Changing a narrow bed into a hard surface

MartineB · February 2023

Help please. We have a very narrow flower bed facing north. We would like to transform it to a hard surface to put a bench on it. We thought about putting some large stepping stones or a membrane plus some gravel. Advice would be very welcome

Jenny_Aster · February 2023

How about laying those plastic tiles you buy to lay a base for a shed or greenhouse. Think the correct term for them is a 'plastic shed base grid'. The grids or tiles clip together and are laid on top of a weed controlling membrane, then they're filled with pea gravel, or shale. We've just built a new shed and have used them for the shed base, you can buy them singularly or in a pack - ours had 9 tiles to a metre. We had some left over from our shed base so we purchased another 12, (they're about £2.50 each) and built a hard standing for our wheelie bins. If the gravel in them becomes unmanageable, then we might resort to buying a carton of 'gravel stabiliser', think B&Q sells it.

Or, perhaps buy another sort of tile where you can fill the holes in the tile with soil and turf.

These tiles are also have good drainage so you wont get any rain run offs.

philippasmith2 · February 2023

The tiles mentioned by @Jenny_Aster are also known as Rapid Grid. Not particularly attractive but very robust (often used as base for car park areas in NT properties.
You can finish with gravel/pea shingle or turf. Very popular during the 2013 floods in SW UK

MartineB · February 2023

Thank you Jenny-Aster and Philipasmith2 That sounds like a very good idea

Uff · February 2023

A fairly inexpensive and no maintenance way of doing it would be to bring the edging stones forward (see pic) to accommodate bench and possibly a small table, lay a weed membrane, the woven type and put down a layer of 20mm gravel. Lots of different ones to choose from in DIY centres.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/nx/lmg8bnfug26b.png

Fairygirl · February 2023

I'd do as @Uff describes. If the soil's quite heavy it'll compact down, and as long as you use a barrier the gravel won't sink. I've done it in every garden I've had.
You may want to put a new edging right round [apart from the actual edging of the bed] and that will keep it clear of the fence. That will also give you a bit of extra depth for the gravel. A couple of inches will be enough. You could re lay the front edging too if it's not high enough.

Butterfly66 · February 2023

Another vote for @Uff’s suggestion. We have a bench on weed membrane plus gravel. We used old bricks to create an edging and it’s worked fine

bédé · February 2023

I have a brick paving under my benches. Easily laid, easily levelled easily adjusted.

orangetintin · February 2023

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions everybody. We are just off to get weed membrane and gravel

Changing a narrow bed into a hard surface

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