Many people out there are huge fans of maintaining their gardens. There are tons of elements that come into play when the décor and maintenance of a garden are worked on. Among pots, plants, and pebbled pathways, a huge famous accessory is slated. Slates are used to giving gardens a stylish and modern look. The best thing about slates is that they are extremely versatile and can be used for various purposes.
Down below, we will be guiding you on how to slate your garden all that comes with it.
Before slating a garden you must take measurements of the garden. Once you have found out how much slate you need, you can then begin prepping the area before placing down the required amount of slate.
Slating a Garden
1. Measurements of Garden
Starting first, you need to cover the basics. You have to take a look at your garden and plan. This will include the dimensions, etc. Try to take a look at your garden and make notes of all the places where you think slating will suit your garden.
Next up, once you have decided the spots, you can then proceed to level up the process by taking the measurements and noting down the dimensions for accuracy. The depth of each slate chipping will be based on the size.
2. Calculation of Quantity
Next, once the measurements are completed, the next step is to work on the quantity of the number of slate chippings used. People who are getting work done in the house often tend to get confused about the amount of slate they will need to get. A professional service provider will help you get a figure once the area has been judged.
3. Prep for the Area
Okay, so you have your slates ready, the next step is to work on the area. To slate your garden, you need an outline so that there are no mess-ups later on. For creating an outline, you can mark out the area by using a rope or string.
Of course, as mentioned above, the size of the slates will depend on the depth. So, you will need to dig out the area as well. Try to dig for around 4 inches and then get to rake the base. Place bricks or wood around the edges for tidiness. You can then stabilize the base and compact it by using a tool.
4. Placement under Chippings
You will have to put piles of stone on the surface on which you will be laying the chippings. There needs to be around 10cm of stone. Work on the compactness of it by using a sledgehammer. Moreover, a lot of times, weed can also start coming out from between the slates. To avoid this, what you have to do is add weed resistant membrane to the stones.
5. Placement of Chippings
Last but not least, all you have to do is get to work on the placement of the stale chippings. The weed-resistant membrane you have placed will be there, and you can easily pile on the slate chipping on top of it. Use a rake for this process and work on the distribution. Make sure that you do it evenly with a depth of at least 4cm.
Maintenance and Cleaning of the Slates
The maintenance and cleaning for these slates are very low, so you won’t have to worry too much in the aftercare process. First off, a major part of the maintenance is that you take care of the weeding issue. The weeding issue can be tackled easily when you use a weed resistance membrane while laying the chips. There will be little trouble coming your way if you work on it properly beforehand.
Next up, another low-maintenance trick is to work on the raking. You should rake it regularly to make sure that the area is even and not bumpy. Moreover, don’t forget to keep some spare with you in case some part of it gets messed up later on.
Moving, maintenance also included regular clean-up. If you have a wheelbarrow or a bucket on hand, then drill tiny holes into it. Next, add in the chippings and wash them thoroughly. Once the water is drained out completely, you can use them for laying.
Colors of the Slate Chippings
Before you move ahead with the process of slating your garden, you should be well aware of the basics of it so that you know what to get. The slate chippings are used to beautify the garden space and add a bit of practicality as well.
Slating is usually available in grey color ranging from a lighter grey to a darker grey. But, if you are someone who is into colors, then don’t worry. There are tons of colors available for you in this world as well. You can either pick from plum shades or even blues and greens. This will depend on the mineral composition of the slate. If you want, you can easily link the darker tones with white and blue flowers in your garden. This can brighten up your place and work on the contrast.
Why Should You Get Slate Chippings?
The process of laying slating chips in your garden is very easy. As mentioned above, even the maintenance and cleaning process is low maintenance. Other than the ease of use, there are tons of other benefits to this.
- First off, they are extremely environmentally friendly and can be recycled so that you won’t feel like
- Secondly, they are very durable and even harsh weather won’t destroy them.
- Furthermore, eradicating weed sprouting is easy once you are done with the weed membrane step. No more worrying about constant upkeep and maintenance pertaining to weed.
- One more thing that we love about slate chippings is that they can be used in multiple ways. Whether it is for creating pathways, rockeries, or edging, all can be tackled with slate chippings.
Final Words
If you are thinking of beautifying your garden, then slate chippings are the right way to go. Easy to incorporate, a very little amount of care, and extra elegance, it has got it all. Pick out a color suitable for your garden and get to work!