How to Install Stone Walls
- 1). Select quality stones for your walls. According to Charles McRaven, author of "Building Stone Walls," two popular rock choices for dry-stacked stone walls are limestone and sandstone, which both tend to stack well because of their level, flat surfaces. Look for stone at a local rock yard or on your own land, depending on your budget and the availability of rock in your area.
- 2). Mark the installation location. If you still haven't decided on a final design, move a garden hose around on the ground to experiment with designs. Use a hammer to pound wooden stakes into the ground securely to mark the ends and corners of your stone walls. Run a string between the wooden stakes to make a marking line for the front of your stone walls.
- 3). Shovel out the soil marking the base of your stone walls. Remove the sod and dig a 6-inch-deep trench along the marking line. As a general rule of thumb, match the width of your trench to the height of your stone walls. Thus, if your stone wall is going to be 12 inches tall, dig a footer trench 12 inches wide. Approximately 3 to 4 inches of the trench width should be in front of the marking string.
- 4). Scoop gravel or sand into the footer trench with your shovel, filling it about ¾ full. Spread the gravel or sand evenly across the entire width and length of the trench, checking with your level afterward to make sure the footer is flat. If necessary, adjust the gravel or sand in the trench until it is completely level.
- 5). Arrange your bottom layer of stone. Position the stones on the gravel or sand, matching the edges together so they create a solid base layer of stone. Make sure the faces of your stones are even with the marking string. Add tie stones every 3 to 4 feet by positioning a stone perpendicular to your stone wall; these tie rocks help stabilize it.
- 6). Position the rest of your stones on your wall one layer at a time. Stagger the rock joints in each layer, an essential building strategy that keeps your wall from collapsing. Include tie rocks in each stone course, staggering their locations in each layer as well.
Source...