![]() Remember that you can use a hammer and chisel to cut and trim and make rocks fit where you want them to. Unusual shapes can be mixed into the middle. When you're ready to begin construction, use the widest and heaviest at the base and work your way up to the best-looking stones, which will be on top. Stone Center sells gray outcropping stone that works perfectly for installing a stone retaining wall. Make piles on the ground nearby, separating stones by their size and weight and by how square or attractive each one is. Next, start to get a sense of your building materials – in other words, get to know your rocks. Proper block selection ensures a durable, long-lasting natural stone retaining wall. Block shape is also important - curved and angled blocks perform better than basic rectangles. Use a high-quality concrete mix with sufficient cement. ![]() Look for a minimum compressive strength of 3000 psi and units that interlock for stability. Avoid flat stones which can shift and cause wall failure. The best retaining wall blocks have a rough, non-split face texture to increase friction and prevent sliding. Always order 10-20% extra to allow for cutting waste, compaction, and grading of the finished retaining wall. Having the right materials and quantities on hand for each stage of the project makes installation much easier. For each square foot, you will need 0.4 cubic feet of crushed stone for the base and 0.35 cubic feet of gravel backfill behind the wall. To determine the stone needs for a freestanding retaining wall, calculate the square footage of the wall face area. How much pressure will be exerted on the wall? How steep is the slope you're holding back? Answering these questions will get you ready to begin your stone wall-building process. Once you have the basic size, consider the type of stones your job requires. For example, if your wall is five feet tall, the base should extend five feet back. ![]() The rough rule of thumb is that you want a foot of thickness for every vertical foot. The height of your wall will dictate how wide it needs to be. How tall is your wall going to be and how long? These are critical pieces of information because some communities have regulations for retaining walls over 30 or 36 inches. Your first consideration, of course, is the size and scope of the project. These include:īefore you start building rock retaining walls, you want to make sure you have a solid plan in place. Rocks, of course, are number one on the list, but you'll also need an array of other items to get the job done. The first task is to get your materials together.
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