Carpet Stones

Taking their cue from the manufacturers of tile mosaics, the makers of paving products for your patio and walkways have come up with what may well be one of the most ingenious innovations in paving in decades. Imagine a new technique that makes it possible to lay a random pattern in an afternoon rather than two weekends. Further, imagine being able to do it without spending hours in painstaking planning out the placement of paving blocks.

The ingenious invention that makes it possible is carpet stones. For decades now, homeowners who wanted a stylish mosaic pattern for their countertops and indoor floors have had the option of using ceramic tiles prearranged and glued to a jute background. Rather than setting each tiny tile into the mortar mix individually, the do-it-yourself simply spread cement on the surface to be tiled and laid the pre-set squares into place. Once the cement was dry, finishing was just a matter of brushing grout over the tiles and wiping them clean.

Carpet stones use the same principle. Cobbles or bricks are affixed to a rope backing in a pre-determined pattern. After excavating your site, you cover it with a semi-dry foundation mix, compact and level it. Once it's level, you lay out the carpet of stones, and tamp them into place with a rubber mallet to make sure that they're firmly seated. After 24 hours, point the carpet stones patio by brushing on a dry mix of sand and cement to fill the joints between the cobbles and bricks. Voila! According to directions, the entire process will take about 8 hours - discounting the 24 hours of drying time.

Carpet stones are available in brick or cobble patterns, or in random patterns. Random patterns may sound a bit of an oxymoron - but it's the term used for a paving layout using rectangular bricks in various sizes without a fixed repeating pattern. Random pattern paving creates beautiful effects of color, shape or both. Generally, laying a random pattern is matched for difficulty only by crazy paving. Experts recommend planning out your pattern on grid paper to be sure that it will fit properly.

Carpet stones take the guesswork and planning out of the process. In the same amount of time it would take to lay out a carpet stones in any other pattern - and considerably less time than it would take to lay out a patio or walkway with regular pavers.

Carpet stones are available from Bradstone in three shades of cobbles - charcoal, rustic red and rustic terracotta - and two shades of brick - mellow terracotta and weathered Cotswold. Carpet stones can be laid as explained in a bed of mortar. If they're used for a driveway, it's recommended that they be laid over a bed of cement. If a more rustic look is desired, they can be laid directly on sod or dirt to allow weeds and grass to grow up through the joints.

A similar product, porphyry on plastic mesh, comes in more intricate designs, including European fans and stone circles.