Renovation guides

How to lay a decomposed granite patio or path yourself: step by step

The cheapest hard surface you can build yourself: a shallow dig, fabric, a clean edge, and granite in two wet, compacted layers. It needs no watering and drains where it lies.

Difficulty 2 of 5 · 1.5 weekends · you can do this

Photo of your room, the look you pick, then this guide with the materials counted for your room.

Step by step

1. Step 1 of 10

   Mark the area and its slope

   

   Paint the outline and set strings at the finished height, with a slight fall away from the house so rain runs off. Plan a hard landing (pavers or a step) at any door.

2. Step 2 of 10

   Dig out 3–4 in

   

   Dig the area 3–4 in below the finished height, following the fall of the strings. Take out roots and weeds with their roots.

   Before you dig

   • 811 marks are in and none cross the area, or you will dig by hand there
   • The finished surface falls away from the house, and no downspout empties onto it

3. Step 3 of 10

   Compact the soil

   

   Tamp or run the compactor over the bare soil until it is firm underfoot.

4. Step 4 of 10

   Lay the landscape fabric

   

   Roll the fabric over the whole area, overlapping the seams as the label says, and run it up to the edging line.

5. Step 5 of 10

   Install the edging

   

   Set the edging along the outline with its top at the finished height, and stake it about every 2 ft (or as its instructions say). Tap the stakes in with the rubber mallet; join pieces with the connectors that come with it.

6. Step 6 of 10

   Spread the first layer

   

   Dump DG in piles and rake it to about half the final depth, evenly across the area.

7. Step 7 of 10

   Wet and compact the first layer

   

   Mist it until it is damp all the way through, then compact it with the plate compactor or the hand tamper in overlapping passes until it is hard.

8. Step 8 of 10

   Second layer: spread, wet, compact

   

   Spread the rest up to the finished height, a touch above the edging's top so it compacts flush. If you use stabilizer, mix it into this layer dry, per the bag. Mist until damp, compact, and check the surface against the strings.

9. Step 9 of 10

   Let it cure, then top up

   

   Keep off it for the time on the stabilizer bag (plain DG can take foot traffic once compacted). After the first few rains or weeks of use, rake a little DG into any low spot, wet it and tamp it.

10. Step 10 of 10

    Clean up

    

    Sweep DG off the patio and walks so it does not scratch them, and return the rentals.

Draft guide written from standard practice, not yet reviewed by a licensed pro. Follow product labels where they differ.

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