We did pea gravel too, and yeah, it's mostly fine barefoot. But after a couple summers, I ended up tossing in some flagstone stepping stones—made a huge difference. Easier on the feet and honestly looks nicer too. Worth considering if you're still tweaking things.
Yeah, flagstone stepping stones are a solid upgrade. We did pea gravel around our fire pit area too, and at first it was great—easy to install, nice look—but after a while, I noticed it shifting around quite a bit. Did you have that issue at all? I ended up adding some edging to keep things in place, which helped somewhat, but still wasn't perfect.
Also curious how the flagstones hold up over time. Any cracking or shifting issues? I've been thinking about doing something similar around our garden beds, but I worry about maintenance down the road...
"but after a while, I noticed it shifting around quite a bit."
Yeah, pea gravel can be sneaky like that. I did a similar setup around our patio, and at first, I was feeling pretty proud of myself—easy weekend project, looked Pinterest-worthy...then reality hit. After a few months, every time the dog bolted across it chasing squirrels, gravel went flying everywhere. Ended up doing edging too, which helped, but still not perfect. Flagstones have been way better though—no cracking yet, just gotta make sure they're set level from the start or you'll be wobbling forever.
Pea gravel definitely has its quirks, but honestly, flagstones aren't always a breeze either. We put some down last summer, and even though we leveled carefully, a couple still shifted after heavy rains. Had to redo a few spots—nothing major, but still annoying. Curious if anyone's tried polymeric sand between flagstones? Heard mixed things about it holding up long-term, especially in areas with lots of weather changes...
We actually used polymeric sand between our flagstones a couple years back, and it's held up pretty well so far. Granted, we live in an older historic home, and the yard has its share of quirks—uneven ground, tree roots popping up here and there—but the sand has stayed surprisingly intact. A few spots needed minor touch-ups after heavy snow melts, but nothing major. Honestly, compared to constantly sweeping pea gravel back into place, I'd say it's worth giving polymeric sand a shot...
