Laying a gravel path on top of concrete?

Can anyone offer me any advice on laying a gravel path on top of concrete?

I want to cover up an unsightly concrete path which leads from my back door to the main part of the garden and I was thinking of using stone flags laid on gravel but from doing some reading it seems it is not that simple due to the risk of the gravel not being able to bed in to the concrete and therefore the gravel would shift or "roll" around under the weight of people walking on it.

I have noticed that when laying gravel on soil other gardeners have laid a plastic or thin rubber sheet under the gravel. Would this make the blidest bit of difference on concrete or is it a case of drigging up the concrete first to make a decent job of it?

If digging up the concrete if the only option would you guys recommend giving up the idea of flags on gravel and just laying new flags on top of the concrete?

Sorry for the essay! Hope someone can help...

 

We got our old path up with a sledge hammer and strong arms!! best to get it up in the first place or you will regret it later

 

Hi, i'm no expert, but i believe the reason they lay rubber sheeting over soil is to stop the weeds.
If your concrete area is level then you could lay the flags over, (i'm supposing) but if it isnt level it's not going to look right.

 

Thanks for the comments, guys.


Having thought about it even more and taken some advice from a neighbour I am thinking my plan would be more trouble than it is worth. I don't know how I missed it before (got too excited about the end result if I'm honest!) but there is a manhole cover in the path which would have to be moved and the main drain leading from the bathroom / kitchen empties to the side of the path so that would have to be considered too,

So, while I'd rather change things, I am thinking a good clean up with a power washer and some carefully placed shrubs in nice planters to distract the eye away from the concrete may be a better option.

I'm not totally wimping out though. Next project is a new front wall! I'll be back for more advice once I've done my research...

 

hi shed head, on gardeners world alan titchmarch said 'go with what you've got' and i am going to use that tip - too much trouble with the manhole cover so go with what you've got

I've got a concrete eyesore too but too large an area to even consider changing it so was going to stick pots over the cracks and draw attention upwards instead.
good luck with your wall - exciting doing a gardnening make over isn't it?

 

Hi ShedHead,

I inherited a patio area outside my bedroom window which was concrete and in some places broken. Last summer I put some edging around it and poured gravel in and raked to make it level. I've now got pot's in it and only the occasional weed comes up which if I can't pluck out I spray with organic weedkiller. Edging on your path would stop the gravel from spreading out. Some people do lay liner under gravel to stop weeds, my neighbour did this on top of soil but gets more weeds than me (still not much). Hope my essay helps!

 

Hi, mgn! I too heard Titchmarch's words of wisdom on Friday night and that's what started me thinking "do I really need to do this". I reckon we'll both save a lot of time, money and stress trying to cover up our eyesores rather than totally re-landscaping them.

Good luck with your project and yes, I agree, doing these big gardening jobs is so absorbing. Not sure the Mrs is too impressed with me flicking between gardening programmes on Sky and spending hours researching on the internet but she'll be the first one out there in the sunshine when it's finished!

 

Hi T&O!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think my manhole mis-calculation has well and truley kicked my plan in to touch but it is encouraging to hear someone has come up with a simple solution to the problem of ugly concrete.

 

Not sure the Mrs is too impressed with me flicking between gardening programmes on Sky and spending hours researching on the internet but she'll be the first one out there in the sunshine when it's finished!


oh man, that sounds like us! my b/f has no interest in it and wont watch gardeners world with me or talk about ideas,it's all too boring haha but he's out sunbathing and sitting on the grass. he does do some jobs though, the manly ones like fixing the fence and lifting heavy stuff so i shouldnt complain.

i think i'll go with the gravel idea too evetually, i think it's the simple effective solution and you can get so many different types and colours. basic pea gravel is the cheapest though. i had it in my last garden and think it was about �£2.20 a bag, that was a while ago now though.

 

Ha! I am sure our stories of one-sided interest in the gardening will be echoed across the forum. It's a shame as gardening is such a good hobby - great exercise and can be a very inexpensive way to do something worthwhile and long-lasting with our hard-earned spare time.

By the way, I checked out your blog and it looks like your garden make-over is coming along nicely. It is amazing what a difference you can make with a little TLC and some bright ideas. Keep up the good work!

 

how about creating a mosaic on top of it using pebbles or old tiles. then you can just go around the manhole cover

 

Thanks, messypup! How did you manage to have such a smart idea at 2am?!

This has certainly given me an idea, I may even make a feature of covering up the manhole cover!

 

you could try stone bond perfect for concrete paths and driveways www.stonebond.co.uk not sure how expensive it is but i have seen it at the local garden centre and looks very smart and durable.

 

Thanks for the tip off, gandygardener.

That Stonebond product does look smart but I fear it would be a bit expensive plus not as much fun as doing it myself. I may get a quote out of interest and I will let you know how much it is if I do.

 

no problem shed head, it would be interesting to see how much they charge.