How to repair concrete and reinstall stones over the top?

rebelliouskiwi

I have this concrete slab at our front door and it had stones/pebbles over top of it, when we bought the house.

TThere Is always lots of weeds coming through, so I revealed the concrete and discovered there's a few broken sections of concrete, which probably explains the cover up.

OOnce Concrete breaks are repaired, I'd like to relay the stones (shown in photo). But wondering if there is a correct way of doing this? It looks like previously there may have been soil between concrete and stones, but it seems to be encouraging grass roots to run along under the stones and pop up anywhere and everywhere.

To Give an idea of the layout, the bricks are at the front, at the grass verge. The concrete is sitting about 2 bricks high above the grass and then 2 bricks creating a "fence/border".

I also have a wooden raised flower bed that will be sitting on top of the stones at the fence line afterwards.

MitchellMc

Hi @rebelliouskiwi,

It’s a bit of an unusual one, but once you’ve repaired the cracked sections of concrete with a suitable product such as Earl's 1kg Concremate Expanding Cement, you’ll be fine to relay the pebbles over the top.

There’s no need to add a soil layer between the concrete and the stones. In fact, that’s likely what has encouraged the weed growth. Over time, debris and organic matter can build up between pebbles, break down and effectively create a thin growing medium for grass and weeds to spread through.

Before relaying the stones, remove any loose soil, roots and organic material as thoroughly as possible. Starting with a clean, solid surface will significantly reduce regrowth. After the pebbles are back in place, you can also treat the area with a path weed killer once every twelve months or as needed to help keep weeds under control.

With the concrete repaired and the base cleaned out, you should see far less regrowth moving forward.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell