you want to stroll through your garden without getting wet? So creating a walkway in Japanese steps seems appropriate. Both practical and aesthetic, the stepping stone is one of the solutions that make it easy to arrange your driveway. Thanks to the many materials available, the stepping stone can adapt to all styles of garden, from the most traditional to the most contemporary.
What is a Japanese step alley?
A Japanese step path is a passage or a small path created with flat stones more or less spaced and aligned. Originally, in Japanese gardens, each stone symbolized an ambush on the path of life. The deeper the stone, the greater the difficulty. Today, stepping stones are particularly appreciated for their elegance and ease of implementation.
The advantages of stepping stones
Between a gate and a fence, between the rows of a vegetable garden or simply to draw a path for a walk in a garden, you can make a stepping stone alley wherever you want. The slabs that make up the steps are available in many materials such as slate, very popular in a modern garden, granite, wood cut into sections, poured concrete or reconstituted stone which is undoubtedly the most used. The best thing is that your material has been unbreakable, non-slip and anti-freeze treated, which allows you to install a stepping stone alley in the color of your choice with more than easy maintenance.
Which material to choose to make a walkway in stepping stones?
It’s all about harmony. Respect the consistency of your garden when choosing a material for your steps. For example, you have the choice between:
- Wood: it is a natural material, which must be renewed regularly since it is putrescible.
- Slate: it is also a natural material, very often chosen because it is both functional and aesthetic. It adapts to all circumstances.
- Natural stone: its only disadvantage is that it is slippery.
- Reconstituted stone, in other words paving stones: often the paving stones are lighter, do not freeze and therefore do not break.
How to install a walkway in Japanese steps?
For your driveway to be practical, it is important to measure the distance between each step, neither too tight nor too wide (about 50 to 60 cm from the center of one slab to the other). To facilitate the mowing of the grass, if your Japanese steps are placed on the lawn, it is better not to make them protrude and to sink them a little. This means that you have to dig about ten centimeters deep, cover with sand and lay your step so that it does not sink too much into the ground during use.
What are the different steps to create a stepping stone walkway?
Step 1: Gather everything you need
Installing a stepping stone path on your lawn is a very simple task. All you need is sand, flagstones and a shovel or mason’s trowel.
Step 2: Trace the driveway
Start by drawing the line of the path on the grass. It’s up to you whether you want a straight or curved driveway. It’s up to you. If you have a garden hose, it can help you mark the line of your stepping stone driveway.
Step 3: Place Steps
Calculate the number of tiles you need based on the length of your driveway. Walk all the way, from your starting point A to your ending point B. Count the number of steps you need between A and B: and you will know the number of Japanese steps you need. Then place them at equal distance from each other.
Step 4: Dig around each step
Trace the outline of each of the slabs and after removing it from the place you have chosen for it, lower the ground by about 10 to 15 centimeters – count 1/3 more than the thickness of your slab. Then if the soil is not flexible, add a layer of sand (between 3 and 5 cm).
Step 5: Lay each step
Then lay each of the slabs in the intended location, packing them well on the edges. You can even very gently use a hammer on the surface of your tiles to drive them in enough. To complete your installation, use a spirit level to ensure that your stepping stone path is perfectly flat and horizontal.
Step 7: Finalize
To finish the job, just sow grass seeds. When they sprout, they will add a more natural touch to your driveway. The interstices damaged by this process can be re-greened.
Step 8: Congratulate yourself!
This Japanese step garden path is ideal for protecting the lawn from your footprints and at the same time, it allows you to provide your garden with a truly decorative path.