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Curious123 · 08-22-2009, 11:56 AM

I'll work with a friend to lay bricks to form a border around the flower bed in my backyard. He and I have different opinions about how to do the work. I'd like to invite your opinions and my decision will be based on democracy!

The differences are below:

1) I want to use paver sand underneath the bricks. He insists on using stone dust instead. I can go with his approach on this one if there is no strong objection.

2) I thought I would need 2 bags of stone dust (each bag is $75 pounds) for a small flower bed. FYI, the border is 10' on one side, the opposite side is fence with no need for bricks, 5' wide on two other sides. Therefore, the length of border will be 20' in total (10' + 5' + 5').

He said I'll need 4 bags of stone dust. Do I need to get that much stone dust?

3) He wants to dig only 2" and put in stone dust, and then lay bricks horizontally on top of stone dust. I want to dig the trench deeper for the stone dust. He said I only need to dig the trench deeper if I lay bricks vertically, is that correct?

Need advice!

**Scuba_Dave** · 08-22-2009, 12:16 PM

In NE weather the ground is going to move no matter what you do

My vote is neither sand nor stone dust
I'm installing borders w/bricks I just picked up off Craigslist - free
I have about 150' to do on a new garden that borders a fence line
I'll be just compacting the dirt with a junk brick/hammer

DUDE! · 08-22-2009, 01:11 PM

I'm also in favor of not needing the dust or sand. You'll get frost heaves either way. As a side note, if you are near a quarry, at work we stop in, fill up 5-gallons pails with dust, sometimes it doesn't register on the scale because of such a small weight, they send us on our way, no charge.

Bud Cline · 08-22-2009, 05:01 PM

Remove all vegetation along the path of the bricks going down an inch or so. Soak the soil with a sprinkler for an hour thereabouts. Let it stand for a few hours then install the bricks on the bare soil using a rubber mallet to encourage the bricks to the depth you like and plane the tops at the same time.

**Scuba_Dave** · 08-23-2009, 04:41 PM

If you are dead set on using something I would use the stone dust
I think its a more effective barrier against weeds

Here are 2 of the 3 sections I did this morning before lunch, about 200 bricks
No straight edge or line run to keep stuff straight
Just a brick line that widens towards the front yard
I lay the bricks flat, deep enough to be even with the grass/sod line
I can then put one wheel of the lawn mower on the brick as a guide when mowing

Below is a section I did last year
Notice how the bricks are not in a straight line

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Use stone dust under bricks to form a border around flower bed

Use stone dust under bricks to form a border around flower bed

Use stone dust under bricks to form a border around flower bed

Use stone dust under bricks to form a border around flower bed

Use stone dust under bricks to form a border around flower bed