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Porphyry Granite Front Walkway Dean and Derek bring an old world paving material and a modern technique to update a walkway. Check out more Rock Solid home improvement projects. From "Rock Solid" episode DROC-405

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Figure I

Setting Stone On The Concrete Porch

Dean and Derek are working with a concrete pad near the entrance of the house. Earlier, they demolished the existing brick, and the resulting surface is rough. If you have a similar design issue, you need to prep the concrete area. To make the rough concrete surface ready, pour three quarters of an inch of coarse sand and spread with a rake. Now you are ready to set your porphyry. Again, use your level to make sure you pitch away from the house (figure I). Remember that your pitch should be so slight that it is not visible to the naked eye.

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	Figure J
	Figure K
	Figure L

Bordering The Porch

Dean and Derek are working with a curving stone pattern, but they need to create straight lines on the porch (figures J and K). They decide to use a single row of porphyry stones to create a border.

These border stones are four-inches wide, so we laid out the stone mat and measured in four-inches from the outside border. Dean then used a four-foot level to mark a pencil line where the stone mat should be cut.

Cutting Porphyry Stone Mats

Once you've drawn pencil lines along the stone mats, you can start cutting. Score a line along your pencil mark. Then go back and cut using a gas-operated cutting saw or a grinder with a diamond blade (figure L). As an alternatve, you can rent a wet saw to make your cuts.

Safety Alert: When using power cutting tools like these cut stone or concrete, be sure to wear a mask to protect your lungs, and wear eye and ear protection.

Place the newly cut stone mats along the edge of the porch then place single porphyry stones to create your border. Now it's time to turn your attention back to the walkway.

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