The most important part of installing rock is the preparation of the area. Keep in mind that the whole job will be easiest if rock is the last part of your landscape project. You want to run your irrigation and plant your plants before installing the landscape rock, with the exception of a dry riverbed.
First thing you want to do is remove all the excess soil and debris from the area you are working with. Large rocks will always work their way to the surface, so make sure to rake up anything larger than the size of the landscape rock you are putting down. Also, the more level the ground is, the less material you will need to make the top look level. The last easy step in preparation is to make sure the dirt is cut down near any concrete so when 2” of landscape rock is installed the top of the rock will be even with the driveway. This will prevent the rock from constantly spilling into the driveway or sidewalk.
If you are using weed block fabric it is easiest to install with two people. One person rolls out the fabric and holds it taut while the other person spills some landscape rock to hold the fabric down. Be sure to overlap the fabric- weeds can be wily. Put a light layer of rock over the whole area, then bring the remainder to get your depth.
Spread your piles as evenly as you can using a flat shovel or a steel rake, then run a push broom over the top of the entire surface to get a nice uniform flat appearance. Rinse the rock to get the true color out and your job is complete. If you have pockets of fines in the material, simply rake it back and forth while rinsing it to get it to settle below the rest of the rock.
If shovelling tons of rocks sounds daunting, remember we have a contractor's license to install rock and can do the work for you.
