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What to Put Under Decorative Stones: Fabric, Not Plastic

Woven landscape fabric lets water through and holds stones clear of soil. Plastic sheeting traps water and kills the ground beneath it.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A close view of grey decorative gravel spread as a surface
Photo: 652234, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Woven landscape fabric, over a firm levelled base. It is permeable, which is the whole point — rain goes through, stones stay out of the soil. Plastic sheeting does the opposite of what you want.

Fabric or plastic

This table answers the question on its own
Woven landscape fabricPlastic sheeting
Water through itYesNo
Soil beneathStays aliveGoes anaerobic and dies
Weeds from belowBlockedBlocked
Surface waterDrainsPools or runs off
In five yearsIntactBrittle fragments working up
Right forGarden stone areasPond liners, deliberate drainage design

Plastic under gravel is the mistake to avoid

Water cannot get through, so it pools on the surface or runs somewhere you did not plan, and the soil underneath suffocates. Then the plastic degrades and the fragments work up through the stones.

Laying it properly

  1. Clear and level the area; remove perennial weed roots now — fabric will not defeat established bindweed or couch.
  2. Compacted crushed-stone sub-base, if the area will be walked on or carry weight.
  3. Roll out woven fabric, overlapping sheets by a generous margin.
  4. Pin it down with ground staples at the overlaps and edges.
  5. Bring the fabric up at the edges so stone cannot escape underneath.
  6. Edge the area — steel, stone, or a timber board outside the stone zone.
  7. Spread stone: around 2 inches for a bed, 3 inches or more for a path.

Depth decides how it looks in year two

Too shallow and the fabric shows through and weeds get light. Too deep, especially with rounded stone, and it is awkward to walk on.

The honest limit of weed membrane

It blocks weeds from below. It cannot stop seed blowing in from above and germinating in the dust, leaf litter and organic matter that accumulate between the stones over a few years — and those weeds root into the stone layer, sometimes through the fabric.

So the maintenance that actually keeps a stone area clean is clearing debris off the surface, not the membrane underneath it.

Why stones sink without it

Under foot traffic, rain and frost heave, stone works down into soft ground and soil works up between it. Within a couple of seasons the surface is mud flecked with stone.

Separating stone from soil afterwards is a genuinely miserable job, which is the real argument for spending a little on fabric at the start.

Common questions

What should you put under decorative stones?

Woven landscape fabric, also sold as weed membrane or geotextile, laid over a firm levelled base. It is permeable, so rain passes through to the soil, while keeping the stones from working down into the ground and slowing weed growth from below. Overlap the sheets generously, pin them down and bring the fabric up at the edges. For a drive or a surface that will carry weight, add a compacted sub-base of crushed stone beneath the fabric.

Can you put plastic sheeting under gravel?

You can, and it causes more problems than it solves in most garden situations. Plastic is impermeable, so water cannot drain through — it pools on the surface or runs off to somewhere you did not intend, and the soil underneath goes anaerobic and dies. It also degrades into brittle fragments that work up through the stones over a few years. The only common exceptions are deliberate drainage designs and pond or planter linings, where impermeability is the point.

Does landscape fabric stop weeds permanently?

No, and expecting it to is why people conclude it does not work. Fabric blocks weeds growing up from the soil beneath, which it does well for years. What it cannot stop is seed blowing in and germinating in the organic matter that accumulates between the stones over time, and those weeds root into the stone layer and sometimes through the fabric. Clearing debris off the surface periodically is what keeps a stone area low maintenance.

Why do decorative stones sink into the soil?

Because without a barrier, stones gradually work down into soft ground under foot traffic, rain and frost heave, while soil works up between them. Within a few seasons you have a muddy stone-flecked surface rather than a stone one. A permeable fabric layer stops the two mixing, and on soft ground or anywhere carrying weight a compacted crushed-stone sub-base under the fabric stops it happening at all.

How deep should decorative stone be laid?

Around 2 inches for a decorative bed and 3 inches or more for a path or anywhere walked on regularly, measured as the finished depth over the fabric. Less than that and the fabric shows through and weeds get light; much more and the surface becomes awkward to walk on, particularly with rounded stone. Edging matters as much as depth, because loose stone migrates into lawns and beds without it.

Can you put decorative stones straight onto soil?

You can for a purely temporary effect, but the stones will mix into the soil within a season or two and the area will be difficult to tidy afterwards — separating stone from soil by hand is a thoroughly unpleasant job. The cost of fabric is small against that, and the difference it makes to how the area looks in year three is substantial.

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