DIY Network

Round Stone Planting Wall: Creating Granite Posts From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-111

Dean and Derek finish by adding a New England accent to the wall -- two granite posts. They created these granite posts by splitting a piece of used granite (originally a piece of Boston curbing) in half. Below, instructions for adding granite posts to your own stone wall.

Before: rustic railroad ties are unattractive -- and do nothing to show off the garden.

After: a handsome curved stone wall captures the spirit of New England and spruces up the space!

Granite posts create a finished appearance for the each end of the curved wall.

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	Feathers and wedges
	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Materials:

Measuring Tape
Pencil
Square
Diamond Blade Grinder
Hammer Gun with ¾ in. Carbide Drill Bit
Water
Feathers and Wedges
2 lb. Stone Hammer
Mask
Safety Glasses
Shovel
Mortar
Level

Tip: Dean and Derek suggest choosing a piece of granite long/tall enough to sit about 1-1/2' above the height of your round stone wall, and at least 12" wide -- any less will be difficult to split in half.

1. To begin, divide the granite in half with a pencil and square. Trace the pencil line with the diamond blade grinder all the way around the piece of granite. Scoring the granite creates a control joint for splitting.

2. Drill a hole every few inches about 3-4 inches deep along the scored line with the carbide drill bit. Pouring water on the granite while drilling makes the cutting process easier and reduces the wear and tear of the carbide bit.

3. Place the feathers and wedges into the waiting spaces and hit them with your stone hammer (figure A) until the granite splits. Hit the wedges equally so the stone splits evenly across.

4. Dean and Derek dug a hole 12" deep in which to set the post (figure B), followed with a few shovels of mortar (figure C). Next, they adjusted the post until it was "plum" or level vertically.

5. With the wall jointed and drying and the granite posts set (figure D) – the finished product is a New England wall that does far more for the rustic setting than its earlier railroad tie counterpart.