Has anyone had any experience with installing Decomposed Granite walkways?

[Adsos Letter]

I'm told I have to put down a weedcloth barrier, and about 3" of a/b gravel as a bed. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this, and any helpful hints that might not be obvious?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

1. Not my specialty

but, the weed cloth, I would spray RoundUp weed and grass killer before laying down cloth. The 90% strength works best.

[Adsos Letter]

2. Thanks, that sounds like good advice!

:toast:

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

3. Also

Keep the stuff around because it is the way to maintain your walkway along the lines of unwanted weeds and grass popping up. Roundup makes a strengthened formula now in a pre mix with on board pump that kills the unwanted growth instantly,within a few days the stuff drops brown ! You can just about take a broom to it after that !

The walkway should be pretty straight forward ,
i've done brick ,cement,decor stones ,but not slate or granite decomposed or otherwise. Most of the work is in excavation,rake and shovel. Yer level is all and important.

Good luck and let us know how it all turns out.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Are you planning the decomposed granite as the walking surface or the base?

[Adsos Letter]

5. The decomposed granite will be the walking surface, with a/b crushed rock for the base...

I figure about 3" of each, and the granite will be screened to 1/4"-1/8" or smaller.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Okay, then I have no first hand info for you

We've used decomposed granite as a base, but never as the final surface.

I am very enamored of a new (to me) material to be used in place of sand for things like brick walks - polymerized sand. When wetted, it hardens to a sort of elastic grout. It allows stones movement such as for hot or cold weather, but stops weeds, allows water to drain, and stays in place very well. I thought that was what you were used the decomposed granite for.

[Adsos Letter]

7. Thanks anyway! The screened decomposed granite makes a really nice surface material...

blends nicely with the surroundings; comes in any number of natural colors, depending upon where they quarry it. Softer than concrete/stone yet still quite solid.

This site publishes some how-to pdf.'s: http://www.kafkagranite.com/decomposed_granite/index.php

I think I may have found another site with some personal accounts of placing the stuff.

Thanks again, Stinky. I should check DIY more often; I spent over 30 years as a painter, and I could probably answer some questions.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Wow. That's nice stuff! I had only known it as fines.

That's why I only knew about it as a binder for pavers or bricks. I had no idea it was such a nice surface material.

[Dover]

9. Haven't done it myself but have asked a landscaper about how its done.

I'm guessing if you asked 10 different landscapers how they do this, you'd get as many answers.
I asked one landscaper this same question and he said he didn't put down any kind of landscape cloth because it interfered with the integration of the gravel with the soil which creates more stability. I asked about weeds and he said that most weeds that are in paths grow from the seeds
blowing onto the surface of the path rather than coming from below. But either way, that can be treated topically with RoundUp or equivalent. If the path is used alot the weed problem will be minimal due to traffic. For increased stability and erosion issues there are open grids (usually plastic) that are laid beneath some paths, but are usually just for the high end/high traffic paths in public areas.
He said spending the time to level and rough up the surface (and remove grass if it's there) prior to adding dec. granite keeps erosion and other issues from occurring. He also said that the granite should be applied in layers. He used a road base called 'dirty-d' for his first layer (about 2 inches) and emphasized the importance of going over each layer with a rolling pin or tamper. He would add another two or three inches of decomposed granite on top of the road base and that was it. He also said that many customers are happy with just road base which is much cheaper and performs just as well, although not quite as pretty or uniform in shape/color.