How do I set flagstone for an entry .?

Question

Do I have to put concrete first.

Answer 1

Drainage is the key. if the stone is dimensional, it'll be much more important to minimize heaving from freezing and thawing. Irregular fieldstone is much more forgiving than for instance 3 X 3 pieces of bluestone. The more irregular the stone, the more difficult it is to remove snow. I would excavate a foot of soil, fill with crushed stone, and use stonedust or sand for the top 3". Set the stone in this well-drained bed, and you'll be fine with whatever stone you use. Here in Zone 4, concrete is just asking for cracking problems.

Answer 2

No. Whether your entryway features fitted flagstones or if you're having a walkway with stones "floating" in a sea of gravel, you dig down six inches and level the soil. Then place three to four inches of builder's sand, level it and compact it with a tamper. Then add one to two inches of crushed 3/8ths-minus gravel or pea gravel and tamp it down. If you're having a flagstone walkway with spaces betwee the stones, lay them out and fill in between the stones with more gravel. If the walkway is fitted, lay out the stones in whatever pattern you have them laid out, and then get a vibrational compactor and run it over the stones to settle the stones in the gravel and level out any unevenness. I did this for my patio and it looks great.