This is how I go about patio prep 1)excavate down paver thickness plus +- 7" (for 6" gravel base) 2)apply geo textile fabric 3)add 6" of 0-3/4" 'cheap crushed' gravel base (4" is acceptable for a patio, 6" is better especially in Denver climate) seek recycled crushed gravel if available. 4)tamp gravel base with a vibrating plate over two layers (at 3" and 6") 5)top up low spots to make level grade (sloped slightly for drainage in appropriate direction) tamp. 6)apply 1" layer of sand or limestone screening. sand is preferable for flagstone as it shapes to irregular underside of flagstones and drains slightly better. 7)level off perfect grade playing with a 4' carpenters level or leveled pipes and 2 by 4. slope 1" over 4 ft in appropriate direction for drainage 8)apply pavers (tightly) or flagstone 9)sweep in polymer sand to fill in joints 10)tamp, reapply polymer to top up joints, moisten Alternative bases for flagstone- 1)geo textile fabric 2)4" crushed gravel (0-3/4") base 3)4"- 6" Concrete pad with rebar 4)apply thin set mortar with 1/8" notched trowel 5)place flagstone 6)apply mortar to joints, have sponge handy Least thorough option for thick flagstones (2" +) 1)excavate slightly more than 3" 2)apply 1" sand for levelling 3)drop flagstones in place, hammer down with deadblow mallet 4)fill joints with polymer sand, moisten Hope that helps.

Gravel-Lok is way overpriced. If there is even the slightest bit of moister will make it foam. There is a decomposed granite stabilizer that works so much better then anything else I have ever used . TerraKoat EX Decomposed Granite Stabilizer made by TerraKoat International. Really does the job. The cool thing about TerraKoat EX is when you order 5 gallons to be delivered they ship you 1 gallon of concentrate and you add 4 parts water to get you 5 Gallons. This gives you the ability to make vulnerable areas that are subject to excessive use even stronger by modifying the dilution ratio to 2 to 1 or 3 to one. We did a project that had a 4" with DG pathway With an 18" accent strip on ether side of the pathway filled with 3/8 decorative rock. We poured the TerraKoat EX over the decorative rock without adding any water at all. It dried clear and locked the rock in place for a fraction of the cost of the Gravel-Lok and you get it delivered to the job site free. I give it 2 thumbs up!

I just think you would find that that construction method does not hold up--especially for heavy-ish objects on wheels.The fact that it would be over the compacted clay affects how the path handles water and so the thin layer that you describe will not necessarily compact together properly, as I understand it. So one point might be, if you are just trying to have a path that has some gravel showing here and there and you like the texture combo rather than just hardpacked dirt, it may be that no special kind of gravel is needed because--and I am not an expert here--you have bypassed the construction methods that promote the behavior of DG as packing and interlocking particles. If you were just aiming for a footpath to avoid mud, I would say that it is possible to make informal stepstone or paver paths with less rather than more preparation than is often recommended--again that is allowing for lower expectations for aesthetics and stability; but for rolling wheelbarrows and garbage cans, you need more width than a step-stone type path. Maybe it is because I take to heart your proposed dimensions--1/4-1/2 inch thick is not very much! I believe that some apparently well-worn hiking trails actually have additional gravel added over time for this very reason. Plus if you have hiked after a rain and after the park rangers have driven through you will see the ruts with standing water and mud. One concern I have is that adding the very thin layer may actually change the clay to be more of a weed substrate than before, because now the soil may become more porous and aerated instead of being relatively inhospitable. When you say "easy to hoe," I think, hoeing is so disruptive, it will make it worse, and then how does it end up looking better than just a beaten path? But what I hear you saying is, you would like the look of a gravel-ish path. So maybe if your expectations for better function are low and you like the aesthetics of a gravel-ly path, it is right for you. This is a long way of saying I have not made a path like this with good long-term results.

How did you apply the shampoo? How long did you water after the shampoo? Would you characterize the hard soil as either a low spot or a high spot relative to the rest of the yard? or about the same? How long do you normally water? What kind of sprinkler system do you have? Have you checked the sprinklers in the hard spots with cans to be sure those areas are getting the same amount of water as the greener areas? Hard soil and compacted soil are different things. Compacted soil has had the air mechanically driven out by first soaking it and then repeatedly sticking a plunger of some sort into it. Adobe bricks are made this way. In nature this typically happens around a pond where cattle or other livestock drink. It can also happen in a pasture if a farmer forgets to move his livestock out during a heavy rain. In a lawn it can happen if the yard gets heavy traffic during or immediately following a soaking rainstorm. Heavy traffic might be a party or a football game. Hard soil is caused by a lack of beneficial fungi which normally soften the soil. That can be caused either by prolonged drought or by short term flooding. in one the moisture is cut of for weeks, and in the other air is cut off for just a few days. If you have seriously given up on shampoo and watering it back to health, then you could apply a thin layer of compost. Apply no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. Even bermuda can be smothered by too much compost.